Manager-coach training

Lesson 1 • Coaching vs. Managing Defined

Clarifies the functional differences between directing, advising, and coaching. Establishes why the distinction matters for employee autonomy and performance.

Lesson 2 • Building Your Personal Coaching Philosophy

Guides managers in articulating their values, purpose, and approach to developing others. Produces a written coaching philosophy statement used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • The Manager-Coach Role Spectrum

Maps the continuum from pure manager to pure coach and identifies situational positioning. Helps managers recognize which mode fits each employee interaction.

Lesson 1 • Levels of Active Listening

Teaches the three levels of listening and how each affects coachee insight. Connects listening depth to the quality of coaching outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Non-Verbal and Paraverbal Communication

Explores how tone, pace, silence, and body language influence coaching conversations. Trains managers to align non-verbal signals with coaching intent.

Lesson 3 • Giving Developmental Feedback

Covers evidence-based feedback models that promote growth rather than defensiveness. Links feedback delivery to the coaching relationship and trust.

Lesson 4 • Powerful Questioning Techniques

Introduces open, reflective, and scaling questions that expand coachee thinking. Demonstrates how question choice shapes the direction of a coaching conversation.

Lesson 1 • Establishing Coaching Agreements

Covers formal and informal agreements that define the coaching relationship's norms. Agreements prevent misunderstandings and reinforce mutual accountability.

Lesson 2 • Psychological Safety in Team Coaching

Extends individual trust principles to team-level psychological safety for group coaching. Teaches managers to model vulnerability and encourage candid dialogue.

Lesson 3 • The Neuroscience of Trust

Explains how the brain responds to threat and safety cues in coaching interactions. Grounds trust-building practices in evidence from behavioral neuroscience.

Lesson 1 • The GROW Model in Depth

Breaks down Goal, Reality, Options, and Will stages with manager-specific application. Provides a repeatable structure for any performance or development conversation.

Lesson 2 • Closing and Commitment Building

Teaches techniques for closing sessions with clear actions, accountability, and energy. Connects session endings to sustained behavior change between meetings.

Lesson 3 • Alternative Coaching Frameworks

Surveys CLEAR, OSKAR, and solution-focused models as complements to GROW. Equips managers to select the right framework for different coachee needs.

Lesson 1 • SMART+ Goals for Coaching Contexts

Extends the SMART framework with stretch, relevance, and emotional resonance dimensions. Ensures goals are both measurable and personally compelling for the coachee.

Lesson 2 • Co-Creating Meaningful Goals

Teaches collaborative goal-setting that builds employee ownership and intrinsic motivation. Distinguishes between assigned targets and co-created development goals.

Lesson 3 • Tracking Progress and Sustaining Momentum

Introduces lightweight progress-tracking methods that keep coachees accountable without micromanaging. Builds habits of reflection and self-monitoring in employees.

Lesson 1 • Designing Stretch Assignments

Covers how to identify and frame on-the-job experiences that accelerate development. Ensures stretch assignments are challenging but achievable with coaching support.

Lesson 2 • Individual Development Plans in Coaching

Guides managers in co-creating development plans that are actionable and employee-owned. Links IDPs to coaching session agendas for ongoing accountability.

Lesson 3 • Strengths-Based Coaching Approach

Introduces strengths identification tools and how to build development plans around natural talents. Contrasts deficit-focused and strengths-focused coaching outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Coaching High Performers and Experts

Adapts coaching techniques for employees who already excel, focusing on challenge and meaning. Addresses the unique dynamics of coaching someone with deeper expertise.

Lesson 2 • Cross-Cultural Coaching Dynamics

Explores how cultural values around hierarchy, directness, and feedback affect coaching conversations. Equips managers to adapt their style without stereotyping.

Lesson 3 • High-Stakes and Crisis Coaching

Addresses coaching conversations during organizational change, role transitions, and personal crises. Teaches managers to provide stability and focus without overstepping boundaries.

Lesson 4 • Coaching Resistant Employees

Diagnoses the sources of resistance and provides coaching strategies to re-engage reluctant coachees. Distinguishes resistance from genuine disagreement or systemic barriers.

Lesson 1 • Modeling Coaching Behavior as a Leader

Examines how manager behavior sets the cultural standard for the entire team. Focuses on visible, consistent actions that signal coaching is valued.

Lesson 2 • Measuring and Sustaining Coaching Impact

Introduces qualitative and quantitative methods to assess coaching culture progress over time. Connects coaching investment to team engagement, retention, and performance metrics.

Lesson 3 • Embedding Coaching in Team Rituals

Shows how to integrate coaching behaviors into existing meetings, check-ins, and reviews. Reduces the need for separate coaching sessions by making coaching habitual.