Accelerating Your Development as a Leader: A Guide for Leaders and Their Managers

Avoid These Coaching Pitfalls

When coaching during this step, be alert to the following pitfalls and take the recommended steps for addressing them:

Sink-or-Swim Scenarios

Sometimes managers feel that the best learning comes when people are thrown into almost overwhelming situations and left to fend for themselves. To some point, stretch is good, but there is a difference between taking on a stretch objective and feeling as if you are being stretched on the rack. When selecting challenging work projects for your team members, think carefully about how far the proposed project assignment is from the person's baseline skill level. The greater the level of challenge, the more likely it is that the career planner will need a little encouragement ...