Leaders as team coaches? Insights from an Australian study

We will draw on recent findings from a study with 580 managers in Australia on team coaching from a managerial perspective. Managers who coach their teams are seen as part of the team instead of being on a superior level. By using coaching skills, a more collaborative, trusting environment is created in which teams feel empowered and engaged, and deliver results. These positive outcomes can have a positive impact on team members, the manager and the whole organisation. The study also revealed potential shortcomings of the coaching approach e.g. the difficulty of balancing coaching with other leadership styles. Future studies should focus on the team member perspective as well as comparing individual and team coaching approaches used by managers.