How to Increase the Value of Your People

To manage is so 20^th century. In today’s business climate management must integrate coaching into their repertoire. Gone are the days when you could simply direct individuals on what to do. Today management must also serve as coach. In this role you are no longer telling, you are now asking what the individual thinks she should do.

Currently, 30 percent of the U.S. workforce is engaged in their work, and the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is roughly 2-to-1, meaning that the vast majority of U.S. workers (70 percent) are not reaching their full potential…” — Jim Clifton, CEO at Gallup, The State of the American Workplace Report

What’s the benefit of using open-ended, probing questions instead of advising or telling an employee what she needs to do? Quite simply, coaching questions cause the other person to think, to create their own answers, and ultimately motivate them to act on their ideas. Asking questions, rather than making requests, moves the employee beyond passive acceptance of what you have to say. It prompts the employee to apply their creative ability and generate potential solutions to the issue at hand.

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You will redefine the relationship between you and your people once coaching is integrated into your managing style. Think about it. When you are managing, you tell them the answer; but when you are “asking” questions, they become part of the answer. Coaching communicates their value as an equal influence in creating viable solutions.

Warning: You must make a fundamental mind shift from solely focusing on what’s going on to why it’s going on. As awkward as it may feel, park your agenda at the door and allow your direct report to focus on what they want. With coaching, the conversations are not about your thoughts, your input, and what you think will work. Instead you must start listening, really listening, to the other person. The more you listen, the more you see how capable they are. The more you ask, the more they will grow – and so will you!

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