The Benefits of Leadership Style Coaching for Managers

This type of coaching is slow and sometimes arduous. For these two reasons, it is an approach managers tend to shy away from. Goleman (2013) argues that this is a mistake.

This type of coach does all the typical things any coach does. They engage in strength identification, short and long-term goal planning, and provide feedback.

These coaches have an opportunity to highlight exactly how the coachee fits into the bigger company picture. They can form and create a bond with the employee, much like a mentor might.

Goleman points out that there is an ongoing dialogue between the two people. The coachee knows what to expect, and the expectations of the coach. Because feedback is frequent the employee “feels free to experiment.” The coachee knows that the coach cares about their development.

There are two instances when this approach works best:

• If the coachee has “buy-in” and is ready to make improvements, and
• If the coachee understands that developing new skills, soft or hard, will help them advance