Leading, coaching and instructing

A team lead came to me and complained about his team members didn’t follow his assignments. “How did you give them the assignments?” I asked. “I said politely, ‘do you want to work on x’, ” “Ah, What is their answer?” “They said ‘I will think about it’ but never finished the work.” “I see. You confused the leadership communication mechanisms between leading, coaching and instructing.” The terms "leading," "coaching," and "instructing" are often used interchangeably, but they represent different facets of guiding a team or individual. #Leading Leadership is the broadest of the three concepts. It involves setting the vision, aligning resources, and facilitating an environment where a team or organization can achieve its goals. A leader often has to wear many hats, including those of a coach and instructor, depending on the situation. Leadership style might range from democratic to autocratic, depending on the team's needs, the complexity of the tasks, and the timeline. Leadership encompasses both strategic and tactical elements and usually involves a level of authority. **Key Elements:** - Vision setting - Resource alignment - Decision-making - Emotional intelligence #Coaching Coaching focuses on developing people for the long term. A coach doesn't just tell an individual or team what to do but helps them improve their skills and abilities for future tasks. This involves giving constructive feedback, asking thought-provoking questions, and sometimes letting the coachee make mistakes for the sake of learning. Coaching is more personalized and usually aims to empower team members to achieve their personal and professional best. **Key Elements:** - Skill development - Feedback loop - Empowerment - Personalized guidance #Instructing Instructing is the most direct form of guidance. It's about teaching someone how to perform a specific task or set of tasks. This is common in settings where precise actions are required, and there's a clear right or wrong way to do things. Instructors provide step-by-step guidance and usually expect compliance rather than input from the team. Instructing is generally more short-term and task-focused compared to coaching. **Key Elements:** - Step-by-step guidance - Compliance-oriented - Short-term focus - Task-specific In summary, "leading" is an overarching term that may include elements of coaching and instructing, depending on the context. "Coaching" is about long-term development and empowerment, whereas "instructing" is more about short-term, task-specific guidance. “So did you want to ask for input, coach for improvement or instruct for actions when you give assignments?” “I want to instruct.” “Then be clear what you expect them to complete, by when, the way to measure results, and why it is important. Use the SMART goal framework. Ask them if they have questions. Be respectful but be authoritative because you are giving instructions.”