Developing a coaching approach to leadership provides skills to help you build a kinder, healthier working environment. Low morale is a huge issue across different types of libraries, for workers and for leaders. Coaching won’t fix every contributing factor, but it will help you provide more effective support and leadership to your team.
Study after study shows that autonomy is a key component in job satisfaction and wellbeing in the workplace. It makes sense when you think about it – being trusted to get a job done in the way you deem best demonstrates that your boss respects you as a professional who knows what you’re doing. At the same time, stepping too far back and letting your employees just figure things out entirely on their own means they’re left without the support they want and need. It can feel like you have to walk a tightrope between giving too much and not enough direction, between micromanaging and neglect.
Using a coaching approach clears a path through that middle ground. It helps you to start from curiosity instead of judgment, so that you can explore ideas and options with employees. The goal is to reach a point at which, when a problem arises, the people in your unit come to you to talk through the ideas they already came up with to solve that problem AND feel comfortable telling you what support they need from you to effectively solve that problem. This involves building a level of trust that you’re not going to judge them for admitting that they need more development on a particular skill, of course, so it’s not likely to happen overnight, but the long term outcomes are worth the work.
Some of the other ways that developing a coaching approach to leadership can improve the climate within your library unit include:
- Empathy and Understanding: Coaching emphasizes active listening and understanding the perspectives and needs of individual team members. When managers adopt a coaching approach, they become more empathetic and compassionate, recognizing the unique challenges and strengths of each employee. This fosters a supportive environment where employees feel valued, leading to increased morale and reduced stress.
- Open Communication: Coaching encourages open and honest communication between managers and their team members. By asking powerful questions, providing constructive feedback, and actively engaging in dialogue, managers create a safe space for employees to express their concerns, ideas, and aspirations. This open communication promotes trust and psychological safety, which are essential for a healthier workplace culture.
- Personal Growth and Development: A coaching approach focuses on unlocking an individual’s potential and supporting their growth. Managers who act as coaches help employees identify their strengths, set meaningful goals, and provide guidance to achieve them. This commitment to personal development fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement, enhancing employee motivation and job satisfaction.
- Conflict Resolution: Coaching equips managers with skills to handle conflicts constructively. When conflicts arise, a coaching approach allows managers to address the root causes and encourage understanding, leading to more effective resolutions.
Of course, there’s always the business case that coaching leads to more engaged employees, which increases productivity and reduces burnout and employee turnover. It’s cheaper to invest in developing an employee than it is to replace them. But I never find those business case arguments very inspiring!
If this sounds like an approach that you’d like to learn more about, I’d love to talk!
Right now, I’m looking for 5-8 people who would like to join me in a 6 month journey of developing a coaching approach to leadership, beginning in the first week of October 2023.
I was an academic librarian for 12 years, taking on increasing levels of responsibility, until I decided to shift into coaching. I completed a professional coach training program that is accredited by the International Coaching Federation. I combine my professional coach training with my practical experience of leadership within libraries to create a practical program for managers. This training will NOT make you a professional coach, but it will enable you to effectively use a coaching style of leadership in your library.
We’ll meet twice a week via Zoom. I’ll provide some instructional material to prepare for each meeting, and then we’ll discuss core concepts and real world applications. And, knowing how difficult it can be to go from just talking about these things to actually doing them, participants will have space to put these ideas into practice in a small group setting, practicing coaching one another to get feedback for continuous improvement.
Late October update: editing to remove links to sign up for the pilot cohort. If you’d like more information on an upcoming cohort, this page has all of the details!