A respected friend of mine recently said something about coaching that resonated with me. His comment was centred around the fact that coaches in sport have the enviable position of being able to focus on coaching. They typically are not involved in the business of sport – operating costs, revenue generation or return on investment – they just coach.
The sport analogies to business abound and many of us have read the accounts of great coaches like John Wooden of UCLA fame. From time to time we endeavour to apply their theories into practice with varied levels of success. The challenge for the business leader or mid-level manager is that there are other pressing needs in the business like improving service levels or managing labour. There are the day-to-day responsibilities of attending to the operational details of running an operation along with the associated distractions.
There is time in the day for coaching but it needs to be scheduled. The manager needs to find time to prepare for the coaching session and most importantly the manager needs to know how to coach. Larger organizations can designate specific people to provide the coaching that our younger managers yearn for. In smaller companies, leaders need to wear different hats or get outside help when they need it. There is no standing still in the hospitality sector and coaching is just one of many drivers of success.
