In their book, 100 Things You Need to Know: Best People Practices for Managers & HR (2004), Eichinger, Lombardo, and Ulrich — three internationally-recognized experts in human capital management — shared that, in general, managers are “very poor at coaching and developing their people” (p. 470).
This may come as a shock to some, but probably not to others. Why? Let’s think about it for a minute. Line managers and mid-level managers are often quite busy and they simply do not have the time or want to set aside quality time for coaching and developing their staff. And even when some managers do make time to coach and develop their direct reports, coaching & developing others isn’t something that gets rewarded by senior leadership (Eichinger, Lombardo, & Ulrich, 2004).
“Relying exclusively on line managers to coach and develop their people for the long-term is a losing strategy. Typical line managers aren’t good at it, don’t have much motivation to do it, are terminally busy and don’t have or make quality time for it, and are not rewarded for it when the few do actually do it” (Eichinger, Lombardo, & Ulrich, 2004, p. 472).
According to Eichinger, Lombardo, and Ulrich (2004), the recommended best practice is a coordinated process led by human resource professionals and enthusiastically endorsed by senior executives and with the buy-in and collaboration of line managers and the people being coached.
“An organization’s success depends on its talent—its ability to maximize its talent and to retain it. To be successful, an organization needs to enable its workforce to grow, develop, and mature. Coaching is one way to support continued employee development and can be a powerful tool for improving the performance of both the individual and the organization.” —Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner
Written By: Steve Nguyen, Ph.D.
Leadership Advisor and Talent Consultant
Reference
Eichinger, R. W., Lombardo, M. M., & Ulrich, D. (2004). 100 things you need to know: Best people practices for managers & HR. Minneapolis, MN: Lominger Limited.
