I’ve discovered among the many managers I’ve encountered:
There are too few coaches and too many fixers.
Fixers aren’t bad bosses mind you. They are responsible managers who care about quality, but they do far more telling than teaching. If there were a Fixer’s Creed, it would be this:
Bring me your problems and I will give you solutions. Show me your work and I will improve it, even if it means doing it for you. It’s my duty as a boss.
Fixers get the job done, but through micromanagement and control . Coaches learn to let go of all that and achieve even better results. How do I know? As I tell the managers in my workshops:
“I stand before you as a recovering fixer. If I could learn to be a coach, so can you.”
Three Sins of Fixers
That last point is very important. Being a fixer can lead to burnout. I want you to take better care of yourself. So I did just a little bit of editing ot hammer home my message. I fixed the Fixer’s Creed:
The Coach’s Creed:
Bring me your problems and I will help you discover your own solutions. Show me your work and I will improve it by coaching, but I won’t do it for you. It’s my duty as a boss.
I think that’s a change for the better. What do you think, coach?
Jill Geisler, as head of Poynter Institute Leadership and Management programs, guides managers from the novice to the veteran – toward success. In Poynter-based seminars, offsite workshops and within organizations, she brings humor and humanity to her teaching and coaching. She has conducted specialized training and coaching programs for scores of organizations in the U.S. and abroad and is in demand as a speaker on leadership issues, ethics, change management and the status of women in leadership.
You can find out more about Jill and her book at: Work Happy.
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OK, I’ll admit it: I, too, am a recovering fixer. At one time it was valued by and in fact encouraged by those in senior management. However, once I discovered the beauty of “what else could you try?” there was no turning back! :o)
Amen, Pam. Once we learn how to coach, as you did, it’s not just effective, it’s fun. To see people develop their own solutions via effective questions, then to back them up when they take initiative, is a true joy! When I teach coaching in seminars and workshops, I do it with interactive exercises that let people discover the power of coaching — by doing it! Wishing you peace and joy in this season — Jill
Jill, thanks so much for joining the conversation! Your excerpt is getting a huge response today – thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with us all!