Tag: Manager of Managers

Coaching prompts: Real accounts from coaching sessions

Coachee: I’ve recently had a health problem recur that I thought was cured. The issue is keeping me from working out. When I don’t stay active, I get in my head. I’m realizing that when things take a turn that I don’t expect, I try to wait until they go back to normal. When they don’t immediately go back to normal, I get frustrated and impatient. Then I start to ruminate, which makes me feel worse. I don’t know what to do.

Coach: What do you really want?

Coachee: I want to ruminate less.

Additional Questions:

• What are your expectations for going back to normal?
• What would you prefer to do rather than ruminate?
• What do you lose when things aren’t normal? What do you gain?

David’s Final Thought: Change is often disruptive and uncomfortable. That said, try to pause and consider what you have to learn from the change. Logistically, I recommend writing it down or talking to someone about it so you don’t keep those thoughts solely in your head.

Coaching prompts: Real accounts from coaching sessions

Coachee: I’ve just become a manager of managers after hiring a manager to work for me. I feel like I’m winging it. I’m just managing the same way I did when I was a frontline manager, i.e. with openness and transparency, but I don’t know if that’s right or wrong. I could use some advice.

Coach: What do you really want?

Coachee: To help the team, and the new manager specifically, be successful.

Additional Questions:

• What did you most appreciate about your boss’ approach when you first became a frontline manager? What did you not appreciate about your boss’ approach?
• How do you want your team to behave?
• Imagine that it is 1 year from now and the team has self-destructed (however you wish to define that). What are some reasons it has? Where do you want to focus your attention based on those reasons?

David’s Final Thought: As a team grows, be deliberate about who communicates what and when to whom.