Title: Project Manager as Team Coach - Plan for Success
Headings: The project manager as team coach
The project manager as team coach
How to cite this article:
Pamela Abdon, MBA, PMP
Chapter Vice President, PMI Southwest Missouri
Abstract
Introduction
What Is Coaching and What Is Not Coaching?
Why Should You Coach?
Whom Should You Coach?
When and Where Do You Coach?
How Do You Coach for Success?
How Do You Know When Coaching is Successful?
Conclusion

Content: However, opportunities exist for coaching whenever there is poor performance or team resources do not have the tools they need to complete project work successfully. In addition, project managers work closely with their project teams and may see opportunities for growth that a resource manager may not be aware of. For example, if a team member has difficulty working with another team member and his or her interactions become disruptive to the team, the project manager could step in and offer conflict management strategies or work with the individuals involved to help them perform better together. Recognizing specific opportunities where coaching may be beneficial to team performance is a key skill of a project manager and the project manager is responsible for improving that skill as part of their professional development plan. Coaching is not synonymous with “mentoring.” Mentoring is the process of developing potential in a person, whether the potential be focused on professional or personal actions (Stone, 1999). Coaching strives to improve performance in a specific area. A coach facilitates learning opportunities to enhance an individual’s current skills or to acquire new skills. Mentoring focuses on developing the individual for either his or her present or future needs. And unlike mentoring, coaching is typically a short-term relationship.