The Art of Coaching: An Excellent Management Tool!

frustrating challenge many managers face is dealing with employees who perform their job without a feeling of ownership. The manager often feels perplexed by the employee’s lack of commitment toward his job even though the manager may have spent time and effort explaining every detail to the employee.

A few years ago as I was visiting some relatives when a heated discussion erupted between a father and his son. The argument was about the validity of religious teachings, and they both stubbornly and violently insisted on their point of view. Suddenly, the son turned to me and asked for my opinion. I had learned long ago that discussions of this nature are best left alone as they can become quite divisive. However, I had recently read a book by Susan Scott called “Fierce Conversations” which suggested using questions instead of offering opinions when trying to get a point across. So I decided to try this technique. I asked the son for his permission to ask a few questions and he agreed. I started with questions meant to deepen my understanding of his point of view. I then asked about his feelings and how he had arrived at his convictions. Next, I asked him about his feelings towards his father’s point of view. The interesting part came when I asked him to explain why he thought his father opposed his point of view, and I probed deeper and deeper into that. At that point he had calmed down and had started empathizing with his father while still answering my questions. I was pleasantly surprised by the way the conversation ended. The son thanked me for presenting such a powerful point of view. He then turned to his father and told him that he appreciated his opinion but begged to differ with him respectfully. I thought to myself: this is funny, I did not offer any point of view!

This is the art of coaching. It is asking powerful inquisitive (not interrogative) questions that stir thought and clarity in the mind of employees. It empowers them to discover and follow the most suitable path to complete the assigned task with a feeling of ownership and commitment.

So come on managers! Learn the art of coaching and bring out the best in your employees.

Written by: Ibrahim Al Yafi, Partner with Meirc