A great manager creates a high-performance environment full of specialists who can work autonomously towards a shared goal. Managers do not do the work themselves, but create conditions for the work to get done well consistently.
Your progress through the program
1
Clarity & Direction
2
Coaching Behaviours
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3
Feedback & Accountability
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4
Ownership Culture
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What's Next
Exercises completed
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Clarity & Direction
You are the bridge between strategy and execution. Your team should know three things at any moment: what they're working toward, why it matters, and how much room they have. Without this, coaching is just noise.
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The Framework
What / Why / How / By When
What
The outcome, not the task
Specific enough that you'd both agree whether it's done.
Why
Context behind the work
Helps your team adapt when priorities shift without coming back to you every time.
How
Autonomy boundaries
How much autonomy do they have? Be explicit. Ambiguity leads to mismatches.
By when
Deadline + blocker signal
When do they flag a problem? A deadline alone assumes everything goes smoothly.
After giving direction, could they start without sending you multiple messages? If yes: direction is clear. If no: something is missing. Check What / Why / How / By when.
When clarity is missing
What does this look like in practice?
People ask questions they should be able to answer themselves
Work keeps coming back wrong
Priorities shift without anyone understanding why
Team members wait for approval before moving
What might feel like an execution problem is usually a direction problem. Clarity and direction is what makes autonomy possible.
Gaps and challenges
Where we see the gaps
Lack of clarity on who owns final approval when multiple departments are involved
Reactive projects and shifting priorities sometimes rush the team process
Hard to prioritise properly everything that needs to be done
Constant switch of top priorities makes it hard to keep a relevant priority map
When urgent tasks occur I tend to switch priorities without enough explanation to the team
Before you start · Self-rating
Where are you right now?
How consistently do you give your team What / Why / How / By when before they start a task, so they can work without coming back for clarification?
RarelyAlways
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Exercises
🔍 Team Audit
The Clarity Check
An honest check on how clear things actually are right now.
Pick one person on your team. Without asking them, write down their top 3 priorities this week and what success looks like for each. Are you confident they'd give the same answers?
Examples: a CRM manager mapping their retention analyst's week, a marketing manager checking in on a campaign lead, an Account Manager reviewing what their junior AM is focused on.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
⚡ Scenario
The Priority Flip
A realistic situation most managers recognise.
Your head of department just changed a key deliverable deadline by two weeks with no explanation. Your team finds out via email. What do you do in the next 24 hours? Walk through your moves.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
🎯 Challenge
Rewrite the Brief
Applying the framework to a real brief.
Pick one task you assigned this week. Rewrite the brief using What / Why / How / By when. When done, ask yourself: could they start without sending you multiple messages?
Examples: briefing a CRM analyst on a segmentation task, briefing a designer on a campaign asset, briefing an AM on a VIP outreach sequence.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
💬 Hot Take
Agree or Disagree?
No fence-sitting.
"A manager who explains the 'why' behind every decision is wasting time. People should just trust the call." Agree or disagree? One paragraph, no hedging.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
💭 Reflection
Noise vs Signal
One of the most common management challenges.
What was the biggest source of unpredictable workload or distraction in the last month that pulled your team off their core work? What caused it, and what would you put in place to protect focus next time?
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
After completing this section · Self-rating
Having worked through these exercises, how confident do you feel in applying what you have learned?
Having worked through these exercises, how consistently do you now give your team What / Why / How / By when?
RarelyAlways
✓ Rating saved
Coaching Behaviours
Once the work is clear, your role shifts. Instead of directing, you're developing. Ask questions before giving answers. Support independent problem-solving. Create space for growth conversations.
What's expected
Ask questions before giving answers. Support independent problem-solving. Create space for growth conversations.
The default trap
Most managers default to directing or rescuing. It feels helpful. But it creates dependency and teams that can't move without you.
From our sessions
In Round 1 (The Helpful One) the manager solved the problem. Two weeks later an almost identical situation came in. The team member hadn't learned anything.
The key question
Think about the last time someone came to you with a problem. What was your first move and was that the right one?
What we actually do today
Coaching behaviours in reality
In some cases I step in to solve challenges for my team instead of coaching them this creates dependency and weakens accountability
When urgent tasks arrive I tend to focus on the resolution instead of people growth
Due to high workload I sometimes can't give opportunity to colleagues to learn and grow
I sometimes avoid delegating because it takes less time to do it myself
Urgent issues get solved quickly but I don't pause enough to turn them into coaching moments
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Frameworks
Coaching Model
GROW
Goal · Reality · Options · Way Forward
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Open model
The steps
G
Goal
What does good look like? What are we trying to achieve?
"What exactly do you want to achieve?" · "How will you know when you're there?"
R
Reality
What's actually happening right now? What have you tried?
"Where are you now?" · "What obstacles are you facing?"
O
Options
What could you do? The coachee leads the brainstorm, not you.
"What are some possible ways forward?" · "What has worked before?"
W
Way Forward
Commit to specific next steps with deadlines.
"What will you do, and by when?"
Example
A team member says: "I don't know how to handle this client complaint." Instead of telling them what to say, ask: "What outcome would you want from that conversation?" (Goal) → "What's making it feel difficult right now?" (Reality) → "What are two or three ways you could approach it?" (Options) → "Which one feels right, and when will you do it?" (Way Forward).
Use this when
Someone comes to you with a problem and your instinct is to solve it for them. Run them through GROW instead.
Try this
Before your next 1:1, write down which GROW stage you usually skip. That's your coaching blind spot.
What does success look like once the challenge is resolved?
"If this were completely resolved, what would be different?"
S
Scale
Rate 1–10. Focus on what's already working.
"Why a 4 and not a 2? What's already going well?"
K
Know-how
What strengths and resources already exist?
"What has helped you succeed in similar situations?"
A
Affirm & Action
Acknowledge progress, then commit to next steps.
"What's the first small thing you can do today?"
R
Review
Schedule a check-in. Measure. Adjust.
"What will success look like in two weeks?"
Example
A team member says they're struggling with a new reporting process and feels like they're falling behind. Instead of reassuring them, ask: "If this were working well, what would that look like?" (Outcome) → "On a scale of 1–10, how would you rate where you are now, and what's already going okay?" (Scale) → "What's helped you learn new systems before?" (Know-how) → "What's one small thing you could try this week?" (Affirm & Action).
GROW vs OSKAR
Use GROW when the path forward is unclear. Use OSKAR when someone feels defeated and needs reminding of what they already have.
Use this when
Someone feels stuck or discouraged. OSKAR flips the script from problem-focused to strengths-based.
Before you start · Self-rating
Where are you right now?
How often do you respond to a team member's problem by asking questions rather than giving answers?
Always give answersAlways ask first
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Exercises
💭 Reflection
Your Default Move
Identifying your instinct when someone brings you a problem.
Think of the last time someone on your team came to you with a problem. What was your first move: direct, rescue, ask, or listen? Looking back, was that right for where they are in their development?
Examples: a CRM exec asking how to handle a campaign complaint, a junior AM asking what to say to a frustrated VIP player, an HR coordinator unsure how to handle a sensitive request.
Where are you with this?
🎭 Role Play Prep
The Script Flip
Rewrite how the conversation should have gone.
Think of a recent moment when you gave someone an answer instead of asking a question. Rewrite how that conversation could have gone using GROW. Write the opening question you wish you'd asked, plus the follow-ups.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
🎯 Field Challenge
Run a GROW Conversation
Apply the model. Then come back and reflect.
Use GROW in a real conversation this week. Come back afterwards: which stage felt most unnatural? What did the person do when you stopped giving answers?
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
⚡ Scenario
The Confidence Boost
A common moment most managers face.
A team member is about to jump on a call solo with a key stakeholder for the first time — maybe presenting campaign results to a senior partner, or handling a VIP escalation. They message you beforehand saying they're not sure how to handle pushback. Your instinct is to reassure. What they actually need is preparation. Using GROW or OSKAR, walk through the conversation.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
📌 Commitment
The Question I'll Ask
One small shift that changes the dynamic.
What is one question you are going to start asking regularly in your 1:1s that you haven't been asking? Write the question. Then write why you haven't been asking it until now.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
After completing this section · Self-rating
Having worked through these exercises, how confident do you feel in applying what you have learned?
Having worked through these exercises, how often do you now ask questions rather than give answers?
Always give answersAlways ask first
✓ Rating saved
Feedback & Accountability
Coaching without feedback loops is just conversation. Address performance issues early and directly. Provide clear, actionable feedback. Follow up on commitments. This is what makes development actually stick.
What's expected
Address performance issues early and directly. Provide clear, actionable feedback. Follow up on commitments always.
The accountability gap
Shielding underperformers and letting high performers carry the load is one of the most damaging things a team can experience.
Three models here
SBI the foundation for all feedback. CLEAR build trust before action. FUEL structured performance conversations with measurable outcomes.
From the board
Multiple managers named this as their hardest challenge: giving direct feedback in difficult conversations, consistently enough that it actually lands.
What we actually do today
Feedback and accountability in reality
I delay having difficult conversations
Providing immediate feedback gets pushed back due to workload and isn't super specific by the time I share it
Very difficult to focus on people development while working on projects that are constantly top priority
Hardest part is to balance between business needs and motivating/managing high workload for team members
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Frameworks
Feedback Model
SBI
Situation · Behaviour · Impact
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Open model
The steps
S
Situation
Anchor the feedback in a specific moment. Not "you often do this" but "last Tuesday in the team meeting."
"On [date/occasion], when [specific situation]…"
B
Behaviour
Describe exactly what they did or said — observable, factual, no interpretation.
"I noticed that you [specific behaviour]…"
I
Impact
Share the effect it had — on you, the team, or the work. This is what makes it land.
"The impact of that was [specific effect]…"
Example
"In yesterday's client call (Situation), when you interrupted the client mid-sentence to jump to the solution (Behaviour), it cut off the conversation before we understood what they actually needed — and I could see them disengage (Impact)."
Use this when
Giving any feedback — positive or developmental. SBI stops vague generalisations ("you always…") and keeps the conversation grounded in fact. It works equally well for recognition: "In the Monday review (S), when you flagged the data discrepancy before we sent the report (B), you saved us from a serious client error and showed real ownership (I)."
Note on recognition 🌮
Don't forget to use HeyTaco on Slack to give your team members the recognition they deserve! A public taco goes a long way — use SBI to make it specific and meaningful, not just a thumbs up.
Coaching Model
CLEAR
Contract · Listen · Explore · Action · Review
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Open model
The steps
C
Contract
Set context and expectations before anything else.
"What would you like to focus on today?"
L
Listen
Create space. Don't interrupt. Don't fix. Just understand.
"Tell me more." · "What's been on your mind most?"
E
Explore
Dig into what's really going on: assumptions, beliefs, blockers.
"What do you think is really causing this?"
A
Action
Help the person identify their own next steps, not yours.
"What steps do you feel ready to take?"
R
Review
Track progress, celebrate movement, adjust if needed.
"What will success look like in two weeks?"
Example
A team member has been disengaged since missing a promotion. Open with: "I'd like to understand how you're feeling about things — what would be most useful to talk about today?" (Contract) → listen without jumping in (Listen) → "What do you think is sitting behind the way you've been feeling?" (Explore) → "What would help you move forward, even one small step?" (Action) → check in two weeks later (Review).
Use this when
You're having a sensitive conversation or navigating a trust issue. CLEAR prioritises deep listening. The person needs to feel heard before they're ready to act.
Coaching Model
FUEL
Frame · Understand · Explore · Lay out a plan
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Open model
The steps
F
Frame the conversation
Set the stage: purpose, tone, what you both want from this.
"I'd like to talk about X what would you like to make sure we cover?"
U
Understand the current state
Diagnose before prescribing. Root causes, without blame.
"How do you feel about your performance lately?"
E
Explore the desired state
Shift focus to where they want to be. Include obstacles. Don't skip them.
"What would success look like?" · "What could get in the way?"
L
Lay out a plan
Specific, owned, time-bound commitments. Check confidence before closing.
"On a scale of 1–10, how confident are you in this plan?"
Example
A team member's output quality has dropped over the past month. Frame it: "I want to talk about your recent work — I'd also like to hear how you're experiencing things." (Frame) → "How do you feel your performance has been lately?" (Understand) → "What would strong performance look like for you over the next four weeks?" (Explore) → "Let's agree on two or three specific commitments — how confident are you in this plan?" (Lay out).
Use this when
You're having a performance conversation where you need measurable outcomes. Structured and results-oriented, ideal when accountability matters.
Before you start · Self-rating
Where are you right now?
How often do you give timely, specific, direct feedback, without softening it to the point where the message is lost?
Rarely / softenedAlways direct
✓ Rating saved
Exercises
🎯 Challenge
The SBI Write-Up
Turning vague feedback into something actually useful.
Write feedback you've been holding back using SBI: Situation when exactly? Behaviour what did they do or say? Impact what was the effect? When will you deliver it?
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
💬 Hot Take
The Kindness Myth
Pushing back on what we tell ourselves about avoiding feedback.
"Softening feedback to protect someone's feelings is the kind thing to do." Agree or disagree? Think about a time when avoiding direct feedback actually cost someone something.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
⚡ Scenario
The Repeat Offender
When feedback clearly hasn't landed, what next?
You've given the same feedback to a team member twice in the past month. Nothing has changed. Using FUEL, frame the conversation you'd have now. What's different about this one? What are you prepared to say that you haven't said yet?
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
🔍 Team Audit
The Recognition Gap
Most managers under-recognise. This helps you check.
Think about the last two weeks. For each person on your team, write one thing they did well that you either didn't acknowledge or only acknowledged privately when it deserved to be public. What stopped you?
🌮 Don't forget to use HeyTaco on Slack to give your team members the recognition they deserve — use SBI to make it specific, not just a thumbs up.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
🎭 Role Play Prep
The Tough Conversation
Prepare for the conversation you've been dreading.
Name the conversation you've been putting off. Using CLEAR, write: how you'll open it (Contract), what you'll make space for (Listen), what you want to understand (Explore), and what you hope they leave with (Action).
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
After completing this section · Self-rating
Having worked through these exercises, how confident do you feel in applying what you have learned?
Having worked through these exercises, how often do you now give timely, specific, direct feedback without softening it beyond usefulness?
Rarely / softenedAlways direct
✓ Rating saved
Ownership Culture
Delegate outcomes, not only tasks. Enable team ownership. Avoid stepping in too quickly. Everything in this program is building toward a team that doesn't need to be told what to do, coached through every problem, or chased for updates.
What's expected
Delegate outcomes, not tasks. Enable team ownership. Avoid stepping in too quickly even when it's faster.
What ownership looks like
Team members who bring solutions. Who take initiative without being asked. Who own the outcome, not just the task.
Two models here
STEPPA for when mindset and emotions are the real blocker. WOOP science-backed tool for turning intentions into follow-through.
From the board
Several managers committed to supporting independent problem-solving, and to stop stepping into the resolution the moment things get urgent.
Manager commitments
What managers committed to
Focus on enabling team to problem solve more independently
Support more their own way to problem-solving tasks and ownership
Allow teammates to undertake more pressing tasks without my direct involvement in the resolution
Focus on coaching through guiding questions rather than immediate answers
Encourage team participation in new tasks to promote individual growth and broad understanding
Focus on monitoring tasks/progress of each team member
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"What aspect of your work would you like to focus on?"
T
Target
Set a concrete, measurable goal within that area.
"What specific result do you want to achieve, and by when?"
E
Emotion
Surface feelings before going further. This is what sets STEPPA apart.
"How do you feel about working toward this?"
P
Perception
Explore beliefs and assumptions. Challenge the limiting stories.
"What are you telling yourself about this?" · "Is that story actually true?"
P
Plan
Build a strategy addressing both skill gap and mindset barrier.
"Given everything we've explored, what's your plan?"
A
Action
Commit with deadlines. Review in a follow-up session.
"What will you do first and when exactly?"
Example
A senior team member keeps deferring decisions upward despite having the knowledge and authority to make them. Subject: decision-making confidence. Target: make three independent calls this week without escalating. Emotion: "I feel like I'll get it wrong." Perception: "Is that belief based on evidence, or is it a pattern?" Plan: agree on the types of decisions they own. Action: schedule a check-in Friday to review what they decided and how it went.
Use this when
A team member is capable but not performing and the blocker is mindset or a belief about themselves rather than a skill gap.
Coaching Model
WOOP
Wish · Outcome · Obstacle · Plan
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Open model
The steps
W
Wish
A meaningful, challenging but achievable goal.
"What goal really matters to you right now?"
O
Outcome
Visualise the best possible result. Make it vivid and real.
"If you achieve this, what's the best thing that would happen?"
O
Obstacle
What internal habit, fear, or pattern could block you?
"What has stopped you before?"
P
Plan
If-then strategy. Pre-commit to the response before the obstacle arrives.
"When [obstacle] shows up, I will [specific response]."
Example
A manager wants to stop jumping in with answers but keeps defaulting to it under pressure. Wish: ask one coaching question before responding in every 1:1 this week. Outcome: team member leaves feeling heard and capable rather than directed. Obstacle: when things get urgent, the instinct to just fix it kicks in. Plan: "If I feel the urge to give an answer immediately, then I will pause, take a breath, and ask 'what have you already tried?' first."
Use this when
Someone keeps stating intentions but not following through. Science-backed mental contrasting dramatically improves follow-through.
Example if-then
"If I catch myself jumping into the resolution when something gets urgent, then I will stop and ask one question instead: what have you already tried?"
Before you start · Self-rating
Where are you right now?
How much does your team operate autonomously making decisions and delivering results without needing you at every step?
Needs me constantlyFully autonomous
✓ Rating saved
Exercises
🔍 Team Audit
The Absence Test
The most honest measure of the ownership culture you've built.
If you were absent for two weeks walk through your team one by one. Who steps up? Who freezes? Who escalates everything? What does that tell you and what's one specific thing you'll change?
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
🎯 Challenge
The Delegation Decision
Delegation is a skill not just offloading work.
Identify something you're currently doing that a team member could own. Write: what the task is, who you'd delegate to, their maturity level (Junior/Associate/Specialist/Senior), and what support they'd need to own it fully.
Examples: owning the weekly CRM performance report, managing a recurring retention campaign end-to-end, running the weekly team sync, handling first-line VIP queries independently.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
🎭 Role Play Prep
The Mindset Block
Using STEPPA to coach someone through a belief that's holding them back.
Think of someone on your team who is more capable than they think they are. What story are they telling themselves? Using STEPPA, write how you'd run that conversation focusing especially on Emotion and Perception.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
📌 Your WOOP
If-Then Statement
Running the WOOP model on your own leadership habit.
Wish: what leadership habit do you want to build? Outcome: best thing that happens? Obstacle: what internal pattern gets in the way? Plan: write your if-then the exact response when the obstacle shows up.
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
💭 Final Reflection
What's Changed
The most important exercise in the program.
Looking back at the full program what's one thing you've actually done differently as a manager? Not something you plan to do. Something you did. What changed, why, and what was the result?
How confident are you in applying this?
Where are you with this?
After completing this section · Self-rating
Having worked through these exercises, how confident do you feel in applying what you have learned?
Having worked through these exercises, how much does your team now operate autonomously without needing you at every step?
Needs me constantlyFully autonomous
✓ Rating saved
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What's Next
Where to go next to keep building on what you've started.
Basic Coaching Theory
An introduction to the core theories of coaching in the workplace. What coaching is, what it isn't, and why it works. Builds the conceptual foundation that makes the practical skills land.
Basic Coaching Skills Training
Introduction to the core skills of coaching: paraphrasing, summarising, asking powerful questions, setting boundaries, and goal setting. Practical and hands-on.
Co-Coaching Practice Groups
Small group practice using the skills above. Managers take turns coaching each other and receiving peer and facilitator feedback. The most effective way to build muscle memory in coaching.
Advanced Coaching Skills
Working with ambivalence, having challenging conversations, and advanced goal setting. For managers who have built the basics and are ready to go deeper.
Team Maturity Mapper
Map each team member's maturity level against your current coaching style. Green = match. Red = mismatch. Fix the mismatches first.
0Mapped
0High risk
0Matched
High-risk mismatch
Level 1
Junior
Lacks specific skills but eager to learn and follow the manual.
Directing
Makes decisions and provides specific instructions on how to approach tasks.
Level 2
Associate
Has some skill but realised the task is harder than expected.
Selling
Decides what and how, but explains the why to create buy-in.
Level 3
Specialist
Has the skill to deliver but may lack the confidence to go it alone.
Participating
Uses open-ended questions to help them generate their own solutions.
Level 4
Senior
Doesn't need instructions, owns the outcome end-to-end.
Delegating
Turns over full responsibility for decisions and problem-solving.