Employee Coaching: How to Coach Effectively (in Just 60 Seconds!)

Oct 24 / Language of Leadership
You’ve probably heard the proverb: Give someone a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach them to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime. The same principle applies to employee coaching. While solving problems for your employees might provide quick relief, it doesn’t set them up for long-term success. True coaching is about empowering your team to think critically and develop the skills to tackle challenges on their own. It’s about asking the right questions—questions that help employees solve their problems and grow into their roles.

In the fast-paced world of leadership, though, who has time for drawn-out coaching sessions? Well, what if you could achieve this empowerment in under a minute? There’s a way to do just that, and we call it the 60-second coaching method—a powerful tool that allows you to coach even in the busiest environments. It's quick, effective, and designed to foster meaningful development in a fraction of the time.

Let’s explore how you can turn brief coaching moments into lasting results with this simple yet powerful approach.

Employee Coaching: How to Coach Effectively

First, let’s clarify what coaching truly means. Employee coaching isn’t about handing out answers or fixing problems on the spot. In fact, a core principle of effective employee coaching is being decoupled from the outcome—letting go of the need to control or dictate the result.

Unlike teaching, which focuses on transferring knowledge, or consulting, which involves solving problems side by side with someone, coaching is about unlocking the potential of the individual you're working with by asking them questions that help them solve their own problems. Coaching emphasizes empowering employees to develop their own skills and strategies, rather than relying on their leaders for every solution.

So, what exactly is coaching? At its heart, it’s about guiding employees to think critically and take ownership of their work. A great coach empowers their team to own their successes, failures, and learning process.

To coach effectively:

  • Ask Open-Ended Questions: Use prompts like “who,” “what,” “where,” and “how” to encourage employees to think deeply and come up with their own answers.
  • Empower Ownership: Foster a sense of responsibility in your team by encouraging them to take charge of their solutions. This builds confidence and supports long-term growth.
  • Stay Detached: Focus on guiding employees toward a solution without being attached to a specific outcome. This helps them develop critical thinking and decision-making skills.

Important to note, while coaching encourages open-ended questions to draw out the employee’s perspective, it doesn’t mean every answer is the final word. Responses can vary—sometimes they’ll be spot-on, but other times they might be ‘way off’ or even ‘half-baked.’ This is where continued open-ended questions can guide them to refine their ideas. As a coach, your role involves listening for gaps and then adding in your own expertise as needed, building on their initial insights to create a more complete solution.

Why Coaching in the Workplace is Essential

In the short term, coaching helps employees solve their immediate problems. But it’s so much more than that. It's a critical tool for long-term growth for both individuals and the organization. Without it, leaders often end up handling every issue themselves, leading to burnout and minimizing their team’s potential. If you're not coaching, you're solving everyone else's problems, essentially limiting the value your team could bring to the table.

When we hire people, the goal is for them to be better at the job than we are. If you’re not coaching, you're locking up their potential. Employees thrive when given the tools to think critically and take ownership of their work. The more they’re coached, the less reliant they become on leaders for every solution.

Effective coaching is often the key to real talent development. It provides a framework for employees to improve within their roles, enabling them to confidently find solutions and take ownership. When done well, coaching fosters a high-performing team that isn’t dependent on leadership for every decision.

Why coaching matters:

  • Unlocks potential: Coaching sharpens employees' problem-solving abilities, making them more self-reliant.
  • Reduces burnout: By building independence within the team, leaders are freed up to focus on bigger tasks.
  • Drives performance: Coaching fuels talent development, resulting in a more engaged and productive workforce.

The benefits of coaching are well-documented. According to the International Coaching Federation, 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, and over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and communication skills. Additionally, 86% of companies report that they recouped their investment in coaching, demonstrating both personal and organizational value.

In short, great coaching leads to stronger employee development, reduced reliance on leadership, and an overall boost in team performance.

coaching in the workplace

How to Coach Employees with Purpose and Efficiency

Coaching should be direct, purposeful, and centered around helping employees find their own solutions. Effective coaching doesn’t mean you let go of direction entirely. It’s about helping employees take ownership of how to solve problems. When you ask the right questions, you allow your team to shape their own path forward and own the process, which drives long-term success. The goal is to guide them without micromanaging or solving every problem for them.

If you find yourself constantly asking for details or gathering information, you're likely trying to solve the problem for them. Coaching isn’t about delivering answers—it’s about guiding employees in thinking critically and taking ownership of their work.

Instead of diving into the specifics, focus on contextual listening. Get a high-level understanding of the issue and then ask questions that encourage them to reflect and solve the problem on their own. A great coach empowers employees to take control of their decisions and own the outcomes.

Key principles to keep in mind:

  • Stop hunting for information: Avoid questions that lead you to solve the problem for them. Instead, ask open-ended questions like, “Can you give me the context you think I need to help you solve this?”
  • Use open-ended questions: Prompt employees to think through solutions with “who,” “what,” “where,” and “how” questions. These open-ended prompts get them to process the situation without you stepping in to solve it.
  • Focus on fewer issues: You don’t need to address every problem in one conversation. Pick one or two key points, help the employee think through those, and allow them to close those gaps themselves.

60-Second Employee Coaching: A Language of Leadership Method

When time is tight, coaching doesn’t need to be a long, drawn-out process. The Language of Leadership 60-second coaching method offers a fast and effective way to guide employees toward their own solutions without consuming too much time. It’s designed to empower your team to come to you with ideas and solutions, not just problems.

The essence of 60-second coaching is simple: when an employee comes to you with a question or problem, flip it back on them by asking open-ended questions.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Reassure: Let the employee know you’re willing to help and that you have ideas to share.
  2. Empower: Build their confidence by saying something like, “You know this better than I do. What’s your opinion?”
  3. Flip it back: End with an open-ended question like, “How would you solve this?” or “What do you think?”

The Language of Leadership teaches this approach as a core part of their method, providing leaders with an efficient tool to foster problem-solving in their teams. One practical example might sound like this: “Thanks for bringing this to me, I have some ideas and I'm happy to share them. But first, you're closer to this than I am and I trust you, What's your opinion?” This keeps the ownership with the employee while offering guidance when needed. 

By empowering your team to think critically, 60-second coaching helps create an environment where employees are capable, independent, and less reliant on constant direction.

How to coach employees

Quick Coaching Tips for Busy Leaders

There's a catch-22 with coaching: if you're too busy to coach, you'll end up constantly solving your team’s problems, creating more work for yourself in the long run. As more issues pile up on your desk, you’ll stay stuck in the cycle. However, making time for quick and efficient coaching can actually free up more time. When you empower your employees to think critically and solve problems themselves, you prevent future issues from landing back in your lap.

Here are a few tips to help you make a big impact, even when you only have a few minutes:

  • Leverage 60-second coaching: Flip the problem back to the employee, asking them to propose solutions. This saves time while empowering them to think critically. Simple questions like “What’s your take on this?” can quickly shift the ownership of the solution.
  • Prioritize: Focus on helping employees resolve one or two of the most pressing issues rather than trying to solve everything at once. The goal is progress, not perfection. “You don’t need to solve every problem in one conversation.”
  • Active listening: Even in quick exchanges, listen closely to identify where they need guidance and encourage them to think through potential solutions. This builds trust and shows employees you value their input, even in short bursts.
  • Ask follow-up questions: Once an employee provides a potential solution, ask follow-up questions to help them refine their thinking. Simple prompts like “What do you see as the next step?” or “What challenges could come up?” encourage deeper analysis without dragging out the conversation.
  • Encourage reflection: After a decision has been made or an issue has been solved, circle back later to quickly check in. Ask them how things went or what they learned from the experience. This helps reinforce learning and shows that coaching is an ongoing process, not just a one-time exchange.
  • Empower with trust: Let employees know that you trust their judgment and expect them to figure things out. Statements like, “I trust your call on this—what do you think the best move is?” can reinforce autonomy and reduce the amount of hand-holding required moving forward.

Remember, coaching shouldn't drain your energy. When you ask good, open-ended questions, you allow your employees to do the thinking. While they might feel mentally taxed as they process solutions, you, as the coach, should focus on listening and guiding, which conserves your energy and makes coaching efficient.

Small but impactful coaching moments can go a long way in building employee confidence and fostering a more self-sufficient team.

How to Implement Workplace Coaching

Coaching in the workplace doesn’t require a full structural overhaul. By making small changes to how you interact with your team, you can introduce effective coaching practices into your everyday leadership style. For instance, start integrating coaching into your regular conversations. During casual check-ins, ask questions that prompt employees to think critically, such as, “What’s your plan?” or “How are you approaching this challenge?” These questions encourage your team to take ownership of their solutions without the need for formal coaching sessions.

Fostering a psychologically safe environment is also key. According to Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson, psychological safety is “the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.” When employees feel safe sharing their ideas—even if they’re unsure about them—they’re more likely to engage in the kind of productive problem-solving that coaching aims to develop. By encouraging an environment where risk-taking is accepted and failure is seen as a learning opportunity, you’re helping your team grow and innovate.

You don’t need to dedicate hours to scheduled coaching meetings. By being available for quick, informal moments of guidance, you’ll help your employees develop their own problem-solving skills, fostering growth without complex, time-consuming processes.

coaching employees

The Purpose of Coaching in Employee Development

Coaching is about much more than solving short-term problems; it's about unlocking your employees' potential and enhancing overall business performance. When leaders coach effectively, they help employees develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which translates to greater ownership and job satisfaction. If you're not leaning into their strengths and unique ways of thinking, you're missing out on the full value of your team.

Good coaching is usually the vector for talent development. When employees solve their own problems and own their ideas, they develop faster, become more self-reliant, and are more likely to bring innovative solutions to the table. Coaching also drives up employee engagement. People are more invested in their work when they can own their ideas and solutions. This creates a more energized, innovative, and loyal workforce. At the same time, the organization benefits from the diversity of thought and skills employees bring to the table, all while reducing reliance on leadership for every decision.

In short, the purpose of coaching is twofold: developing your team’s talents and strengthening the company by fostering independence and critical thinking among employees.

Build a Self-Sufficient Team: Join Our Free Webinar

Coaching can be a game-changer for building a self-sufficient team, empowering your employees to solve problems and take ownership without needing constant direction. But effective coaching doesn’t have to mean lengthy sessions or complex training. Our free webinar, Empower Your Team Without Micromanaging, offers practical, actionable strategies to help you guide your team’s growth while preserving your time and energy.

In this live session, you’ll discover how to support your team in developing critical skills and confidence, enabling them to tackle challenges independently. Sign up here and start seeing the impact of empowered coaching firsthand!