How to Know When to Coach

The manager's skillset needs to include a wide range of approaches. Sometimes they need to teach or train. Sometimes they need to direct or tell. And sometimes they need to use a coaching approach.

The choice of approach will ideally be made mindfully and consciously, with consideration for both the employee's current and future potential as well as the needs of the situation. Missing a skill or bit of knowledge? Teach or train. Tight deadline and one way to get a thing done? Specific direction or "telling" will likely suit best.

In a perfect world, though, the coaching approach is used most often. Here's why.

A coaching approach is most valuable when the goal isn't simply to solve today's problem, but to build someone's ability to solve tomorrow's.

That distinction matters. If an employee lacks information, training, or technical expertise, the manager's role is often to provide direction, instruction, or guidance. Coaching is not a substitute for management. People still need clarity, expectations, feedback, and accountability.

However, when a capable employee is wrestling with a decision, trying to navigate a complex situation, or working through competing priorities, immediately providing the answer can unintentionally limit their development. Every time a manager steps in too quickly, they solve the immediate issue but also reinforce the belief that the best thinking resides with the manager.

A coaching approach shifts that dynamic.

Instead of offering solutions, managers create space for employees to think more deeply about the situation. They ask thoughtful questions, encourage different perspectives, explore assumptions, and help individuals arrive at their own conclusions. The conversation becomes less about transferring knowledge and more about strengthening judgment.

This approach is particularly valuable with experienced employees and high-potential talent. As people become more senior, there are fewer "right" answers and more situations requiring discernment, trade-offs, and sound judgment. Developing those capabilities requires practice, not simply advice.

There is also an important organizational benefit. Managers who coach consistently build teams that are more confident, resourceful, and capable of making decisions independently. Over time, this reduces unnecessary escalation, strengthens accountability, and creates greater leadership capacity throughout the organization.

The most effective leaders know when to direct, when to teach, and when to coach. They recognize that their role is not to have every answer, but to help others develop the ability to find answers for themselves.

Used thoughtfully, a coaching approach becomes more than a communication technique. It becomes one of the most effective ways managers can develop people while achieving results.

The best resource on developing a coaching approach when you're a people manager is Michael Bungay Stanier's classic, "The Coaching Habit." Pick up the 10th anniversary special edition for some bonus content not featured in the original edition.