Tips for Coaching Your Employees

Cathie Leimbach • July 12, 2021

Coaching employees is a fundamental part of being a good manager. It keeps employees engaged, supports their professional development, and gets more things done more efficiently. Coaching is a learned skill. Too often, we think we are coaching when we are telling our employees what to do. Yet, quality coaching encourages them to proactively manage their own work.

 

Research shows that there is a significant ROI to coaching. It is a high value activity that positions employees to become better versions of themselves because you are helping them solve problems and accomplish goals. 

 

The ancient proverb, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime,” illustrates the benefits of coaching employees rather than giving orders or directives.  Let’s consider some examples that may help you shift your mindset and leadership style.


Example One – One of your employees may be struggling with a teammate’s defensiveness when receiving feedback from a peer.


Rather than saying, “ok, let’s bring him in here, and I’ll talk to him about it,” or “just be direct and let him know he needs to take feedback,” try the following coaching process.


  • Ask the employee who wants to discuss this concern with her colleague questions to help her think through how to approach him:

        -  “What is one example of when he doesn’t accept feedback?”

        - “How do you want him to feel when receiving feedback?”

        - “How can you help him feel that way?”


By answering your questions, your employee has an opportunity to think through how to approach her colleague to reassure him that she respects him and encourage him to see the benefit of receiving the feedback she is offering.


Example Two – A manager who reports to you may be lacking intellectual curiosity. When her team shares good ideas, she nods and smiles, but the ideas never make it into a plan. 


Rather than saying “you’re not listening,” which may trigger defensiveness, or “hey, this is no big thing, but you need to listen better”, which would be just one more piece of feedback to ignore, try the following:


  • Observe when this behavior pops up. Is she always resistant to other people’s ideas, or does this only happen sometimes? Get some confidential feedback from other teammates, including how this behavior makes them feel. 


  • Share your observations and the themes that you see in other teammates’ observations and feelings. Then ask questions to help her realize the benefits of considering and valuing other people’s ideas when making decisions. Your comments may be something like this:

        -  “When someone shares an idea with you, and you don’t engage, they feel discouraged.”

        -  “I wish when ideas were put forth, you took your time to consider them.” “If you don’t like the idea, at least explain your reasoning.”

        - “What comes into your mind when your team members share ideas with you?


You may uncover that she was blind to the pattern. Hearing how her behavior affects others on the team will often create new self-awareness and change behavior, positively impacting the whole team.


Becoming a stronger coach for your team takes practice.  Learning coaching skills and consistently using them will increase your confidence and help you and your team become more effective. Plan on have one-on-one coaching sessions with each of your employees regularly to clarify goals, deal with potential stumbling blocks, and improve their performance. 

Same Conversation, Different Expectations: Why One-on-Ones Need a Clear Close

By Cathie Leimbach • September 29, 2026
Jason left his one-on-one feeling encouraged. His supervisor, Ellen, had listened as he described competing deadlines and his interest in becoming a team leader. They talked about the possibility of shifting some of his workload. Ellen also suggested that training might help him prepare for a leadership role. "Let's work on that," she said. Jason thought help was coming. Ellen thought Jason would bring her a plan. Two weeks later, the deadlines were closer. Nothing had been reassigned. Neither had looked into training. During their next one-on-one, Ellen asked how things were going. "I'm still waiting to hear which project you want me to focus on," Jason said. "I thought we agreed that you would work that out." "And the leadership training?" "Did you find a course?" Jason paused. "I thought you were going to recommend one." They had discussed the same topics. They had left with different expectations. Neither intended to let the other down. But they hadn't agreed on who would do what, or when. Turn a Good Conversation into Clear Next Steps Listening matters. So does what happens after you listen. Before you end your next one-on-one, take a few minutes to make sure you and your employee understand what comes next. Talk about priorities. If everything can't be done at once, agree on what comes first. Ask what might get in the way, and what support would help. Make room for professional growth, too. What does the employee want to learn? What responsibility would they like to prepare for? Identify a step you can each take to move that development forward. Then write down your agreements. Keep the notes simple: what needs to happen, who will do it, and by when. Include your own commitments. Putting It Into Practice Ellen and Jason tried again. "The client proposal comes first," Ellen said. "I'll talk with Marcus today about taking over the weekly report. By Friday, I'll let you know whether he can." "I'll find two leadership courses before our next meeting," Jason said. "Then we can talk about which one fits." Both Jason and Ellen knew what to do next. The following week, both reported their findings and they made decisions on how to move forward. Jason’s work became more aligned with Ellen’s departmental goals. Jason felt valued and appreciated. Their weekly one-to-ones became the backbone of their workplace success. Want to Make Your Workplace Conversations More Productive? Join us for the Workplace Conversations Clinic on October 19 . Bring a conversation you want to handle more effectively, and let's work on making the next steps clear. Register Here

Want High-Performing Employees? Make Expectations Clear During One-on-Ones

By Cathie Leimbach • September 29, 2026
Sally appreciated that her supervisor made time for weekly one-on-ones. It made her feel valued. But after 18 months with Emerald Corp, something was missing. She rarely received feedback. Her supervisor didn’t tell her what she was doing especially well—or where she needed to improve. And although the company had promised continuing education when she was hired, no development opportunities had materialized. Sally loved learning. Several next-level positions interested her, but she knew she needed additional knowledge and skills. Meanwhile, two college classmates working in other departments had already been promoted. She was a fast learner. She was getting bored. And she was beginning to wonder whether she had a future at Emerald. So Sally started applying elsewhere. During Monday’s one-on-one, she asked her supervisor whether he would serve as a reference. He was stunned. “You’re doing well,” he said. “There are lots of opportunities for you here.” Sally asked whether he would support her applying for an internal position. “Well, you’re doing fairly well,” he replied, “but there are several things you could be doing better. You’d also need more experience or training before you’d be ready for the next level.” Sally was confused. “What should I be doing better?” Her supervisor mentioned a few areas for improvement. “Why haven’t you told me this before?” Sally asked. “No news is good news,” he replied. “You’re certainly not at risk of losing your job.” “But you’re telling me I’m not ready for a promotion. How am I supposed to improve if I don’t know what you expect?” Her supervisor assumed Sally would figure it out over time. Sally had assumed she was already meeting expectations. Both assumptions were costly. Within days, Sally had two interviews with other companies. One-on-Ones Should Help Employees Succeed Employees shouldn’t have to guess what high performance looks like. One-on-ones are an opportunity to make expectations clear and help employees become more successful. Talk about what they are doing well. Be specific about where improvement is needed. Ask about their challenges, interests, and future goals. Then provide the coaching, training, and support that can help them succeed. Don’t wait until an employee asks for a reference to talk about their future. Ask before you assume. Conversation is where leadership happens™ Want to Make Your Workplace Conversations More Productive? Join us for the Workplace Conversations Clinic on October 19 . Bring a conversation you want to handle more effectively, and let's work on making the next steps clear. Register HERE