Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
There is No Playbook: Leader as Coach During Challenging Times
Summary
Managing others is hard work. Even in the best of times our talent may be restless, anxious, or disengaged. Whether conscious of it or not, people are motivated by opportunities to grow through a sense of purpose in what they do, a sense of autonomy in how they do it, and a sense of achievement for what they get done. When these needs are ignored or the opportunities don’t exist, people management can get even harder. If you struggle at times to engage effectively with your direct reports, or if you want to amplify your ability to support them on their professional journey, taking a coaching approach can help. Coaching is a mutually empowered and collaborative way to guide individual growth. It is fundamentally discovery-driven, not expertise-driven, so “there is no playbook”. Session participants will gain an understanding of how coaching differs from mentoring or advising and explore a set of basic coaching tools for improving communications, results, and accountability with their direct reports. They may also discover that these very skills can also improve engagement with peers and clients.
Key Insights
-
•
Leaders default to fixing or advising rather than inquiring, though inquiry leads to more sustainable change.
-
•
Coaching works because it helps individuals build their own 'mental maps,' aligning change with their internal wiring.
-
•
Neuroscience shows the brain functions best when generating personal connections, making coaching more effective than directive advice.
-
•
The innovation process framework—explore, synthesize, ideate, prototype—applies effectively to leading individual change.
-
•
Clarifying specific behaviors non-judgmentally and verifying perceptions with the other person is foundational for change conversations.
-
•
Open-ended 'what' and 'how' questions invite deeper reflection and discovery compared to closed or leading questions.
-
•
Discomfort in conversations is natural; leaders must cultivate presence and self-management to stay curious rather than reactive.
-
•
Power dynamics affect feedback; developing shared goals and mutual values helps engage even those without direct reporting relationships.
-
•
Regular, ongoing coaching conversations are better than rare, crisis-driven feedback sessions.
-
•
Reflection on iterative attempts and learning from outcomes leverages neuroplasticity to reinforce behavioral changes.
Notable Quotes
"Change doesn’t always need to throw us back on our heels. We can take a proactive approach."
"We tend to do anything but inquire, even though inquiry is most effective for sustainable change."
"Taking a coaching approach supports the other person’s discovery and offers the greatest possibility for change."
"The brain is a connection machine; people need to create their own mental maps to change effectively."
"People tend to support what they actively help create."
"You can’t eliminate judgment; it’s part of human biology, but you can be conscious about it."
"Ask permission before giving feedback, and do it in a timely, private setting for constructive criticism."
"Coaching is not problem-solving; it’s about being curious and inviting discovery."
"Why am I talking? Sometimes it’s better to ask a question and be silent."
"Doing these conversations regularly, not just in crisis, makes a big difference."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"The biggest problem was to solve the engagement problem first with the sponsor, then the team, then external stakeholders."
Carl TurnerYou Can Do This: Understand and Solve Organizational Problems to Jumpstart a Dead Project
March 28, 2023
"If there’s a performance gap, don’t sit on it; it doesn’t age well and hurts the team, employee, and business."
Karen PascoeDeveloping Experience Teams and Talent in the Enterprise
June 8, 2016
"Support software used to be really shitty and expensive, and Zendesk set out to fix that by making it beautifully simple."
Jilanna WilsonDistributed Design Operations Management
October 23, 2019
"A government designer aims to reduce UX variation while a contractor may optimize only their single product, creating potential conflicts."
Shawna Hein Kevin HoffmanCreate a Cohesive Civic Design Practice Across Agency, Vendors, and Contracts
November 17, 2022
"Don’t kill grandma is our mantra reminding us the stakes of the tiny design details we face every day."
Barb SpantonDoing Work That Matters: A Look Beyond The Idealistic Notion of 'Doing Meaningful Work'
June 10, 2022
"We had no recipe, no formula, just vibes."
Briana ThomasThe Quiet Force: Uncovering Hidden Leadership in High-Impact Design Teams
September 24, 2024
"Coaches organize practices or drills to push players toward specific goals and improvement."
Gina MendoliaTherapists, Coaches, and Grandmas: Techniques for Service Design in Complex Systems
December 3, 2024
"Mixed methods researchers will need to trust AI for base-level synthesis but still bring human meaning making."
Lija Hogan Milan Mijatovic Sam Proulx Louis RosenfeldThree Years Out: Perspectives on the Near-Term Future of User Research
March 15, 2024
"Be human first when creating new roles; treat them with the same care as hiring new team members."
John Calhoun Rachel PosmanTwo Sides of the DesignOps Coin: Teams Ops and Product Ops
January 8, 2024