By Timothy Andrews
October 30, 2025
Who hasn’t wished their manager communicated more clearly or more often? Now flip the question—what do you think your team, your peers or stakeholders are asking of you right now?
Chances are, it’s the same answer—’I wish “you” communicated more and better.’
You have people dropping into your office, virtual or physical, all the time, every day with their problems – especially in today’s complex workplace. At some point, you’ve likely worried about a having a difficult conversation with someone important to you—whether to help them with a problem, address a personal issue, or get unstuck.
Everyone feels some hesitation when facing people challenges—wanting to say the right thing, do the right thing, and genuinely be helpful.
Coaching is directed exactly to that question—“how do I do that?” Everyone is telling you, “Be more engaged and get more out of your people…and oh, and be more caring and supportive.” How do you speak to, and engage others in a respectful and dignified way that makes a real difference to them, as well as your project and your organization?
More than a business buzzword, coaches are now being used extensively at the senior levels in almost every Fortune 500 organization. Ask yourself, “Why would top executives of major corporations give up so much of their valuable time for coaching?” The simple answer is because coaching is very effective, quickly makes a difference, and has powerful benefits.
Coaching is a distinct set of practices, different from other helping modalities. It is not soft skills repackaged. It is not therapy with storytelling of the past or resolving psychological issues. It is not consulting, mentoring or counseling. Coaching works with current work issues, focuses positively on the future and next steps.
Coaches come with expertise and knowledge to help you see what to do and share their experience to help fix your organizational issues, and often help fix organizational issues directly. Coaching takes your direction, and help you find the answers, or the ability to find the resources. Coaching is not the same as sports coaching, which focus on technique and competitive strategy. It’s not like talking with friends who care deeply but often bring their own views and values. A good coach cares too—but remains objective, understanding yet detached enough to help you see clearly.
Coaching is a powerful, creative, supportive relationship to help you make extraordinary progress with issues, concerns or problems with your staff. The coach’s intention is to help you understand the issues and help you resolve it. Coaching brings together some of the best tools, methods, behaviors, and techniques from helping professions so you can support your staff create significant progress from a short and very powerful discussion.
Coaches ask powerful questions and listen deeply-with insight, empathy and focus. They help remove inner blocks that stand in the way of progress. Effective coaches guide their team to clarify issues, explore options, and use practical tools to find purpose in their work. They also foster accountability, motivation, and inspiration—all through behaviors and practices that can be developed.
Coaching is an action and results-oriented approach, not soft of fuzzy stuff about making people feel better. The goal of every coaching conversation is simple and direct—to improve staff performance and help each person reach their full potential.
Coaching can occur spontaneously in (1) a conversation with your staff even where the word “coaching” might not even come up, (2) an organized discussion over a short session, (3) a continuing coaching dialogue where you meet on some regular basis with staff, or (4) in a group or team session. Most of my work occurs informally with behaviors in everyday conversations with team members, family and friends without the need to call it a session or even be obvious.
A powerful coaching approach is based on a proven set of practices used by the world’s most successful executive & life coaches that involve (1) a practical framework to guide any discussion, (2) a set of powerful supporting behaviors, and (3) coaching tools & techniques to help staff.
Certain coaching behaviors and practices can help resolve many workplace challenges—from project and relationship issues to personal and career conversations. They’re equally valuable in guiding discussions about skill development, training, promotions, or performance. By focusing on and reinforcing positive behavioral change, good coaching practices can address difficult discussions more effectively.
Once you learn coaching behaviors and methods, you will find that most all other leadership behaviors build from it—team building, mentoring, communication, collaboration, negotiating, customer relations, influence, trust, feedback, among others.
Join us on IPM Day on November 6, 2025 to learn about the specific behaviors and practices to begin your journey as a coach!
Timothy Andrews
International Institute for Learning
(c) 631-434-5953
Tim Andrews, BSME, MBA, MS
Tim Andrews, BSME, MBA, MS is an Organizational Behaviorist with 23 years of experience helping individuals and teams grow through leadership development and coaching. He brings a unique blend of expertise, having spent 21 years in the technical field, rising from Engineer to Vice President of Engineering.
His workshops and programs have reached over 48,000 professionals across leading corporations and training organizations. A credentialed Corporate Coach, and registered Counselor, he combines coaching with therapy methods with thousands of session hours in both corporate and personal settings. He has also trained hundreds of new Corporate and Life Coaches.
