Four Coaching Techniques Every Leader Can Use with Their Team
Using a coaching approach as a leader is highly effective in many situations.
Clever use of coaching skills with team members helps increase awareness and accountability, resulting in higher performance. This is the fundamental premise of coaching.
Aside from the core skills of active listening, open questioning, structuring conversations to ensure there is a goal, and an outcome, there are some simple coaching techniques from solution focused coaching that leaders can use with their teams. These can be used in 1:1’s, team meetings, project meetings or progress updates. If used in meetings, ask the questions as a collective, replacing ‘you’ with ‘us’ or ‘we’.
A solution focused coaching approach does exactly what it’s name suggests – it helps people find solutions. It is an approach that focuses on the future and how to move forward, not dwell on what doesn’t work, or what has gone wrong or why. Progress is built on small realistic steps that seem manageable. With this approach people are viewed as having great potential and the leader helps people realise their potential with a focus on using their strengths.
Using tools from solution focused coaching is useful in leadership when:
· Someone / a team is stuck or facing an issue they do not know how to handle
· It is hard to see the way forward because there are so many variables
· People are struggling with change or challenge
· Something is complex and needs breaking down
Four types of questions leaders can ask using a solution focused approach
1. Scaling Determines a simple, concrete number that is a stake in the ground for future growth.
On a scale of 1 to 10, where are you right now? (Gives a tangible idea of where they are)
What makes it a ___ and not lower? (Focuses the person on what is already in place/what is already good)
Where would you like to be on the scale and by when? (Sets a clear goal)
What do you need to do to get there? (Focuses the mind on what needs to be done)
What strengths could you use to help you? (Identifies existing strengths to use in this situation)
2. Ask about Exceptions This helps people think about ‘when is this problem less of a problem?’.
When have you handled something like this before?
What would a small sign of progress look like?
Tell me about a time when this issue wasn’t a problem - what was different?
When have you managed this well in the past?”
What’s working, even just a little bit, that we can build on?
3. Presuppose Change Subtly assumes a positive change is possible, or even already underway.
What will be the first sign that things are improving?
What will others notice when this is working better for you?
When you’re handling this the way you want to, what will you be doing differently?
What’s already working that you could build on?
4. Determine Small steps Breaks down the task into immediate, manageable actions
What’s the next smallest step you could take to make a difference?
What’s one thing you could do tomorrow that would make a difference?
What personal strength will help you make the first step? (Helps with belief)
Using these techniques
What problems are your team facing? How could you use this approach with your team? You can also use these questions alone in self-reflection.
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If you would like to know more about how coaching could help you or your team, please chat to us and find out more.