Coaching Opportunities for Leaders: when to coach, and when to be coached
Finding the right time to coach as a leader can be tricky, especially when your schedule is packed.
However, coaching doesn’t need to be formal or time-consuming. In fact, some of the best coaching happens in everyday moments when you least expect it.
Here are five key moments to coach your team—and a few signs that it might be time to engage a coach for yourself.
1. Regular Check-ins
For Your Team: During one-on-one meetings, take the opportunity to go beyond task updates and focus on personal growth. Ask questions like, “What challenges are you facing?” or “What’s an area you’d like to develop further?”
For You: If you’re finding these conversations are feeling repetitive or surface-level, a leadership coach could help you reframe these interactions into more powerful coaching moments.
2. Performance Reviews
For Your Team: Rather than using performance reviews solely to give feedback, make them an open conversation. Help your team identify their strengths, explore areas for growth, and develop actionable goals.
For You: If giving feedback feels difficult or your reviews aren’t driving improvement, a coach can equip you with strategies to have more impactful, growth-oriented conversations.
3. During Challenges
For Your Team: When a difficult project or conflict arises, that’s a prime coaching moment. Guide your team through problem-solving, helping them define the issue, set goals, and explore solutions.
For You: If you’re feeling overwhelmed by complex challenges, or unsure of the best course of action, this could be a sign that engaging a coach would provide clarity and help you approach difficult situations more confidently.
4. After Successes
For Your Team: Celebrating wins? Great! But don’t stop there. Use this moment to coach. Ask reflective questions like, “What contributed to this success?” or “How can we replicate this in the future?”
For You: If you tend to jump from one success to the next without taking time to reflect, a coach can help you acknowledge your own progress and strategise for the future.
5. Before Major Decisions
For Your Team: When someone on your team is making a significant decision, coaching can help them evaluate options and weigh the facts; leading to better decision-making skills and greater confidence.
For You: If decision fatigue or doubt is creeping into your own leadership, a coach can help you clarify your thinking and build a framework for making well-informed, confident decisions.
The final word
As leaders, we are experts at coaching others, but it’s equally important to recognise when you need coaching. If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just unsure of how to grow further in your leadership, these are clear signs that it might be time to engage a coach.