Managing for Success!


(203) 653-4692

Why Managers Don’t Coach

The lack of coaching by managers continues to concern us. When managers fail to coach their direct reports, performance and behavioral issues are neglected and professional development doesn’t happen. The result is:

  • Reduced productivity
  • Failure to work at maximum potential
  • Unhappy or insecure employees
  • Unpleasant surprises at the year-end evaluation

In short, managers are not managing for success (our tag line).

When we ask managers about coaching, they tell us that they have neither the time nor the training to do it effectively. Our own sense is that many are conflict averse and don’t want to rock the boat. Knowing how to deliver bad news in a constructive way or managing difficult, emotionally charged situations is not easy. It takes training and the right tools.

So our message for leadership is train your managers, give them the tools, model the behaviors and hold your managers accountable for being effective coaches. How do you know when it’s happening? Use the correct diagnostic tools like 360° reviews. It will all come out. When we’ve coached managers in these skills, we’ve found significant improvement and a positive impact on direct reports. We may be able to help you.

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Executive Coaching Consulting Training Diagnostics