Coaching Tools for Leaders

What is coaching?

Coaching is getting someone from where they are to where they want to go by tapping into their own wisdom and keeping them accountable to achieving their goals.
There are myriad coaching tools out there, and we want to share two tools that you can put into practice immediately in your 1:1s with direct reports.

Tool #1: Outcome Frame

What it does:

Helps the other person clarify what they want and what they're solving for

How to use it:
  • "In this situation, what would you like?"
  • Repeat back what the other person said
  • "What will having that do for you?"
  • "And what will having that do for you?"


Tool #2: Options Exploration


What it does:

Moves someone from spinning on a problem to proactively taking action

How to use it:
  • "What options do you have to make progress toward that outcome?"
  • "What other options do you have?"
  • "What do you want to try first?"

Examples


Coaching Tools Case Study

The examples below illustrates how these two simple tools (Outcome Frame and Options Exploration) can help a manager understand their direct reports' goals and shift them toward solutions.

Fixing Approach

Direct report: To be honest, I haven’t been feeling motivated at work. I tend to be bogged down in execution details, and I’m not getting enough exposure to strategy. I look around, and my peers are working on strategic projects that move their careers forward.

Manager: Thanks for sharing that with me. I remember when I was at your level and looking to get promoted. What was most valuable was focusing on execution. I rolled up my sleeves, focused on executing the projects in front of me, and that's what got me promoted to where I am now. You have mission critical projects to execute, so you're already on the right path.

Direct report: But that's exactly the problem I'm facing. I'm spending all my time on execution and not enough time on the strategic problem solving I see other product managers doing.

Manager: Well, if you want a strategic project, there are plenty to go around. I actually need someone to nail down a competitive analysis slide for our upcoming board deck. Why don't you take that on?

Direct report: I’m fine with taking that on to help the team. But I don't want to just fill out a one-time slide. What I’m looking for is a strategic project.

Manager: (getting a bit impatient) I know that Rodrigo is researching a new market vertical and could use some support. That's a strategic project. Why don't you partner with him on that? Will that fix the situation?

Direct report: (exasperated) But that's not what I actually want. I feel like you're not understanding me here.

Coaching Approach

Here's how the conversation might go if the manager instead uses a coaching approach and employs the Outcome Frame and Options Exploration.

Direct report: To be honest, I haven’t been feeling motivated at work. I tend to be bogged down in execution details, and I’m not getting enough exposure to strategy. I look around, and my peers are working on strategic projects that move their careers forward.

Manager: Gotcha, thanks for sharing that with me. I want to support you in this, are you open to me asking a few questions to learn more?

Direct report: Sure.

Manager: I'm curious: In this situation, what would you like?

Direct report: I want to take on a strategic project, one that allows me to really stretch and grow my strategy skills.

Manager: I see. So you want to take on a strategic project that allows you to stretch and grow your strategy skills. And what will having that do for you?

Direct report: It'll allow me to improve my ability to drive strategic decisions, especially ones that directly impact our revenue goals.

Manager: Gotcha, and growing in your ability to drive strategic decisions that impact revenue goals— what will having that do for you?

Direct report: It'll allow me to explore whether being a COO is the right path for me in the long run. I've been thinking about making a future switch from product management to a hybrid role that's more operationally focused because I love learning about the business.

Manager: Wow, I'm excited for you to explore that career path, and I want to support you in that. Let's brainstorm: What options do you have for starting to explore COO as a longer term career path?

Direct report: That's where I need some help. I guess I could reach out and talk to our COO to hear how she got to that position. This might be a stretch but maybe I could shadow some of her meetings to see what they're like?

Manager: Those are great ideas. Let's keep brainstorming: What other options do you see?

Direct report: There's a three-year business planning initiative spinning up, and I know our COO is spearheading it. I wonder if they could use support from someone on the product team. I'd love to be the product team liaison for that project... but that seems like a stretch. Is that even possible?

Manager: I think you'd be a great fit for it. I have a 1:1 with our COO later today. Would it be helpful for me to ask her about these next steps?

Direct report: That’d be great, and it'd help me a lot in my career exploration. Thank you for helping me think through this. I'm excited to see what comes out of it.


Reflection Questions

After trying either the Outcome Frame or Options Exploration with team members, reflect on your experience.
  • What was it like to try a coaching approach? What feelings and thoughts came up for you? What did you notice about your direct reports' response?
  • Going forward, in what situations might a coaching approach be useful?
  • Going forward, in what situations would you not want to use coaching?
next up

Giving Effective Feedback

Learn The Grand's method for giving reinforcement and developmental feedback to grow your team.