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The Lean Post / Articles / Creating Trust: The Role of the Supervisor as Coach

Creating Trust: The Role of the Supervisor as Coach

Coaching

Creating Trust: The Role of the Supervisor as Coach

By Dave LaHote

March 23, 2017

"Organizationally, I believe that the coaching role needs to be fulfilled by the supervisor," writes Dave LaHote. But all too often, LaHote has found a misconception in this role that can undermine a coaching relationship. Watch his animated video to learn more.

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In the past few years, coaching has become a popular topic in the lean community.  There is a lot of good advice out there about how to become a better coach and I too touched on the topic in a post back in 2014 called “Say Goodbye to the Report Out.”

Organizationally, I believe that the coaching role needs to be fulfilled by the supervisor. Too often the role of the supervisor is one where they are expected to have the answer to all problems and to provide direction by telling their subordinates what to do — the “answer person.” And a major reason for that behavior is embedded in the oft-misguided beliefs around the supervisor and subordinate.

My whiteboard video tries to explain this organizational dynamic and suggest the changes that need to take place to create trust in the supervisor/subordinate relationship that leads to subordinates taking increased responsibility for improvement and problem solving.

Take a look and ask yourself: “What is the nature of the supervisor/subordinate relationship in my organization?” I think you’ll see many opportunities to improve the trust and performance of your organization by understanding the role of the supervisor as coach.

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Written by:

Dave LaHote

About Dave LaHote

Dave LaHote is a retired senior executive who is currently an educator and advisor to organizations making the lean leap. From 2006 to 2011, Dave served as the president, Lean Education, for the Lean Enterprise Institute in Cambridge, MA. Dave came to LEI with over 35 years of experience in…

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