Lean Enterprise Institute faculty member David Verble compares and contrasts different managerial styles of coaching in this video.
He notes that to be a truly helpful coach to the people you are mentoring you have to know how and when to use “humble inquiry.” He also explains:
- Why the “humble inquiry” approach so important to coaching as a lean manager does not come easy to most managers
- The question to ask to begin the problem-solving process of plan-do-check-act (PDCA)
- How humble inquiry supports people moving through the PDCA process
- “Yes or no” versus “open” questions
- How to help people “slow down” so they don’t jump to solutions
- How do you know when to coach and when to give instruction
- What capability development really means in a lean company
David, a former Toyota manager, goes into much greater detail about these and other coaching issues in the workshop Coaching Skills for Lean Implementation Leaders .
