Episode 60: The Coaching Leader, Part 1: Why Great Leaders Coach Instead of Just Manage | 12MinuteLeadership

Great leaders don't just solve problems—they develop people who can solve problems without them. In this episode, Elise kicks off a two-part series on one of the most overlooked yet powerful leadership skills: coaching. Rather than viewing coaching as something reserved for executive coaches or HR professionals, you'll discover why it's a leadership mindset that transforms teams and multiplies results.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why great leaders measure success by the people they develop, not the problems they solve.
• The difference between managing, mentoring, and coaching, and when to use each.
• Why coaching is a leadership multiplier that builds confidence, ownership, and better decision-making.
• Who you should intentionally invest in coaching, from high performers to emerging leaders and employees in transition.
• When coaching is not the appropriate approach and performance management is needed instead.
• Two reflection questions to help you identify someone to intentionally develop over the next six months.

If you're ready to become the kind of leader who develops people, not just solves problems, this episode is for you. Listen now, and if you need help reaching your leadership goals, reach out to us at www.eliseboggs.com. 

Transcript

Welcome And The Big Promise

Speaker 0:02

Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast, where in 12 minutes or less, I'll share small things that you can put into immediate practice that will make a big difference in your leadership effectiveness. I'm your host, Elise Boggs Morales, leadership professor, consultant, and coach. For the last 17 years, I have helped thousands of leaders level up their influence and achieve remarkable results. If you want to treat compliance for true commitment and create your dream team, you are in the right place. Get ready for a quick hit of practical wisdom to increase your team's engagement, inspire top performance, and retain your best talent. Ready to level up your influence and get better results? 12 minutes starts now.

Coaching As A Leadership Mindset

Speaker 0:52

Hi everyone, Elise here. Welcome back to the podcast. Today we're kicking off a two-part series on one of the most overlooked and one of the most powerful leadership skills that you can develop: coaching. Now, before you tune out, because you think coaching is only for executive coaches or HR professionals, let me assure you that's not what we're talking about today. We're talking about coaching as a leadership mindset. One of the biggest shifts leaders make as they grow is this they stop measuring success by the problems they solve, and they begin measuring success by the people they develop.

Answers Versus Building Capability

Speaker 1:30

Imagine two leaders. Every time a team member comes into leader A's office with a question, they get an answer. Leader A is knowledgeable, helpful, and responsive. Their team member leaves with a solution. Now imagine leader B. The same team member walks in with the exact same question, but instead of immediately giving advice, leader B asks, what have you already considered? What do you think is the best option? What might happen if you tried that? The team member still leaves with an answer, but this time it's their answer. One leader solved today's problem, the other built tomorrow's capability. That's the difference between managing work and coaching people.

Why Coaching Multiplies Results

Speaker 2:14

One of the reasons I'm so passionate about coaching is because I've seen what it does inside organizations. It is truly a leadership multiplier. I've watched technical experts become confident leaders, I've watched struggling employees find their footing. I've watched high performers prepare for executive roles they once thought were out of reach. Not because someone kept giving them better answers, but because someone helped them learn how to think critically and learn how to make sound decisions. That's the heart of coaching. Coaching isn't rescuing or fixing, it isn't having all the answers. It's helping someone discover that they're more capable than they realized. One of my favorite leadership truths is this your success as a leader isn't measured by how many problems you solve, it's measured by how many people you've developed to solve problems without you. That's the return on investment. And a bonus, developing people also allows you to fully unplug, take time off, and know that your team has been developed to function well without you. Coaching develops confidence, it increases engagement, it builds future leaders, and it strengthens decision making. It also creates ownership, and over time, your team becomes less dependent on you, not because they need you less, but because you've helped them grow

Managing Mentoring And Coaching

Speaker 3:35

more. One of the most common questions I get is about the difference between managing, mentoring, and coaching. These terms are often used interchangeably. They are related, but they're not the same. Managing sounds like this, here's what I need you to do. Mentoring sounds like this. When I was in your position, here's what worked for me. And coaching sounds like this. Let's think through this together. Managers provide direction, mentors share experience, coaches develop thinking. Great leaders know how to wear all three hats. Sometimes the person on your team needs a clear answer. Sometimes they need wisdom from your experience. And sometimes they don't need either. They simply need someone who believes they're capable of finding the answer themselves. Leadership maturity is knowing which approach is needed when.

Choosing Who To Coach

Speaker 4:53

Who comes to mind for you? Maybe it's your high performer, the person who's already doing excellent work but has the potential to become even more influential. Maybe you're preparing them for promotion, helping them think more strategically, or developing executive presence. Sometimes the greatest investment you can make isn't fixing weakness, it's multiplying strength. Or maybe it's an emerging leader, someone who has the potential to lead but hasn't quite stepped into it yet. They're capable, but they need confidence. They need someone to help them navigate difficult conversations, lead meetings, or influence peers. Sometimes people don't need permission to lead. They need someone who sees something in them before they see it in themselves. Perhaps someone else comes to mind, someone who's struggling. Maybe accountability has been inconsistent, communication has become difficult, organization isn't where it needs to be.

When Coaching Is Not Enough

Speaker 5:51

Now let me make an important distinction. Coaching works when someone wants to grow. It's not a substitute for performance management. If someone is in a formal disciplinary process or unwilling to take ownership, coaching alone won't solve the issue. Coaching assumes there's a willing and teachable learner on the other side of the conversation. You also might think of someone who's simply stuck. They're capable, they're dependable, but they've plateaued. They've stopped stretching themselves. Sometimes leaders mistake stability for satisfaction. The employee keeps doing their job, but they've quietly stopped growing. Those people often benefit tremendously from coaching because someone is helping them rediscover purpose and possibility. Someone else you could consider coaching as someone facing a major transition, a promotion, a new team, a challenging project, returning from leave. Transitions are exciting. They're also vulnerable moments where coaching can make an enormous difference. Maybe someone comes to mind that you want to make sure that you retain an all-star on your team. Rather than waiting until they submit a resignation letter to ask for what they want, coach them now. Learn about their aspirations, remove barriers, help them create a development plan. Nothing communicates, I believe, in your future, quite like investing in someone's growth before they ask for it. Someone else you could consider coaching as someone you've had difficulty connecting with. Coaching can become the bridge that builds trust. Or maybe it's someone who depends on you for every answer. If you've ever thought, I wish they would think this through before coming to me, coaching is the answer. Instead of increasing dependence, you begin increasing ownership. And finally, sometimes the best person to coach isn't struggling at all. There's simply someone you believe in. One of the greatest gifts a leader can give another person is their intentional investment. Not because there's a problem to solve necessarily, but because there's potential to develop.

Two Questions To Act On

Speaker 7:59

So let me leave you with two questions. First, who immediately came to mind as you listen today? If no one came to mind, maybe that's your homework for this week. Identify one person, just one, and then ask yourself, what could happen if I intentionally invested in this person's growth over the next six months? Not by solving all of their problems, but by helping them become the kind of person who can solve them on their own. I think you'll be amazed by what happens.

Next Week Ten Coaching Habits

Speaker 8:29

And next week, we're going to make this incredibly practical. We'll talk about how to coach. I'll share the 10 coaching habits I found make the biggest difference, whether you're coaching a new supervisor, a high performer, or a future executive. Coaching isn't something you're born knowing how to do, it's a learned leadership skill. And that skill produces a great return. So, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Share it with another leader who needs it. I'll see you next time.

Subscribe Book And More Support

Speaker 9:01

Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then, go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.