In a world where organisations are constantly adapting to change and innovation, an energetic and engaged team is invaluable. But as a manager, how do you create a team that is not only effective, but also buzzing with energy? How do you create a team that exudes confidence, is engaged and motivated, and strives for the optimal result for the organisation? The answer lies in coaching. A good manager is not only a leader, but also a coach who inspires, supports and challenges his or her team to be the best they can be.

1. The Manager’s Role as Coach

Traditionally, managers were expected to coordinate tasks, set goals and assess performance. Directorial leadership was the norm.

Today, the role has shifted to that of a coach: someone who connects with employees, helps them grow and unlocks their potential. But what makes a manager a good coach?

Here are some crucial points in advance:

2. How to Become an Effective Coach?

To develop a coaching style as a manager, a number of development steps are required. This development is at the human level: who is the manager as a person and how does he/she stand among his/her team as a human being?

3. Invest in intuitive skills

Understand what drives your team members and what challenges they experience. However, understanding is often not enough. A rational approach only sheds light on visible behaviour (what does someone do and what does someone say?), but does not always provide insights into what is going on underneath, on the invisible plane. A person’s beliefs, values and motivations are often unknown, even to the employee himself. A coaching manager can only access someone’s invisible motivations if he/she is also able to use his/her intuition. Mclelland’s Iceberg shows the difference in the visible (conscious) and invisible (unconscious) levels of our actions.

4. Practice with Good Questions
Ask open-ended questions that prompt employees to think, rather than provide immediate solutions. Employees often have, through experience in their own field, inventive solutions to problems that arise. By asking open-ended questions, you create the space that allows them to share their ideas.

5. Learn to listen
Asking open-ended questions is a good technique to create space in communication. However, to best use the employee’s answers to e.g. find solutions to problems, a manager also needs to listen well. Often, we ‘pretend’ we are listening or we listen ‘selectively’ so that we are not hearing or only half hearing what the other person is saying. As a consequence, a lot of information gets lost. Learning to listen attentively to what is being said, empathising with the other person’s world and asking the right open follow-up questions are good techniques for using conversations as sources of inspiration in the job. A positive result is that the employee feels heard and recognised and will leave the conversation feeling good.

6. Create Space for Feedback:
Make feedback a regular part of daily practice, both giving and receiving. However, giving feedback is an unfamiliar technique for many managers. Giving positive feedback/compliments is easy. It creates an energy that is positive for the manager and the employee. But sometimes feedback that implies an improvement or a moment of criticism is also needed. This certainly does not have to create negative energy. If feedback is given in a constructive and empathetic way, it can stimulate the growth of both the employee and the manager. There are communication techniques that can understudy the manager in learning how to give both positive and negative feedback.

7. Continue to Teach Yourself
A good coach is also a learning leader. Invest in your own development, for example by taking communication training courses, learning how to invest as a manager in a healthy organization where teams work together efficiently, and by learning that an individual and an organization do not consist only of what is visible, but that the undercurrents (the unconscious drives and thinking patterns) often exert an enormous influence on the functioning of a team and an organization.

8. Dare to have the conversation with your employees.
In the past, “performance reviews” were part of an organization’s annual close. Have a quick conversation with everyone, with the main topic being whether the hoped-for results were being achieved. Nobody was waiting for these conversations. However: regular conversations with employees are an indispensable tool in coaching leadership. Again, listening and open questions are central. Let’s look together at one of the models that support coaching leadership.

An energetic team does not arise by itself. It is the result of managers who take their role as coaches seriously and actively contribute to the growth and development of their employees. There are many techniques, including the GROW model , that provide a practical and effective structure to support this process. Empathy, clear communication and a focus on growth create a work environment where everyone feels recognized and happy. The result? Not only a happier team, but better performance and an healthy organization ready for the future.