More Benefits To Being A Coach

Builds your skills on adapting to change
Moving to a coach from a manager is a huge change. Your ability to change your style and how you work will help build your adaption to change skills.

Coaching requires skill. When to delegate, when to step in, when to voice an opinion, what to let go of. The list could go on and on. You are still accountable for the performance of the team, yet you no longer controlevery aspect of the team. Instead, you coach the team to meet performance expectations..

Coaching is a major change from managing.

Your success in coaching verses managing will show your ability to change personally.

Business results are owned by the team not just by you
Once people have an understanding of the bigger picture, have expectations clearly spelled out for them, and understand how their role fits in the overall strategy, you will find they will have a stonger focus on the business results as well.

In one of my previous roles, people did their day to day job. When the business results came in, I felt like I was the only one who was concerned with the results.

However, once I reviewed the results with everyone, showed them how their role impacted the results, clearly defined the expectations of each role, the whole place changed! No longer was I the only one waiting to see the monthly results. When the results were good, we all celebrated, when the results were not as we planned, ideas and action plans to improve were suggested and implemented by everyone. The attitude changed from one where no longer was it just one person that was responsible, it was the entire teams responsiblity.

Decisions not just on your shoulders
You will find that people will start to question the "why"; that problems that might have occurred previously will now be stopped before they happen. The team will start making decisions and implement action plans in regards to issues or concerns that previously were referred to you.

Problems that used to come to you will now be solved by other people, rather than looking to you for all the solutions. You will find, with time, that people start becoming solution oriented. Attitudes change from one of “its not my problem, its managements' problem”, to one of “what can we do”.

Change in attitudes from "how do we do it" to "why do we do it"
You also will find people question why they are doing something a certain way. Rather than waiting to be told to change, people will take the initiative and start implementing change. Attitudes will change from one of a "9-5 job", to more of a business attitude, expressed by what can we do to make our business more successful.

Long term benefits
When you first start coaching a new employee or first start changing your style to one of a coach, it does consume a lot of your time. As the person develops, however, and grows in their role you will see the benefits of your initial time spent with them.

Financial Success
By giving people the authority to make decisions and the understanding of their individual and team impact, you are helping them understand that they have a stake in the corporations' success or failure. When people understand this is a business and the success of this business depends on them, they will strive to make it successful!

People are adults not children. If the business fails, they no longer have a job. With this knowledge, people will start to look for ways to make the business successful, not just once in awhile but on a continuous basis.