My father taught me how to ride a bike. He showed me the basics and provided the setting for success – he held on to the back of my seat to prevent me from falling but let me steer. He let me take on the challenge and subsequent glory. I learned how all on my own – or so I thought – and, more importantly, my dad taught me to trust my skills and believe in myself.

Marshall J. Cook talks about the same pattern in Effective Coaching. Cook’s book focuses on workplace coaching and managers as the target audience but the lessons he shares can be applied elsewhere – in schools by teachers, in sports by coaches, and at home by parents. Cook emphasizes understanding people through asking them the right questions, listening to their answers, and then by extracting the essence to ensure the common understanding and agreement on a course of action. Most importantly, after instructing and empowering their employees, Cook instructs managers to step aside and let their subordinates execute and eventually bask in the glory of a job well done.

Read the rest of my post, and learn how to be an effective coach on my blog