Section 4 Coaching

Use the following activity as an opportunity to reflect on your views about coaching.

Consider the statements below and choose the statement most accurately reflecting your views.

1 If someone can’t do the job to the required standard, then it’s their responsibility to make sure they improve. ❏ Every manager has a responsibility for staff development. ❏

2 Busy managers simply don’t have time to coach staff. ❏ Coaching is so important that it has to be a priority for managers. ❏

3 Coaching can be used to help someone to develop any kind of knowledge, skill or attitude. ❏ Coaching is really only useful for teaching straightforward skills. ❏

4 The best way to develop staff is to make sure that they have formal training opportunities, delivered by training experts. ❏ Increased responsibility, more complex tasks, reviews, special projects, discussions, briefings, feedback sessions are the most effective techniques for developing staff. ❏

5 An effective coach spends most time watching and listening. ❏ An effective coach spends most time telling and showing. ❏

6 Learning is an organic process – it just happens. ❏ Coaching is a necessary part of the learning process. ❏

1 Every manager has a responsibility for staff development. Taking responsibility for developing the people on the team comes with the territory. Successful managers pay attention to enhancing their staff ’s skills and abilities, because they know that, ultimately, they will reap the rewards of developing their people, e.g. improved productivity, higher levels of motivation, increased creativity and innovation, and so on.