PERSPECTIVES

Coaching Skills:
The Missing Link for Leaders
For years, coaching has been regarded as a useful strategy for individual and
organizational development. In their 2006 research paper, “Keen to Help? Managers’
Implicit Person Theories and Their Subsequent Employee Coaching,” Heslin,
Vandewalle, and Latham noted that manager coaching can facilitate employee
development and performance, can have a positive impact on productivity, and
can guide and inspire improvements in an employee’s work performance to master
their projects and tasks. Unfortunately, as the authors of the paper noted, most
organizations struggle with getting their managers to adopt and use coaching
behaviors. In order to further understand the impact of leader coaching behaviors,
the researchers at The Ken Blanchard Companies® embarked on a study to identify
the correlations between leader coaching behaviors and the resulting correlation
between trust, affect or emotion, and work intentions of their followers. See Figure 1
for the hypothesized pathway model.

© 2017 The Ken Blanchard Companies. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate. MK0826 • 010517 Coaching Skills: The Missing Link for Leaders 1
 The study hypotheses were
1. There would be a positive correlation pathway between coaching and
trust and coaching and positive affect
2. There would be a negative correlation pathway between coaching and
negative affect
3. There would be a positive correlation pathway between trust and work
intentions
4. There would be a positive correlation pathway between positive affect
and work intentions
5. There would be a negative correlation pathway between negative affect
and work intentions

Figure 1 – Hypothesized Pathway Model

Positive
Most organizations Affect
Positive Positive
struggle with getting
their managers to adopt
and use coaching Negative
Coaching Intentions
Negative Affect Negative
behaviors.

Positive Positive

Trust

Approximately 1,850 people participated in the study, including human resource,

learning and development, management, and nonmanagement professionals.
These professionals represented domestic and international organizations. For the
demographic breakdown of the respondent base, please see Appendix 1. The study
was distributed using the Qualtrics software platform. Respondents were given
the opportunity to opt out of the study at any point. The data were analyzed using
RMediation and MPlus.
The study included several validated scales to measure the various dimensions of
coaching, trust, affect or emotion, and intentions (i.e., intent to remain with the
organization, exert discretionary effort, endorse the organization, perform well, and
be a good organizational citizen).
The measure used for coaching was Heslin’s (et al.) Employee Coaching Measure and
the defined behaviors included Facilitation (acting as a sounding board, helping the
direct report develop ideas), Inspiration (expressing confidence in the direct report’s
ability to improve, and encouraging continuous development and improvement),
and Guiding (providing guidance and feedback and providing constructive
2 Coaching Skills: The Missing Link for Leaders © 2017 The Ken Blanchard Companies. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate. MK0826 • 010517
feedback regarding areas for improvement). The scale measures ten items on a
5-point Likert scale with response possibilities ranging from Not at all to To a very
great extent.
The Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) constructed by Watson and Clark
was used as the measure of affect. The PANAS, a semantic differential measure, has
ten descriptive items such as Upset, Alert, Inspired, and Nervous, and uses a 5-point
Likert scale ranging from Not at all to Strongly.
McAllister’s 11-item Trust scale was used to measure Affective Trust (I can talk freely
to my leader to discuss difficulties I am having at work and know that he or she will
want to listen) and Cognitive Trust (Given my leader’s track record, I see no reason to
doubt his or her competence and preparation to do the job). The scale uses a 7-point
Likert scale with response possibilities ranging from Strongly disagree to Strongly
agree.
Blanchard’s Work Intention Inventory (WII) was also included; it uses five intention
measures, including Intent to exert discretionary effort on behalf of the organization
(I intend to volunteer to do things that may not be part of my job), Intent to perform
Leaders who are
(I intend to work efficiently to achieve all my work goals), Intent to endorse the perceived as using
organization (I intend to talk positively about this organization to family and friends), coaching behaviors
Intent to remain with the organization (I intend to stay with this organization even
(Facilitating, Inspiring,
if offered a more appealing job elsewhere), and Intent to be a good organizational
citizen (I intend to respect this organization’s assets). From earlier research, and Guiding) create a
Blanchard found that these work intentions ultimately predict behavior. When sense of positive work
the scores in the five intention scales are high, it’s an indication of the presence of affect or emotion in their
positivity and high levels of work passion. The five intention scales each contain
three items and use a 6-point Likert scale with response possibilities ranging from To
followers.
no extent to To the fullest extent.

Findings
Based on the analysis, the following correlations were supported. This is illustrated in
the Final Pathway Model below. See Figure 2.
• There is a large positive degree of correlation between coaching behaviors
and positive affect, meaning that leaders who are perceived as using coaching
behaviors (Facilitating, Inspiring, and Guiding) create a sense of positive work
affect or emotion in their followers.
• Coaching and trust also have a large positive correlation, meaning that
individuals who perceive their managers as exhibiting coaching behaviors are
more likely to trust their leaders. It should be noted that the correlation between
leader coaching and follower trust is particularly large. While we opted not
to include the numbers for the correlation coefficients in the pathway model,
anything over .260 is considered large and the correlation between coaching and
trust is .854, which is very high.
• We found a large negative correlation between coaching and negative affect,
meaning that employees who perceived their leader as frequently using the
coaching behaviors tend to have significantly lower negative affect.
• There is also a medium negative correlation between negative affect and
© 2017 The Ken Blanchard Companies. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate. MK0826 • 010517 Coaching Skills: The Missing Link for Leaders 3
 intentions, meaning that employees with high negative affect scores had low
scores on intent to remain, perform, endorse, use good organizational citizenship
behaviors, and exert discretionary effort in regard to their organizations.
• Positive affect and work intentions have a large positive correlation, meaning that
one’s positive affect at work results in positive work intentions and the desire to
go above and beyond for their organizations.
• Trust and work intentions have a large positive correlation, meaning that people
who trust their leaders have higher work intentions.
Figure 2 – Final Pathway Model

Positive
Affect
Large Large
Positive Positive

Negative
Coaching Intentions
Large Affect Medium
Negative Negative

Individuals who perceive Large Large

their managers as Positive Positive
Trust
exhibiting coaching
behaviors are more likely
to trust their leaders. The Importance of the Coaching Role in Day-to-Day
Management
Despite the strong correlation between coaching behaviors and positive intent
and trust, organizations can struggle with getting their managers to adopt and use
coaching behaviors.
And while Helsin’s study supported the notion that training can improve the quality
with which managers coach their employees, very few organizations take a proactive
approach to teaching their managers these skills. As a result, most managers don’t
develop or use coaching behaviors. A study conducted by Arnott and Sparrow
(2004) with 1,153 organizations revealed that only five percent of organizations
claimed to have managers who had been trained to coach their team members,
even though 73 percent recognized it as a top leadership need.
In addition, coaching appears to be a small part of the job description for
most managers. Nearly half of respondents in Arnott’s (et. al.) study reported
spending less than 10 percent of their time coaching others when, in today’s work
environments, coaching behaviors should comprise a much larger percentage of a
manager’s time.
In their book Coaching in Organizations, authors Madeleine Homan Blanchard
and Linda Miller of The Ken Blanchard Companies define coaching as a deliberate
process using focused conversations to create an environment that results in
accelerated performance and development. Homan Blanchard and Miller advise

4 Coaching Skills: The Missing Link for Leaders © 2017 The Ken Blanchard Companies. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate. MK0826 • 010517
that when training managers to be more coach-like, organizations should consider
a set of skills that are essential for activating a four-phased coaching process. And
the authors maintain that in order to become more coach-like, managers must move
away from some of their natural tendencies (telling people what to do, making
assumptions, and solving problems) and adopt a coaching mindset (asking what
needs to be done, brainstorming, checking in when something feels off, and helping
others solve problems).

Four Essential Coaching Skills

Coaching takes place through conversations. Homan Blanchard and Miller maintain
that having the right skills can help managers have more effective interactions with
their people. These skills are both people and results oriented, and promote clarity
Managers must move
and a positive sense of regard.
away from some of
Listen to Learn their natural tendencies
Listening is one of the most important skills for managers, regardless of tenure. (telling people what to
Being listened to makes their direct reports feel valued and heard, which helps build do, making assumptions,
trust. Listening at a deep and purposeful level requires a shift in mind-set. Effective and solving problems)
managers listen to learn something they might not have known before. They listen
for opportunities to hear a different perspective, to hear new ideas or insights. They
and adopt a coaching
listen in service to the person and to the conversation. mindset (asking what
In a listening situation, managers need to be aware of their aims and intentions. needs to be done,
Are they listening because they want to offer advice, solve the problem, or share brainstorming, checking
a similar personal situation? Or are they listening with an open mind, listening for
in when something feels
what the person is really saying, with the intent of understanding? In any interaction
with a direct report, it’s crucial that managers do the latter. Any other behavior isn’t off, and helping others
active listening and can be frustrating to employees. Effective managers focus on solve problems).
what the other person is saying and respond so that their direct reports feel heard,
valued, and better able to resolve challenges.

Inquire for Insight

Managers who are great coaches draw the brilliance out of their people. They
ask questions that allow their people to share insights and ideas that can benefit
projects, tasks, and the team in general.
Asking questions will also help managers understand their employees better. When
inquiring for insight, it’s important to focus on the future rather than the past and to
avoid placing blame. Managers should:
• Ask open-ended questions
• Focus on moving forward, not on the past
• Emphasize what and how rather than why
• Encourage the direct report to recap after the conversation ends in order to check
for understanding
• Be open-minded
© 2017 The Ken Blanchard Companies. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate. MK0826 • 010517 Coaching Skills: The Missing Link for Leaders 5
 Tell Your Truth
Being direct and candid can be a challenge for anyone, especially first-time
managers who often stay silent for fear of hurting or offending others. But done
properly, telling your truth with others can be empowering to both parties.
Because the goal is to create purposeful action through clarity, telling your truth is
an opportunity to share observations or give feedback that will help the employee
accomplish the goal. When employees know that their manager will tell the truth, all
feedback becomes more credible and useful. And when the first two steps, listening
to learn and inquiring for insight, are done well, managers earn the trust required to
have potentially challenging conversations. Managers who listen and inquire find
that it builds confidence and creates a safe environment in which both the manager
and the direct report can share their feelings honestly and respectfully.

Express Confidence
People are far more likely to stretch themselves and do their best work for managers
who are advocates and champions for them. Managers who acknowledge the
person and maintain a respectful, positive regard for his or her contribution are
building the confidence of the people they manage. It’s important to separate the
subject matter from the person. Expressing confidence allows a manager to preserve
a good relationship regardless of the type of conversation being held. Expressing
confidence in the person builds self-assurance and enthusiasm. It’s important that
managers
• Highlight relevant qualities or skills in others
• Cite previous successes
• Build self-assurance and enthusiasm
• Offer support as needed

The Coaching Process

Managers who use a coaching approach use a variety
of skills and behaviors in order to match the needs
of the person being coached. Homan Blanchard and
Miller’s research suggests that leaders overlay the
four skills previously outlined in conjunction with a
coaching process composed of Connecting, Focusing,
Activating, and Reviewing behaviors.
Connecting helps managers build trust and rapport by simply showing that they
care about their employees as people. Connecting can be as simple as asking
questions that demonstrate attentiveness and interest. A key quality is openness.
Being open means that managers have a desire to get to know the person they are
interacting with, want to hear what he or she has to say, and are willing to share
about themselves in return. It’s key to be fully present when connecting with others
in order to make them feel cared for.

6 Coaching Skills: The Missing Link for Leaders © 2017 The Ken Blanchard Companies. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate. MK0826 • 010517
Focusing allows managers and their employees to identify topics to be discussed. APPENDIX 1
By focusing, the manager is attentive and probes to establish the most important Demographic Breakdown of
conversation for the direct report. Asking things like, “What’s most pressing for Respondent Base
you right now?” and “What specifically do you need to get clear about?” can help
create focus. Focusing can take up to half of the coaching conversation. To use Manager/Non-Manager
coaching behaviors effectively, it’s important to be aware enough to change Managers 66%
direction if needed. One way to do this is to confirm the specific focus before Non-Managers 33%
moving into action. Taking the time to establish the right focus for the conversation
will ensure that the time will be spent—and the employee will walk away from the Gender
conversation—with something useful. Failure to get the focus right will often result Male 41%
in solving the wrong problem, or worse, a feeling on the part of both parties of Female 58%
having wasted time.
Range of Year of Birth
Activating allows the manager and direct report to collaborate to develop a plan
1926–1942 .5%
of action. The Activating step can include brainstorming, scenario planning, and
1943–1960 30%
consulting others, which will result in a list of clear actions that the employee can
commit to. Once the actions are determined, the manager can ask questions to help 1961–1981 60%
anchor the action and ensure accountability, such as, “What else do you need right 1982–present 9%
now to move forward?” “What will you do if you encounter an obstacle?” or “How will
Level of Education
you proceed if the person you are counting on doesn’t cooperate?” These questions
GED 3%
encourage direct reports to think down the road and create proactive problem-
solving strategies. High School Diploma 9%
2-Year Degree 9%
Reviewing ensures clear agreements and accountability. It also confirms that both
4-Year Degree 34%
parties agree on what the actions and outcomes should be. Managers encourage
team members to do the review. When team members do the review rather than the Master’s Degree 39%
manager, it increases buy-in, clarity, and the probability of follow-through. PhD 8%

Global Location
Conclusions Australia/New Zealand 2%
Both commercial and academic literature make a strong argument for the positive Canada 4%
results stemming from managers becoming more coach-like. Coaching has a Europe 13%
positive impact on follower trust, affect and work intentions, and ultimately on Africa/Middle East 2%
performance and productivity.
Latin America 3%
Yet it’s naïve to think that leaders can make the leap to becoming more coach-like United States 68%
without the proper training required to develop the mind-set and the necessary
behaviors. Arnott and Sparrow’s study showed a clear gap in regard to what
managers need in order to become more coach-like and what they actually receive.
This paper finds that coaching is a powerful managerial tool. Organizations can
develop and facilitate the appropriate culture, training, and support that managers
need to adopt the coaching behaviors that will make them effective.

© 2017 The Ken Blanchard Companies. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate. MK0826 • 010517 Coaching Skills: The Missing Link for Leaders 7
 About The Ken Blanchard
Companies®
About the Researchers/Authors
Madeleine Homan Blanchard is a Master Certified Coach, author, and speaker.
The Ken Blanchard Companies is
the global leader in management Madeleine has been a coach since 1989 and is a cofounder of Blanchard Coaching
training. For more than 35 years, Services. She is an expert in the field of neuroscience and a pioneer in the field of
Blanchard® has been creating coaching; she has authored several books including Coaching in Organizations: Best
the best managers in the world, Coaching Practices from The Ken Blanchard Companies and Leverage Your Best, Ditch The
training over 150,000 people per Rest: Learn the Coaching Secrets Top Executives Depend On. She is also the developer of
year. From the award-winning First-
Blanchard’s Coaching Essentials and First-time Manager programs.
time Manager program—based
on the time-tested secrets of the Linda Miller is a Master Certified Coach, author, and speaker for The Ken Blanchard
best-selling business book, The Companies. Linda holds two master’s degrees and specializes in creating healthy
New One Minute Manager®—to
dynamics and change in organizations.  She is coauthor of Blanchard’s training program
Situational Leadership® II, the most
widely taught leadership model in First-time Manager, which teaches the essential skills that every new manager must
the world, Blanchard is the expert master in order to succeed in the workplace, and Coaching Essentials® for Leaders.
in management training across She has also authored two books, including Coaching in Organizations: Best Coaching
all levels of an organization and is Practices from The Ken Blanchard Companies.
the provider of choice by Fortune
500 companies as well as small to Dr. Drea Zigarmi is coauthor of Achieve Leadership Genius (2007) and The Leader Within
medium businesses, governments, (2005), and codeveloper of a number of The Ken Blanchard Companies’ products,
and educational and nonprofit including Situational Leadership® II and the widely used Leader Behavior Analysis II®
organizations. instruments. In addition, he is a professor at University of San Diego.
To learn more, visit Dobie Houson is Director of Marketing Research for The Ken Blanchard Companies and is
www.kenblanchard.com
responsible for competitive, market, and customer intelligence.

References
Heslin, Peter A.; Vandewalle, Don; and Latham, Gary P. 2006. “Keen to Help? Managers’
Implicit Person Theories and Their Subsequent Employee Coaching.” Personnel Psychology
59: 871–902.
Theeboom, Tim; Beersma, Bianca; and van Vianen, Annelies E.M. 2014. “Does Coaching
Work? A Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Coaching on Individual Level Outcomes in an
Organizational Context.” The Journal of Positive Psychology (9)1: 1–18.
Fielden, Sandra. 2005. “Literature Review: Coaching Effectiveness—A Summary.” Prepared
for the NHS Leadership Centre.
Homan Blanchard, Madeleine; and Miller, Linda J. 2008. Coaching in Organizations: Best
Coaching Practices from The Ken Blanchard Companies. Hoboken NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

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