3.Focus on developing strengths of each employee rather than managing merely for results. Identify each person’s development needs and commit to following through on them. When people are growing and improving, their enthusiasm and effectiveness is greater. And they feel more connected and loyal to company for supporting them.

4.Endorse effort and growth instead of pointing out failures or errors. As individuals, we all know how seldom we are given positive feedback, but how often we are reminded of our “mistakes”. Instead of pointing out errors, coach-manager accepts them as learning opportunities and uses them to develop their employees. The focus is on making sure same mistake doesn’t happen again by fixing source of problem.

5.Stop providing solutions. Managers often achieve their positions after being technical specialists, and so will have an opinion or view on how to "fix" situations or problems. The mindset is that it's usually faster to tell someone what to do, or do it yourself, than give your employees an opportunity to figure it out. By always providing answers, managers take away learning opportunity for their employees to come up with alternative (and potentially better) ways of doing things. If you catch yourself about to provide answer, take a deep breath and ask a question like: “What would you do in this situation?”

6.As a manager, stop making all decisions. You don't have all answers all of time. Engage those around you - your team and peers - when it comes to finding a way forwards. Involvement breeds ownership and engagement. The more you can find opportunities for people to contribute to decision-making process and encourage people to have their say, more your employees will feel connected and satisfied with company.

7.Be unconditionally constructive - no exceptions. Don't patronise or be critical of others - take complete responsibility for how you are heard. If you catch yourself about to make negative remarks, take a breath and rephrase your words to get your message across without emotional attachment. It is possible to phrase everything in constructive terms – even a negative sentiment. Practice makes perfect!

8.Create an environment where people want to work with you, and feel valued and respected. Make it clear to your employees what they are responsible for, but give them latitude to go about it in their own way. In short, treat them way you would want to be treated.

The Wrap-Up The true success of a leader can be measured by success of people that work for them. When managers and leaders adopt a coaching style, productivity, motivation and satisfaction of employees increases, which filters through to bottom –line results. All this makes for an engaged workforce who are committed to giving business as much as it is giving them. And as an extra incentive, adopting a coaching style of management results in a much more enjoyable workplace for everybody!

To achieve this you need to be organized in your approach to hiring. There are all sorts of assessments and “psychological” testing available now to make more objective hiring decisions. This is not practical for many business owners, so at very minimum you should include following steps in your process:

·Have a written definition of what job involves ·Decide what skills are essential for position – this can include technical skills and qualitative skills such as communication, negotiation etc. ·Develop a list of questions to get an understanding of each applicant’s experience in each essential skill. There are numerous resources available on behavioural questioning techniques to help with question design ·If possible try to interview with 2 people present to ensure you are not being biased in a particular direction ·Ask every applicant exactly same questions, and note down their answers so you can compare them afterwards. ·Make your selection based on each applicant’s fit to essential criteria – only use responses they gave you during interview, don’t let your “instinct” take over.

One of major benefits of using sound recruitment and selection practices is that they increase likelihood of selecting successful employees. The hiring decision is an important one with many consequences. A good choice results in an effective employee who will help your business meet its goals and objectives. A poor decision will lead to reduced productivity and increased costs.