Cathy Liska Is it dating myself to remember the day when the boss said, “my way or the highway” as the standard? Then it shifted to, “I’ll say what I think and you tell me you like it.” Today, half of all Americans would leave their job if they could; many are simply waiting for the economy to recover. The number one reason cited for leaving a job? The boss.
Because of this, companies are now increasingly focusing on retaining good talent. Part of this process is working with the bosses on their management (or leadership) style. Look up management styles on Wikipedia and it becomes clearer why this is a common challenge; styles include autocratic, paternalistic, and laissez-faire at worst and democratic or MBWA (management by walking around) at best. A recent buzz word is “employee engagement”.
Articles on how to engage employees provide perspective for creating a coaching style of management. Employees value the experience of an employer seeking to understand them and acting on their ideas. Employees want to feel that their work is important. How employees communicate with management, colleagues, and people they in turn supervise is significant to their level of engagement.
Now take this information to the next level for a coaching management style. A coaching manager is a strategic partner that:
* Asks questions for the clarifying of career goals
* Explores options for moving past obstacles
* Empowers the creation of action plans
* Enhances opportunities to achieve
What does this mean to an employee? Their manager takes time to ask about their career goals and to work on a career path that fits with both organizational needs and the employee’s goals. The employee is empowered to think about overcoming obstacles and create their own work plans; the employee is engaged and follow-through increases exponentially. The manager is aware of employee successes and in a place to verbally acknowledge the employee in a meaningful way.
How would this coaching management style impact you or your client?
