What is your manager identity? Is Coaching part of it?

What is your manager identity? Is Coaching part of it?

Time – let’s face it – none of us have enough time!

So then it comes down to a case of prioritising as best we can.

And so much of our conscious and subconscious prioritisation as a manager is based on what is important to our self-image.

So how do you see yourself as a manager? What do you value about your role?

If I see myself as a “doing manager”, I will prioritise action and tasks over everything else – but in my experience this approach often ends in tears – the manager becoming overwhelmed and frustrated by their workload, their reports disengaged and bored because their manager is doing their work, and the manager’s boss disappointed that the manager is not….well…managing.

If I see myself as having to be the “expert manager”, the source of all answers, then I will prioritise telling and solving the problems of others over everything else. The problem is you cannot maintain the expert stance long term as knowledge and expertise is so fluid - and if you do try to hold and protect your expertise you just end up suffocating your reports and creating an unhealthy dependency.

However if I see my identity as “the one who helps other do”, suddenly the importance of making time to connect and be with my reports rises up my “to do” list.

Coaching is not the primary task of a manager but nor is being the doer or the expert – its about a blend and it is about a manager integrating coaching into their routines so that people don’t even necessarily label it as coaching.

It’s is not about lengthy one to one coaching meetings. It’s is not about have a degree from the University of Buffalo in amateur psychology.

It’s about having a coaching mind-set so that you seek coaching moments with your reports.

When people are asked to describe a manager who really helped them develop, they say the manager did the following:

- Gave them a challenge
- Believed in them
- Asked the right questions as opposed to telling the “right answer”
- Trusted them, especially in high profile assignments
- Gave feedback – positive and critical – in a respectful way
- Seemed to be interested in them as a human being


It’s not rocket science – it never is unless you build rockets – it’s being a manager who really wants to be “the one who helps others do “– and then making the space in the calendar for that shift of focus to happen.