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HBR Guide to Coaching Employees
Help your employees help themselves.
As a manager in today’s business world, you can’t just tell your direct reports what to You need to help them make their own decisions, enable them to solve tough problems, and actively develop their skills on the job.
Whether you have a star on your team who’s eager to advance, an underperformer who’s dragging the group down, or a steady contributor who feels bored and neglected, you need to coach Help shape their goals—and support their efforts to achieve them.
In the HBR Guide to Coaching Employees you’ll learn how
Create realistic but inspiring plans for growthAsk the right questions to engage your employees in the development processGive them room to grapple with problems and discover solutionsAllow them to make the most of their expertise while compelling them to stretch and growGive them feedback they’ll actually applyBalance coaching with the rest of your workload
Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, from a source you trust. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.
As a manager in today’s business world, you can’t just tell your direct reports what to You need to help them make their own decisions, enable them to solve tough problems, and actively develop their skills on the job.
Whether you have a star on your team who’s eager to advance, an underperformer who’s dragging the group down, or a steady contributor who feels bored and neglected, you need to coach Help shape their goals—and support their efforts to achieve them.
In the HBR Guide to Coaching Employees you’ll learn how
Create realistic but inspiring plans for growthAsk the right questions to engage your employees in the development processGive them room to grapple with problems and discover solutionsAllow them to make the most of their expertise while compelling them to stretch and growGive them feedback they’ll actually applyBalance coaching with the rest of your workload
Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, from a source you trust. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 18, 2014
151 people are currently reading
807 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 5, 2021
'HBR Guide to Coaching Employees' has lots of informative and insightful ideas and techniques. I found out how effective my previous manager was when I realized he applied some of this book's techniques.
My key takeaways:
- "Praise the effort, not the skill."
- "Turn dead time into development time."
- "Ask before you advise."
- "Coaching requires patience."
- Proper communication really is the key. Proper time, place, tone, intention.
- Efficient & constructive feedback
My key takeaways:
- "Praise the effort, not the skill."
- "Turn dead time into development time."
- "Ask before you advise."
- "Coaching requires patience."
- Proper communication really is the key. Proper time, place, tone, intention.
- Efficient & constructive feedback
August 8, 2020
The title was promising. As a new CEO, this is something I've identified as one of the most important skills I need to work on.
The content did not live up to my expectation.
It's a series of repurposed articles with a very academic tone, all disjointed from one another, and mostly all repeating the same things: Ask questions; Don't teach; ... trying to think of another example, but those are really my only two memorable takeaways, and neither of them are very revolutionary.
Please recommend me a different title that actually delivers a guide to coaching employees if you know one!
The content did not live up to my expectation.
It's a series of repurposed articles with a very academic tone, all disjointed from one another, and mostly all repeating the same things: Ask questions; Don't teach; ... trying to think of another example, but those are really my only two memorable takeaways, and neither of them are very revolutionary.
Please recommend me a different title that actually delivers a guide to coaching employees if you know one!
June 11, 2019
HBR does not disappoint
January 18, 2020
Quite an insightful collection of valuable advice on how to coach employees and work with teams. Not the strongest HBR's book but still quite useful for an executive.
January 24, 2020
I liked : learned the difference between coaching and managing my team.
February 1, 2020
Brilliant book as most HBR guides, short and concise advice how to be a better coach.
October 8, 2021
Informative and helpful, as is standard with Harvard Business Review.
December 31, 2022
Nice review of the basics.
May 31, 2024
Love these guides - I grab them off the shelf whenever I’m “stuck” on an issue, and the bulleted format and easy structure makes it easy to flip through and find new ideas.
June 27, 2024
To a newbie is quite an eye opener, a "0 to 100" approach that solves many common misconceptions.
August 24, 2024
A must read on coaching high-performing teams.
January 31, 2025
Very effective guide for coaches and mentors and managers
December 16, 2016
Lots of useful information.
January 24, 2015
This is a short but sweet guide in how to hopefully make the most out of your employees or direct reports. Shouting and threatening them is no longer enough!
Today’s employees can be empowered, given some freedoms, encouraged to grow and develop and generally work for the best of the company. All employees are different and you as a manager or supervisor might have been thrown into this seemingly impossible job at the deep end. Most managers and supervisors are not as accomplished at people management than they may think. We all have room to improve. This coaching guide might give a few hints, tips and underline existing knowledge.
Think of it another way. You might have a top-of-the-range sports car or a rusty old banger. Yet both vehicles are capable of being tuned to make them run even better, more efficiently, more effortlessly and to make the most of their individual potential. This is the same with staff at all levels within a company.
This book is the sum of combined thoughts of many experts in the field. It seamlessly manages to get under your skin, getting you thinking and considering matters in a non-threatening manner. One senior leader noted how being coached helped him understand that he could make the biggest difference by doing more than everyone else but by empowering other people to do more and motivating them to do their best, letting go of certain responsibilities and recognizing the limits of his expertise. As a leader, he said, “I didn’t need to have all the answers; I just needed to ask the right questions.” That is the sign of confidence and leadership maturity.
Yet so many don’t seem to get the benefits of coaching, it is said. Many companies view and use coaching as an investment or perk for the senior staff, others view it as a corrective measure for those who don’t perform. Coaching can be and should be for all. It can create challenges and change within a company yet when harnessed correctly it should be a positive catalyst rather than a threat.
Reading this book is not onerous. Each standalone chapter is capable of being read quickly. Digesting and implementing the ideas will take longer. The tone and style encouraged you consider the arguments, selling you to their benefits and underlining the reasons why you might want and need change.
It is a great little book. Of course there are no shortage of such coaching resources yet this is a good composite of many ideas and thoughts, parceled up into a very accessible, ready reference type of book. Whether you are thinking of taking your first steps along the route to coaching or you are already an old pro sold on the idea, this could be a great little companion!
HBR Guide to Coaching Employees, written by Harvard Business Review and published by Harvard Business Review Press. ISBN 9781625275332, 208 pages. YYYYY
Today’s employees can be empowered, given some freedoms, encouraged to grow and develop and generally work for the best of the company. All employees are different and you as a manager or supervisor might have been thrown into this seemingly impossible job at the deep end. Most managers and supervisors are not as accomplished at people management than they may think. We all have room to improve. This coaching guide might give a few hints, tips and underline existing knowledge.
Think of it another way. You might have a top-of-the-range sports car or a rusty old banger. Yet both vehicles are capable of being tuned to make them run even better, more efficiently, more effortlessly and to make the most of their individual potential. This is the same with staff at all levels within a company.
This book is the sum of combined thoughts of many experts in the field. It seamlessly manages to get under your skin, getting you thinking and considering matters in a non-threatening manner. One senior leader noted how being coached helped him understand that he could make the biggest difference by doing more than everyone else but by empowering other people to do more and motivating them to do their best, letting go of certain responsibilities and recognizing the limits of his expertise. As a leader, he said, “I didn’t need to have all the answers; I just needed to ask the right questions.” That is the sign of confidence and leadership maturity.
Yet so many don’t seem to get the benefits of coaching, it is said. Many companies view and use coaching as an investment or perk for the senior staff, others view it as a corrective measure for those who don’t perform. Coaching can be and should be for all. It can create challenges and change within a company yet when harnessed correctly it should be a positive catalyst rather than a threat.
Reading this book is not onerous. Each standalone chapter is capable of being read quickly. Digesting and implementing the ideas will take longer. The tone and style encouraged you consider the arguments, selling you to their benefits and underlining the reasons why you might want and need change.
It is a great little book. Of course there are no shortage of such coaching resources yet this is a good composite of many ideas and thoughts, parceled up into a very accessible, ready reference type of book. Whether you are thinking of taking your first steps along the route to coaching or you are already an old pro sold on the idea, this could be a great little companion!
HBR Guide to Coaching Employees, written by Harvard Business Review and published by Harvard Business Review Press. ISBN 9781625275332, 208 pages. YYYYY
June 25, 2015
Giving feedback or coaching is one of the most important skills our managers and leaders need to learn for their respective organizations to flourish and succeed. I’ve seen countless of articles, books, videos as well as audio materials catering to the development of this important competency in our leadership. Nevertheless, the campaign to make our leaders better in coaching is far from over since this is a skill that needs to be continuously honed no matter how seasoned our leaders are.
Harvard Business Review has recently published the book entitled HBR Guide to Coaching Employees. This is part of the HBR Guide Series of books which delves into the important skills our business leaders need to hone to be effective in delivering results.
This particular book on coaching is written like a compilation of articles written by different experts on the field of leadership coaching. You will get to feel the different styles in writing for each individual as they contribute to the development of the ideas in the book.
Some of the things that readers may particularly appreciate are the following:
1. Includes great insights on coaching which many are violating most of the time. All throughout the book, experts sight many important things to consider when coaching that are usually violated such as inability to make a follow up; not setting aside time for coaching; and, etc. More importantly the book provides numerous ways on how to do it right.
2. Different perspectives. Since many experts contributed to this book, readers will see different perspectives which put the subject into a more holistic way. Different writing styles also make reading more engaging.
3. Most importantly, this book acknowledges the fact that individual differences are important considerations on how one coach.
There are many important lessons here in this book. I am sure that for those who are engaged in developing individuals not just from the rank-and-file employee level but more importantly in leadership level, this book is a must read.
Harvard Business Review has recently published the book entitled HBR Guide to Coaching Employees. This is part of the HBR Guide Series of books which delves into the important skills our business leaders need to hone to be effective in delivering results.
This particular book on coaching is written like a compilation of articles written by different experts on the field of leadership coaching. You will get to feel the different styles in writing for each individual as they contribute to the development of the ideas in the book.
Some of the things that readers may particularly appreciate are the following:
1. Includes great insights on coaching which many are violating most of the time. All throughout the book, experts sight many important things to consider when coaching that are usually violated such as inability to make a follow up; not setting aside time for coaching; and, etc. More importantly the book provides numerous ways on how to do it right.
2. Different perspectives. Since many experts contributed to this book, readers will see different perspectives which put the subject into a more holistic way. Different writing styles also make reading more engaging.
3. Most importantly, this book acknowledges the fact that individual differences are important considerations on how one coach.
There are many important lessons here in this book. I am sure that for those who are engaged in developing individuals not just from the rank-and-file employee level but more importantly in leadership level, this book is a must read.
March 4, 2015
I was delighted to received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have in the past been involved in quite a bit of employee coaching, and training and I wanted to see what tips and hints I could get. The book has an excellent extract from a questionnaire which is ideal to get o the bottom of the thought process and wants of the employees so that you can tailor any training that needs to be given. It is also very good at making clear the difference between coaching, and training/teaching which I do believe can be blurred by a lot of people. The book has some excellent sections, the are clear and concise with just the right amount of detail needed.
June 2, 2025
Ước gì mình đọc được quyển này sớm hơn vì đã từng trải qua việc huấn luyện người khác một cách bản năng thay vì bài bản và chuyên nghiệp nên gặp rất nhiều khó khăn và phản đối
Tựa Việt: HBR Guide to - Kèm cặp nhân viên
14.07: để ý mới thấy coaching (khai vấn) aka hỏi (rất nhiều) để giúp nhân viên tự nhận ra vấn đề/giải pháp cho chính họ. dịch kèm cặp dễ hiểu nhưng k sát với nghĩa thực sự của khai vấn lắm
cơ mà sách vẫn ổn, vẫn hay và xuất sắc như thường lệ, với những ý tưởng mới, mở mang nhiều điều và cho mình thấy những sai lầm trước giờ đã mắc phải. chỉ là khai vấn hay đào tạo huấn luyện thì 1 cuốn sách mỏng 200 trang thật khó mà nói hết
Tựa Việt: HBR Guide to - Kèm cặp nhân viên
14.07: để ý mới thấy coaching (khai vấn) aka hỏi (rất nhiều) để giúp nhân viên tự nhận ra vấn đề/giải pháp cho chính họ. dịch kèm cặp dễ hiểu nhưng k sát với nghĩa thực sự của khai vấn lắm
cơ mà sách vẫn ổn, vẫn hay và xuất sắc như thường lệ, với những ý tưởng mới, mở mang nhiều điều và cho mình thấy những sai lầm trước giờ đã mắc phải. chỉ là khai vấn hay đào tạo huấn luyện thì 1 cuốn sách mỏng 200 trang thật khó mà nói hết
January 17, 2018
One of the best books I’ve read on coaching. It’s surprising how we confuse coaching and teaching and apply both inappropriately. This book has helped me solve that problem and I’m continuing to learn more as I apply the concepts
April 27, 2015
Small case study type chapters from different executive coaches.
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July 15, 2016it's a good book - good guidelines in it
August 31, 2017
A set of highly theoretical articles. Some of them are interfere, and provide complex theories.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews