Manager Tools Coaching Model – Updated (Part 3)

Podcast: Manager Tools
Hosts: Kate & Mike
Date: July 15, 2024
Episode Theme:
A practical, actionable guide to implementing the Manager Tools Coaching Model, focusing on steps managers can take to develop their team members’ skills—especially when feedback alone isn’t enough.

Main Purpose and Theme

This episode wraps up the updated explanation of the Manager Tools Coaching Model, delving into two critical coaching stages:

1. Collaboratively brainstorming resources for growth
2. Creating iterative, deliverable-based plans with feedback cycles

The hosts, Kate and Mike, emphasize that effective coaching doesn't require expertise in the specific skill area—any manager can facilitate growth using this model. The discussion demystifies coaching, making it accessible and manageable for any leader.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Collaborating to Brainstorm Resources

(Starts around 01:11)

• Managers don’t need expertise in the specific skill to coach:

  • Managers and directs brainstorm possible resources together, fostering growth in areas the manager may not personally excel at.

    "We as managers do not, I say again, do not have to be good at what we're coaching in order to coach someone else on it." (01:18, Mike)

• Why brainstorming feels unusual at work:

  • The approach is less linear and more trial-and-error than the typical “project management” philosophy, purposely broadening the list of possible resources.

    "You don't need a perfect plan forever... if you don't do it the way we're suggesting, then you're going to be limited to coaching on only what you know and only what you're confident you can train others in, which is y'all exceptionally limited..." (02:01, Kate)

• The NFL Coach Analogy:

  • Managers are like head coaches—they don’t need to physically do every skill but must identify areas for improvement and connect directs with the right resources or people.

    "If you're the coach of the NFL team, you do not go down on the field and show your kicker how to kick field goals... This model allows you to be the coach where you bring in resources." (02:38, Kate)

• Embrace “bad resources” as learning:

  • Sometimes the group chooses a resource that turns out to be unhelpful; learning that is part of progress. Different team members learn best with different materials (books, videos, mentoring, classes, etc.).

Notable Quotes:

• “It's a learning engagement, y'all... some of the learning we're doing is whether or not some of these resources are useful.” (05:15, Kate)
• “A lot of people want silver bullets and they don't exist... the absence of them doesn't eliminate our professional obligation to grow the skills of our folks.” (06:19, Mike)

2. How to Brainstorm Efficiently

(Begins ~06:36)

• Simple, time-limited brainstorming:

  • Take 2–3 minutes in a 1:1 to generate a long list of possible resources—volume over accuracy.
  • Use a timer to avoid judgment; this ensures all ideas are captured without filtering.

• The “Peanut Butter” rule:

  • Write down every idea, even silly ones (“peanut butter”). Judging ideas shuts down creativity and makes directs less likely to contribute honest suggestions.

• Examples:

  • For improving meeting management, the brainstorm might include: Google, Toastmasters, Manager Tools, Amazon, Dale Carnegie, video courses, fellow managers, Robert’s Rules of Order, “Meetings for Dummies,” etc.

Notable Quotes:

• “If you judge an idea... the direct doesn't then contribute an idea. But that might be great because they're judging in advance. So they will say, oh, I'm not going to say that because it might not be great. We don't want that. We want all the possible options.” (09:25, Kate)

3. Collaborate to Create a Plan

(Starting ~11:29)

• Focus planning on the first week only, not the whole coaching journey:

  • Limit the initial plan to manageable, testable steps. Avoid wasting time building out multi-month plans based on unproven resources.
  • This “agile” approach ensures quick adaptation if something isn’t working.

  “We create just the first week of the plan to include a series of steps the direct will take to help them start learning and improving their behavior." (11:43, Kate)

• Plans become deliverables, not just tasks:

  • Define clear actions with deadlines that require notification of completion (“Send me a three-sentence email summarizing the first chapter by Tuesday at 3pm”), not just “read chapter one.”

• Why deliverables matter:

  • You get more frequent, actionable updates and can intervene quickly if things go off track, versus finding out during the next weekly 1:1.

Notable Quotes:

• “If you don't use deliverables, you won't get updates during the week... You've lost time between the deadline and the reporting.” (18:51, Kate)
• “The key in my mind is... creating several small deliverables and... iterating on that process every single week... the goal is to make progress, even if it's a little bit every single week, and get some momentum.” (22:02, Mike)

4. Using Behavioral Diversity in Learning

(23:42 – 26:45)

• Don’t force directs to use the resources you prefer—different approaches work for different people (reading, classes, videos, hands-on, etc.).
• Both hosts share personal stories about how visual learning or hands-on examples can be more effective than reading for certain tasks.

Notable Quotes:

• “We're effectively engaging in actionable behavioral diversity, which is not a series of words I've ever strung together before, although it's accurate.” (23:42, Kate)

5. Direct Acts & Reports; Manager Steers

(28:21 – 31:45)

• Step four: The direct acts on the plan and reports back via email or during the next 1:1. Manager reviews deliverables, gives feedback, and iterates.
• Iterative process: Continue to adjust, add, or change resources and deliverables as needed based on progress. Use one-on-one time to celebrate wins or adjust expectations.
• Celebrate progress and don’t punish “missed” deadlines: Any forward motion is a win, especially since this work is “above and beyond” daily duties.

Notable Quotes:

• “When they achieve the goal, we celebrate. Yay. Please celebrate. Seems like lately there's not as much celebration as there could be.” (30:51, Kate)
• “10 minutes a week with each of your directs... you are continuously building the capabilities of your organization... By the way, some of that which they will be capable of doing will be things you used to do and will no longer have to do.” (31:45, Mike)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the NFL analogy and coaching scope:
  “You don't have to know how to be a wide tackle or the left center if you're the coach... Neither is NFL coach. Hopefully not you. Most people get crushed.” (02:35, Kate)

• On the fear of “wasting time” on ineffective resources:
  “You could end up wasting some time on a bad resource in this model. That would be normal.” (05:15, Kate)

• On momentum and chunking plans:
  “If you don't get some momentum in the beginning, my experience has been that it just doesn't go well.” (22:02, Mike)

• On deliverables:
  “Making that into a deliverable would turn it into something like this: ‘Send me a three sentence email summarizing the first chapter of the book by Tuesday at 3pm.’” (17:26, Kate)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:11 – Transition to step two: brainstorming resources
• 02:35 – NFL coach analogy for manager-as-coach
• 05:15 – Discussing “bad resources” as part of the learning process
• 06:36 – Brainstorming resources: mechanics and the peanut butter rule
• 11:29 – Step three: collaboratively create action plan
• 17:26 – Difference between tasks and deliverables
• 22:02 – Building momentum through small, weekly deliverables
• 23:42 – Adapting to team members’ learning preferences
• 28:21 – Step four: direct acts & reports; manager steers and celebrates
• 31:45 – Long-term organizational benefits of coaching model

Summary Flow and Tone

The episode is lively, clear, and conversational. Kate and Mike demystify coaching, injecting humor and their own lived experiences to show how simple, scalable, and effective the Manager Tools coaching model is. The tone is encouraging, practical, and supportive of leaders at any level.

Final message:
Managers don’t have to be subject-matter experts to help their team grow. The model is simple: collaboratively brainstorm, create and assign small, frequent deliverables, adapt and iterate, and always, always celebrate growth. It’s possible—and necessary—for every manager to coach every direct, every week.

“If you think you're really, really busy and doing stuff that only you can do, well... one of the options you have is to improve the skills of your directs such that they can do it and take it off your plate. And if that doesn't sound like a good thing to you, I don't know what to say.”
(31:45, Mike)

Action for listeners: As Mike says—go do it. Easy peasy.