How to Coach When You’re Not the Expert

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Coaching has become a very popular business trend in the past several years. As organizations get flatter and as you progress in your career to take on roles of increasing responsibility you will more often find yourself in a leadership or coaching role where you are not the ‘expert’.

How Coaching Conversations are Different:

  • There is an articulated focus and purpose for coaching conversations
  • Accountability mechanisms are built in to the coaching conversation
  • Feedback and reinforcement are part of the conversation structure

A Brief Introduction to the Wily Manager Five Step Coaching Model:

Step 1 – Context: Decide what is to be worked on, and why it is important. Also identify the conditions and constraints.

Step 2 – Clarify: Articulate the desired outcomes and goals of the coaching. Contrast these against the current reality.

Step 3 – Create: The coach and a team member now explore potential avenues forward, taking into account what has been learned in the first two steps. Decide upon a preferred path.

Step 4 – Commit: Agree upon specific action plans to reach the desired destination. Write down and agree upon ‘who does what by when’. Where possible, include measures of success as well.

Step 5 – Close: Ensure all commitments are understood and the desired behaviours are reinforced. Periodically, debrief the coaching session at this point.


Get the Complete ‘How to Coach When You’re Not The Expert’ Topic Bundle

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The ‘How to Coach When You’re Not The Expert’ Topic Bundle includes:

  • ‘How to Coach When You’re Not The Expert’ Cheat Sheet (pdf)
  • ‘How to Coach When You’re Not the Expert’ Booklet (pdf) containing:
    • In-Depth Topic Overview
    • Benefits of Coaching
    • How Coaching Conversations are Different
    • The Coaching Process
    • Wily Manager’s 5-Step Coaching Model
    • Recommended Resources – where to find out even more about Coaching
  • Easy-print versions of the tools contained in the ‘How to Coach When You’re Not The Expert’ Booklet (pdf)
  • ‘The Wily Manager Coaching Model’ Podcast (mp3)
  • ‘The Wily Manager Coaching Model’ Podcast Slides (Powerpoint)
Get instant access to the complete ‘Coaching’ Topic Bundle