Coaching, not Controlling: Developing Future Leaders
Listen here
This is a powerful concept that emphasises empowering individuals rather than micromanaging them.
Rather than controlling people through top-down commands, strong leaders act as coaches…guiding, supporting, and challenging others to grow, make decisions, and take ownership of their own development.Consider these differences:
- Coaching encourages autonomy and ownership…controlling creates dependency on authority.
- Coaching develops problem solving & leadership skills…controlling limits initiative and growth.
- Coaching builds trust & collaboration…controlling can result in fear or resistance.
- Coaching builds long term growth…controlling focuses on short term actions.
The coaching behaviours that build future leaders include asking more questions than you answer…think “thought provoking questions”…one example might be “what options have you considered…how might you do that differently? etc.”
Give ownership and not tasks…let them own the outcome—even if it means learning through mistakes.
Provide constructive feedback & not criticism…use feedback to spark growth & reflection.
Support personal development…show people how to lead…not to follow!
Model “Emotional Intelligence”…demonstrate patience, empathy, and active listening. Coach the person & not the task.Shift your own mindset from Manager to Leader.
A Manager’s mindset might be “How can I ensure this gets done right”, while a Coach mindset would be “How can I help to learn how to do this”.
The best future leaders are not shaped by compliance, they’re forged through trust, opportunity, and supportive challenge.Practical steps for coaching success include:
- Schedule regular “one to ones” with a coaching focus.
- Create a safe space for mistakes and learning.
- Celebrate progress, not just results.
- Develop leadership paths for team members.
- Measure success by their growth, not your control.
Coaching is an investment, not just in people, but in the future of your organisation. If you want a strong group of leaders tomorrow, start coaching,not controlling, and start today.
“The greatest leaders are not those who produce the most followers, but those who cultivate the most leaders.”
John Maxwell
