This article explores how integrating coaching tools into management can transform leadership and team development:
- Highlights the value of active listening, self-awareness, and emotional regulation for effective managers.
- Compares traditional management and manager-coach roles, citing studies that link coaching to higher productivity and profitability.
- Shares personal experiences illustrating the power of hands-on learning, peer support, and role models with strong technical and human skills.
Curious about the practical steps and real-world impact? Dive into the full article for deeper insights.
A Mission Rooted in Human Development
Supporting the growth and well-being of my team has always been central to my mission. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege, and the good fortune, of accompanying many individuals on their development journeys.
Why do I call it a privilege? Because in many cases, the request came directly from them. That initiative is, to me, a sign of trust, a recognition that I value deeply.
And why is it a stroke of luck? Because in these moments of transmission, both sides benefit. To share knowledge, you must first master it. Revisiting the questions asked by beginners helps keep your fundamentals sharp. And by observing others’ challenges, you gain fresh perspectives and insight into how different minds approach problems.
Learning Through Practice and Peer Support
Before I could pass anything on, I had to learn. Early in my career, I was fortunate to receive support from colleagues and managers who helped me grow. You first need to learn your craft, and for that, peers and direct supervisors are essential in mastering the technical aspects.
No school teaches you how to design automotive structures. It’s the hands-on experience, supported by others, that shapes you. And this holds true for most roles in research and development. Universities teach us how to learn, how to question, how to go deeper, but the profession itself is learned through practice and exchange.
Once you’ve mastered the technical side, you’ll gradually learn to deliver better presentations and syntheses, develop your influence and impact, and eventually grow into all dimensions of your role.
Role Models: Technical Leaders with Human Sensitivity
My role models have often been technical leaders with a strong human touch.
Nearly half of my managers have also been mentors. The others were simply managers. Being a mentor means sharing your knowledge, offering observations, then guiding with answers or approaches. We need mentors! Mentoring and coaching are two distinct ways of supporting others. Only one of my managers ever used coaching techniques to guide me.
Mentoring vs Coaching: Two Distinct Dynamics
Mentoring conversations don’t require deep emotional engagement. They’re mostly based on observations and judgments.
I’ve started using a coaching approach with my team, but not systematically, and certainly not fully.
Why? Because coaching takes people further. It helps each individual uncover their own answers, grow, and build themselves. But it requires more time, more energy.
And it requires consent. Sometimes, coaching questions bring up personal dimensions. The coach’s role is to guide the person toward their own answers, wherever they may lead. That means everything shared in a coaching conversation must remain strictly confidential.
The Limits of Coaching as a Manager
As a manager, you already carry responsibilities, to your company, your team, and your organization. The dual role of coach and manager can blur boundaries. You influence your employees’ future. You may be asked to support transfers or make decisions that affect them. What you’ve learned in a coaching context could create bias. That’s why it’s rare to have a truly open coaching conversation in a managerial relationship, there are stakes and consequences.
In my view, a manager cannot be the coach of their own employee, just as one cannot be a life coach to their life partner.
Toward a Management Style Enriched by Coaching Tools
That said, using coaching tools, active listening, self-awareness, emotional regulation, can make you a better manager. These skills help you create safe space, foster trust, and respond with clarity.
And if you want to coach, do it in parallel. Support others outside your direct reporting line, within or beyond your organization.
And you, in your role as a manager, have you ever tried a coaching approach? Where do you draw the line between support and responsibility?
Further Reading: Three Articles to Explore (reference in French)
- Coach vs Manager: Roles and Complementarity – MF Coach
This guide clarifies the distinct roles: the manager drives results, organizes, and decides; the coach centers on the individual, listens actively, and fosters introspection. It introduces the “manager-coach” as a hybrid posture, combining operational efficiency with human development. - Manager-Coach vs Traditional Manager – Big Média (Bpifrance)
This article contrasts two leadership styles: the traditional manager (hierarchical, directive) and the manager-coach (supportive, empowering). It cites a Gallup study showing that companies integrating coaching into management see a 21% boost in productivity and a 22% increase in profitability. And the quote I love: “It turns the manager into a catalyst rather than a supervisor.” - Coach vs Manager-Coach – École Coaching Paris
This article presents both roles clearly: the manager acts, plans, decides; the coach questions, supports, develops. Becoming a manager-coach is possible, but it requires a deep shift in how we relate to power, performance, and relationships. And it’s not always compatible with every managerial responsibility.
🛠️ Put into practice
Practice Active Listening
Dedicate time in every meeting to truly listen to team members’ ideas and concerns, without interrupting
Encourage Self-Discovery
Instead of always providing answers, ask open-ended questions that help employees find their own solutions.
Apply Emotional Regulation Techniques
Like pausing before responding or reflecting on your own reactions
👉 These three simple actions strengthen your leadership posture and unlock your potential.
Coaching or Mentoring: Your Choice, Your Growth
I’m Franck Dervault, drawing on years of professional experience and now advancing toward certification as a coach. I offer two distinct paths:
- Coaching to help you unlock your own potential through reflection, presence, and guided discovery.
- Mentoring to share lessons, strategies, and insights from my career so you can navigate challenges with confidence.
Whichever path you choose, my goal is the same: to help you realize that you are wiser than you think, with immense potential waiting to be unlocked.
Don’t face management challenges alone: subscribe and receive practical keys every week to help you progress.