My biggest lesson in management – Kelly Laine

Assuming leadership roles has taught me a lot about how to manage teams and individuals. However, there’s one lesson in particular that I’d like to share.

Before I get to that though, it’s useful for me to reflect on the beginning of my career. Stepping into a managerial capacity had been a long-term ambition of mine.

I love leading from the front and aiding others’ development therefore it felt like a natural progression.

That’s not to say it’s been all plain sailing! I’ve had to teach myself to be far more patient and recognise the value of actively listening to other people’s opinions.

There used to be countless times where I’d sit in meetings and become frustrated if snappy solutions weren’t forthcoming.

As a quick-thinking and results-driven individual I wanted to make immediate decisions. However, I’ve realised that this isn’t necessarily the best option.

Ultimately, I’ve had to go on a journey. Our CEO has been fantastic throughout this process and he’s often reinforced the importance of making joint-decisions and engaging with others.

I’m now 18 months further down the line and nearly there!

Listen, don’t tell

I would say my biggest lesson in management has been to listen and not tell. Not only in board meetings but with my teams in general.

I’m a good mentor. But I didn’t quite get the grip of the differences between mentoring and coaching until I started in my new role as Head of Delivery and completed the ILM Level 5 certification.

Now I can clearly differentiate between the two.

Coaching and mentoring use the same skills and approach, but coaching is short term task-based and mentoring is a longer-term relationship.

With coaching the focus is on concrete issues such as managing more effectively, speaking more articulately and learning how to think strategically.

This requires an expert (coach) who can teach the coachee on how to develop these skills.

Mentoring seeks to provide a safe environment where the mentee shares whatever issues affect his or her professional and personal success.

Specific learning goals or competencies may be used as a basis for creating this relationship. Its focus goes beyond these areas to include things such as work/life balance, self-confidence, self-perception and how the personal influences the professional.

Putting my coaching skills into practise, I have learnt to listen and ask questions rather than instruct and tell people how to do certain things.

I follow a simple guide that involves firstly deciding what we want to accomplish before setting goals with my employees.

We then collaborate to draw up a roadmap for reaching the goal with milestones along the way, give feedback, and debrief.

My managers are much more productive and feel empowered to get results without having to take orders.

Want to discuss your coaching and mentoring strategies? Feel free to get in touch with me at kelly.laine@bps-world.com to share your experiences.