{"id":915,"date":"2019-06-06T10:30:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T14:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/content-marketing-hub\/?p=915"},"modified":"2020-09-03T05:52:53","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T09:52:53","slug":"how-to-coach-others-from-good-to-great","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/management-leadership\/how-to-coach-others-from-good-to-great","title":{"rendered":"How to coach others from good to great"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In <\/em>The Engineering Leader Within<\/em><\/a>, authors and WeWork members Jean Hsu and Edmond Lau\u2014the co-founders of CoLeadership\u2014interview engineering leads from companies like Etsy, Interstellar, and Splice to get their best strategies for being effective leaders. This wisdom goes beyond engineering\u2014it\u2019s actionable advice for anyone leading a team or at a startup or a global company. In this excerpt, the authors interview bethanye Blount, founder and CEO of Compaas, a compensation-organizing platform, about how to help your team achieve maximum greatness. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before founding Compaas, bethanye Blount had an impressive background leading infrastructure and systems teams at companies such as Linden Lab, Facebook, and Reddit. But it\u2019s not just her r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that is impressive\u2014she also has a unique perspective on her job as a manager: She strives to help people be the \u201cmost badass\u201d versions of themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Blount, that means \u201cbeing able to imagine a more awesome version of every single person you work with,\u201d <\/strong>and helping them get there. \u201c<\/em>A lot of management theory from the ’70s talks about things like fixing weaknesses in people,\u201d she explains. \u201cI think the idea that you would look at somebody as something to be fixed is fundamentally problematic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It makes a lot more sense, she says, to look at somebody as on a journey, and know that you can help them along the way. \u201cThat’s helping people be more badass.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how exactly do you help people become the best version of themselves? Blount shares her strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advocate for individuals first<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When thinking through how to make decisions, Blount has her priorities in the following order: the individual person, then the company, then the team, then you. She offers a classic example: \u201cIf somebody wants to leave the company, and it will hurt you, but you really know this is a great opportunity for them, then you need to let them go and be happy for them,\u201d she says. \u201cIf somebody wants to move to a different team and it\u2019s gonna hurt your team, but it’s good for them and it\u2019s good for the company, suck it up. That\u2019s the order. The individual, then the company, then your team, then you as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prioritizing individuals first and foremost is the most effective way to build a high-functioning team, says Blount. \u201cThe people on your team will pull together to be greater than the sum of its parts when they believe that you really do have their back,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd one of the ways you signal that to them is by advocating for them as individuals first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Build trust in your value<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Depending on people\u2019s previous experiences, their trust in management may differ. \u201cWhen people are suspicious of management,\u201d Blount says, \u201cit\u2019s because they’ve been working with someone who wasn’t there for them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your job, she says, is to change how they view \u201cmanagement\u201d by delivering on actually being there for them. \u201cIt’s difficult to help people be more badass when they are determined that you have no value,\u201d says Blount. She demonstrates her dedication to her team by doing things like showing up reliably for one-on-ones, and advocating for them in all situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they learn they can count on you, they\u2019ll see you as an asset and ally, and accept your support and guidance. Eventually, says Blount, \u201cthey will start talking to you. And this is pretty amazing.\u201d That’s when you can have the hard conversations about what holds them back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell them what you see in them<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Blount\u2019s experience, when people aren\u2019t achieving their potential, it\u2019s likely because they think that they’re not ready or need more experience. \u201cI want people to have options\u2014to be able to choose that future for themselves and not opt out prematurely from something because they’ve decided that they can’t do it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s my responsibility to imagine a more badass version of that person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help them see what she sees, Blount might say to someone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n