Learning & Development

4 Tips for Coaching New Managers

According to statistics compiled in a post published on LinkedIn® Learning, three out of four employees report that their bosses are the worst and most stressful part of their jobs, with 65% of employees saying they’d take a new boss over a pay raise. And a whopping 85% of executives aren’t confident in their leadership pipelines.coachingIn addition, according to surveys parsed by Entrepreneur, 87% of first-time managers wished they had more training before becoming a manager and don’t feel as if they’re ready to be leaders even though 99% of those companies surveyed said that they offer management training.

And this is likely because many manager training programs in the workplace aren’t supplemented with coaching opportunities where new managers are coached and provided with guidance as they navigate new roles, teams, and responsibilities.

If you’re interested in developing your new managers into ready and effective leaders, here are four tips you should follow when coaching them.

1. Introduce them to the Principles of Servant Leadership

Many managers are ineffective because they forget that they are leaders. They get so bogged down in their everyday work and management tasks, regulatory demands, and workplace policies that they forget they have a team of real-life individuals who have their own emotions, needs, wants, personalities, and so on.

But when you introduce your new managers to the principles of servant leadership, they’ll become more aware of their staff and surroundings, and they’ll be receptive to others’ concerns while diligently handling competing managerial tasks and concerns. Read “Servant Leader—Right for Your Leadership Training?” for more information.

2. Emphasize Emotional Intelligence

Managers who are coached to be more emotionally intelligent will endorse better and more positive communications across their organizations, will work to alleviate workplace stress and disagreements, will stimulate healthy collaboration across teams, and will nurture happier customers. For more details, read “Step-by-Step: 3 Ways to Train for Emotional Intelligence.”

4. Coach Managers to Be Coaches Themselves

When managers are encouraged to be servant leaders and regularly practice emotional intelligence, they will become better coaches themselves for their own teams of employees. They’ll be better equipped to motivate their employees and help them with common issues and challenges as they arise.

You should also remind new managers that coaching their own employees to perform better and more efficiently is also a critical part of being an effective manager and leader, which goes beyond simply delegating tasks and crossing off items on a to-do list.

4. Offer Real-Life, Low-Stakes, Hands-On Opportunities and Feedback

Walk new managers through low-stakes, hands-on opportunities where they’re able to demonstrate their skills and expertise in a safe learning environment before they’re thrown out into stressful situations that have real consequences.

For instance, you can stage mock situations where managers need to discipline an employee during training sessions, or you can provide them with immediate feedback after they work on their first large project in their new role.

Above all else, as you keep the above tips in mind when coaching your new managers, remember to remain transparent and be the living example of what you want your new managers to embody by practicing what you preach too.

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