{"id":62595,"date":"2024-07-11T16:45:53","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T16:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explore.local\/2024\/07\/11\/managers-skill-coaches\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T20:36:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T20:36:40","slug":"managers-skill-coaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/degreed.com\/experience\/blog\/managers-skill-coaches\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Turn Managers into Skill Coaches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Skills initiatives are front and center for many leadership teams today, and some organizations are investing significant time and resources. But beware! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever work you do to get leaders behind skill development, whatever resources you secure for learning, and whatever successes you see with retention or innovation\u2014everything eventually falls apart if your efforts lack skill coaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To lean into skill coaching, you\u2019ll need to prioritize skill-building opportunities and lean on the managers who oversee employee learning. Unfortunately, our research shows that 26% of employees say their managers don\u2019t support their professional growth<\/a>, and nearly half of employees aren\u2019t connected to work that stretches their skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Most managers want to help their employees develop skills, but many managers have not received great coaching themselves,\u201d said Ben Cowan<\/a>, Director of Skills Strategy at Degreed. \u201cThey need training on how best to drive skill success, time and resources to do it right, and recognition that their skill coaching efforts are critical to the success of the business.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s why\u2014and how\u2014L&D can help managers be better skill coaches to help achieve critical company skill goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why Managers Should be Skill Coaches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, managers have a profound and positive effect on employees in all aspects of their work, especially in learning. In a positive learning culture, people are 92% more likely<\/a> to say their manager supported their development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our research<\/a> also shows that 18% of employees say one of their favorite ways to learn is directly from their managers. Furthermore, 70% of employees learn from managers frequently, and 28% learn from managers daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And can you imagine implementing experiential learning like special projects, mentorships, and internal internship programs without manager support? We can\u2019t. In fact, we\u2019ve found that the most successful learning happens at companies where managers are excellent skills coaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Managers<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cManagers are critical, not just because they find and connect learning to the members of their teams, but because they also contextualize and reinforce it within the workflow,\u201d said Hali Linn<\/a>, Learning Strategy Consultant at Degreed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy serving as both mentors and coaches, managers help bridge the gap between formal learning and the application of skill development. This is how managers foster an environment where continuous learning is part of the organizational culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managers are also critical to everything else in your company\u2014operations, productivity, employee engagement, and more. And that\u2019s a problem. Why? Because managers are time-starved, caught between competing priorities, and missing critical guidance. They need support too, and that\u2019s where L&D comes in. Here\u2019s how you can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"L&D<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No 1. Save managers time: prioritize critical skills.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Research shows the average manager already spends 30 minutes<\/a> with each direct report every three weeks, and great managers spend even more. If your organization is anything like those studied, it means managers are some of the busiest people in your company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you ask a manager to add more skills development to their plate, don\u2019t be surprised if you get the corporate equivalent of a shrug. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also consider that the number of tasks skill coaches could <\/em>add to their plates\u2014from discussing career goals and giving feedback to finding and assigning stretch projects\u2014can quickly become overwhelming. Now multiply that by the number of direct reports and<\/em> the number of skills each direct report needs to develop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It becomes clear that this is going to be a lot of work. This means that, if you want skills coaching to succeed, you\u2019ll need to remove as many multipliers that you can and shorten the list of skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 Ways to Help Managers Prioritize Critical Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To keep managers (and employees) from feeling overwhelmed, help them narrow their focus to the most important skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which skills will have the most impact? Your managers may not know or have time to find out. But you can help them prioritize in one of three ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Top-down: <\/strong>Translate business objectives into high-priority skills using the first part of our workbook How to Win Learning and Influence the C-Suite<\/em><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Bottom-up: <\/strong>Democratize skill prioritization<\/a> by asking individual contributors which skills would help them in their daily work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Combination: <\/strong>Give managers and employees a list of high-priority skills from the business\u2014then let them decide what to learn first.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cA combination approach has worked well for many of our clients,\u201d said Stephanie Lyras<\/a>, Director, Change Management, Engagement & Adoption. \u201cIt allows us to be clear about the skills most important at an organizational level, while respecting the need for flexibility and autonomy to focus on the aspects of the global strategy that are most critical for different business areas.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Ways<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    No 2. Incentivize managers: connect skills to successes.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Executives need to drive profit. Managers need to show impact. Employees need to provide quality work. Everyone wants your company to succeed. It\u2019s your job in L&D to bring them together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019ve prioritized skills using a top-down or combination approach, you\u2019ve already aligned with the C-suite on skills. When you share these priorities with skill coaches, connect those coaches to available resources, pathways, and tools. Give them ready-made learning packages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019ve taken more of a democratized approach to skill prioritization, coordinate efforts across teams. Pool resources to share among multiple teams\u2014and provide the social learning that 75% of workers crave<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Celebrate the wins.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    However you help managers prioritize skills, keep the focus dialed and the energy high by celebrating wins. Simply pointing out skills and expecting managers to take it from there won\u2019t cut it. Prove to them that the skills highlighted will help them succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Celebrate team members who complete stretch assignments related to high-priority skills. Track progress like increases in productivity, quality improvements, and skills assessments\u2014and share them often. You\u2019ll help reinforce that skills development is part of success, not incidental to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No 3. Build habits: give managers a manual.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Coaching is a skill like any other, and even the most seasoned managers need help leveling up their workers. L&D can help by infusing more conversations with skills terminology, creating new guidance, and leveraging learning tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Add skills conversations to existing guidance.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    There are already existing processes in place at your company:<\/p>\n\n\n\n