Why building a Coaching Mindset Matters
Leadership is evolving. Managers are no longer just expected to deliver results; they are also responsible for creating environments where people feel understood, supported, and motivated. This shift demands a different way of thinking: a coaching mindset.
In a recent Facet5 Live session, leadership coach Petra Holic shared practical insights into how managers can adopt a coaching mindset to build stronger teams. Her experience working with leaders across industries revealed clear patterns in what helps teams thrive and what holds them back. This blog post unpacks those lessons.
We will explore why traditional leadership habits can damage morale, what a coaching mindset looks like in practice, and how tools like Facet5 can support managers in making this shift.
What Is a Coaching Mindset?
Petra Holic began her Facet5 Live session by sharing an encounter with Norma Delgado, a senior leader managing hundreds of payroll professionals. Norma said: “My managers know how to deliver results. What I need them to know, in addition, is how to take care of their people.”
That one sentence summed up a common leadership gap. Many managers focus on outcomes but overlook relationships. Petra explained that this gap is often the result of outdated leadership habits, which she described as three common myths:
- Myth 1: I have to be the smartest person in the room.
- Myth 2: I must always tell people what to do.
- Myth 3: I need to tell people what I think of them as feedback.
These myths promote a top-down, control-heavy leadership style that stifles creativity and reduces engagement.
Managers who act on these beliefs often find themselves frustrated, repeating instructions, and struggling with team motivation. Their people feel undervalued, micromanaged, and disempowered.
How Dysfunctional Leadership Habits Develop
Petra pointed out that these habits often begin early in life. We observe the behaviours of parents, teachers, and authority figures and assume this is what leadership looks like. Then, as adults, we carry those patterns into the workplace.
Many managers are promoted because they were high performers in their roles. But once promoted, they receive little to no guidance on how to lead. As Petra noted, they are often expected to know how to lead “by magic.”
Without support or training, they fall back on what they know: taking control, being right, and giving orders. But these approaches rarely work.
The Real Impact on Teams
During the session, participants shared how it felt to work under leaders who believed in the three myths. Words like “worthless,” “under constant control,” “unengaged,” and “disempowered” were common.
People reported that working under micromanagers impacted not just their performance but also their wellbeing. Stress followed them home. Confidence eroded. Opportunities for growth disappeared.
When managers lead through control instead of support, team members disengage. They stop offering ideas, become less proactive, and are more likely to leave.
The Coaching Mindset in Practice
So what does leading with a coaching mindset look like?
Petra suggests several shifts in behaviour:
- Ask more questions. Replace instructions with curiosity. For example: “What do you think would work best here?”
- Listen actively. Give people time to speak and show that you value their input.
- Support autonomy. Let people own their tasks. Provide guidance without taking over.
- Encourage learning. Treat mistakes as opportunities to grow, not as failures.
- Offer feedback with care. Focus on helping the person improve, not simply expressing your opinion.
These behaviours create a safer, more collaborative work environment. Over time, they build trust and accountability.
Making the Shift as a Manager
If you’re a manager wondering how to start adopting a coaching mindset, here are some practical steps:
- Reflect on your current style. Ask yourself: Do I lead with curiosity or control?
- Notice your triggers. When things go wrong, do you take over or coach your team through it?
- Start small. Try asking open-ended questions in your next meeting. Avoid giving immediate answers.
- Give feedback regularly. Make it specific, timely, and focused on behaviours, not personality.
- Invest in your own growth. Coaching others starts with self-awareness.
Encouraging a Coaching Culture
A coaching mindset isn’t just for individual managers. It can become part of a wider organisational culture. When senior leaders model this approach, it sets the tone for others.
Companies that encourage coaching create more resilient, adaptable teams. They also improve employee engagement, reduce turnover, and see better performance overall.
Embedding this culture takes time. It requires consistent messaging, skills development, and support at all levels.
Actionable Tips to Lead with a Coaching Mindset
Here are practical, repeatable tips that managers can start using today:
- Daily Check-ins: Ask team members, “What’s one thing you’re focused on today?” and “Is there anything I can support you with?”
- Use the GROW model: Guide conversations through Goal, Reality, Options, and Way forward.
- Create reflection space: Add 10 minutes at the end of meetings to ask, “What worked well? What can we improve next time?”
- Encourage self-assessment: Before offering feedback, ask, “How do you feel that went? What would you do differently?”
- Model vulnerability: Share your own learning moments. Say, “I didn’t get that right, but here’s what I learned.”
Why Psychometric Tools Like Facet5 Help
Leading with a coaching mindset also means understanding the people you lead. Not everyone is motivated the same way. Some need more structure, others want freedom. Some thrive on challenge, others prefer support.
This is where psychometric tools like Facet5 come in. Facet5 helps leaders understand individual personality differences. It provides insights into motivation, communication preferences, decision-making styles, and more.
Using a tool like Facet5 can help you:
- Adapt your coaching style. Speak to each person’s needs and strengths.
- Build trust. People feel seen and understood.
- Develop tailored development plans. Support personal and professional growth more effectively.
- Improve team dynamics. Understand how different personalities work together.
Developing a coaching mindset isn’t about being perfect. It’s about choosing curiosity over control, and people over power.
By unlearning outdated leadership habits and embracing tools like Facet5, managers can create workplaces where people grow, contribute, and feel valued.
That’s leadership that makes a difference.
Watch the Full Facet5 Live Session: Leading with a Coaching Mindset
To hear more from Managing Director of Facet5 Global, Grant Gemmell, and Tracy Arnold as they dive deeper into practical tools and strategies, you can watch the full recording of the Facet5 Live session:
👉 Watch now on Facet5Global.com
You’ll learn more about:
- The myth of good leadership
- How to engage your team as a coaching leader
- 3 pro coaching tips to boost your day-to-day work as a leader
Content for this blog post is taken from a recording of Leading with a Coaching Mindset. Hosted by author and lead coach at Leader as Coach, Petra Holic.
Need help coaching employees to peak performance in your organisation?
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About Petra Holic
Petra supports leaders’ journeys and development, guides them to reach potential, goals and dreams and assists in breaking through dilemmas, challenges and ceilings. For the past 25 years Petra lived in Toronto and worked in sectors such as online media, institutional investment management, consulting, social architecture and urban planning. Currently she resides and works in Slovakia where in addition to private practice she co-founded a non-profit EduCoach.sk. She is the author and lead coach in the Leader as Coach program.
