Developing a Coaching Mindset

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Today’s nursing workforce wants their leaders to use less of a traditional style and more of a coaching approach. Transitioning from a traditional leader to a team coach is not always smooth. A coaching mindset means moving from a leadership style focused on fixing team weaknesses to a strengths-based approach focused on helping the team accelerate their professional growth through real-time feedback and communication. It means you are a lot less Superman and a lot more Yoda. Most leaders think they are good coaches, but the research suggests otherwise. When observed in practice, leaders often tell their staff what to do versus coaching them to do it.

Coaching is a collaborative relationship between the coach and the team or staff member. It uses conversations to help the individual staff member or team to plan and achieve goals, enabling higher performance. Moving from being the problem solver-in-chief who tells others what to do to a coach takes practice. Listening, reflecting on what you hear and sense, and then asking powerful questions can change how a team sees themselves and their world.

Your experiences working or playing on a great team can help you envision your coaching role. What did the leader do to facilitate the team’s performance and help everyone to bring their best to the team’s efforts? One leader in a session remembered her coach as a fantastic person who brought out the best in every player. The top eight things this leader did for the group included the following:

1. She made all of us feel safe and essential.
2. She trusted us and listened to our feedback.
3. She explained what each of our roles was and how we contributed to overall team efforts.
4. She always assumed good intentions in every situation and did not accuse or criticize us.
5. She expected our best performance, and we consistently exceeded her expectations.
6. She was not afraid to give us straight feedback and tell hard truths.
7. She expected us to work as a team and did not tolerate drama.
8. She cared about us as human beings and not just as players.

You will want to emulate these qualities in your coaching practice. The key to being a great team coach is asking good questions, such as:

• What do you think you need to do in this situation?
• What decision would you make if I were not here?
• What could go wrong here?
• What is the real challenge for you?
• What is the WIN – What’s Important Now?
• When you have had struggles with anxiety – what got you through it?

There are many payoffs to having a coaching mindset. Younger staff will be happier with your leadership style. You will also find that although coaching might initially be more time-consuming, staff become better problem solvers in the long run.