Terra Training

Developing coaching and feedback skills for managers in modern workplaces to boost team performance

Scott
Developing coaching and feedback skills for managers in modern workplaces to boost team performance

Developing coaching and feedback skills for managers in modern workplaces to boost team performance

Why managers need to start thinking like coaches

In sport, a coach who only shows up on match day is useless.

In business, a manager who only “manages” and never coaches is the same.

Modern workplaces move fast. Hybrid work, new tools every six months, changing priorities. If you still think your job as a manager is to assign tasks, check boxes and run performance reviews once a year, your team will get left behind.

Your real job now? Build people. That means:

That’s coaching. And like in sport, it’s a skill you can train. Not a personality trait, not some “gift”. A skill.

The three big mistakes most managers make with feedback

Let’s start with what usually goes wrong. I see the same three patterns over and over, in gyms and in offices.

Mistake 1: Feedback only when something is “on fire”

Many managers only give real feedback when there’s a problem:

Result? Feedback feels like punishment. People hide problems. They defend themselves instead of learning. Same as a player who only hears from the coach when they make a mistake: they tighten up and play worse.

Mistake 2: Vague, emotional comments

“You need to communicate better.”

“You need to be more proactive.”

That means nothing. Imagine telling an athlete “you need to be fitter” and stopping there. They can’t act on that. You need to talk:

Same at work: people need specific behaviours and examples, not labels.

Mistake 3: No follow-up, no reps

Feedback is often a one-off speech. Then everyone forgets and moves on.

But change needs reps. In training, if I want you stronger on your squat, we’re going to hit it 2–3 times a week, for 4–6 weeks, with planned progression. At work it’s the same: one conversation changes nothing if there’s no practice, no checkpoints, no review.

The fix? Treat feedback like a training cycle: frequent, specific, measurable.

Think like a coach: a simple model for manager feedback

Coaching in sport always revolves around three things:

Here’s a simple model you can steal and use this week. Use it for both positive and corrective feedback.

Step 1: Describe the situation

Very short, very clear. No judgment yet.

Example: “In yesterday’s client call with ACME at 10am, when they asked about the new compliance process…”

Step 2: Describe the behaviour

What you saw or heard. Not what you think they “are”.

Example: “You answered with a long explanation about the history of the policy, but didn’t give them a direct action they needed to take.”

Step 3: Describe the impact

Connect behaviour to outcome. That’s how adults learn.

Example: “They looked confused, and we had to spend 15 more minutes clarifying, which pushed the rest of the meeting off track.”

Step 4: Define the next rep

One change, clearly defined, that they can try next time.

Example: “Next time you get a question like that, start with a one-line answer using this structure: ‘Here’s what changes for you, and here’s what you need to do by [date].’ Then if they want, you can add background.”

Situation. Behaviour. Impact. Next rep. Short, sharp, and usable.

Turning one-way feedback into a coaching conversation

If you only talk and they only listen, you’re not coaching. You’re lecturing. Coaching is two-way. You want the other person:

Here are questions you can plug into your next one-to-one.

Before you give your view, ask:

This does two things:

Then, once you’ve shared your feedback, lock in the action:

Write the answers down. Not in a fancy HR tool, just in a simple shared document or note. In sport, we track loads, times, reps. At work, track behaviours and small metrics:

Building a feedback rhythm: from yearly review to weekly reps

If you only ran once a year, you wouldn’t expect to run a marathon. Yet many companies still expect people to grow with one big performance review.

You need a rhythm. Here’s a simple template you can use with your team, even in a busy environment.

Daily (5–10 minutes): “Micro-feedback”

Example: After a safety briefing, you say, “Nice job keeping it under 5 minutes. Next time, test pausing after each key rule to ask one check question. That will show you if they’re actually listening.”

Weekly (15–30 minutes): 1:1 coaching slot

Agenda stays stable. Simple structure:

One key rule: don’t mix this with firefighting. If you turn the coaching slot into a status meeting every time, people stop bringing their real challenges.

Monthly (30–45 minutes): performance scan

Think like strength training: you don’t max out every lift every session. You focus on a few key lifts per cycle. Same for skills at work.

From compliance to commitment: coaching around rules and safety

Lots of managers in regulated or safety-critical areas think coaching is for “soft skills”, and rules are just “do this or else”. That’s a missed opportunity.

In strength training, good technique is safety, performance, and longevity combined. At work, good compliance behaviour is the same. You can coach it, not just police it.

Example: coaching a team on safety checks

Instead of: “You must complete this checklist every day. If not, you’ll be in trouble.”

Try this approach:

You’re not just shouting “follow the rules”. You’re building a habit with clear triggers, routines, and results.

Giving tough feedback without breaking trust

Sometimes you have to say hard things. Performance is not where it should be. Behaviour is outside the line. Avoiding the topic doesn’t help anyone.

The goal isn’t to be “nice”. The goal is to be honest and useful.

Here’s a simple frame you can use:

An example in practice:

Instead of: “You’re always late and unprofessional.”

Use: “Over the last three weeks, you’ve been 10–15 minutes late to the 9am safety briefing on 5 occasions. When you arrive late, the team either has to stop and repeat the key points, or you miss critical information. That increases risk for you and the team. From next week, I need you in the room before 8:58 so we can start on time. What needs to change in your morning routine to make that realistic?”

Hard message. Clear standard. But still forward-looking and coach-like.

Building feedback skills in yourself as a manager

If you haven’t had good role models, giving feedback can feel awkward at first. That’s normal. You’re lifting a new weight. So treat it like training.

Week 1–2: One clear habit – ask first

Week 3–4: Add structure – use the 4-step model

Week 5–6: Measure yourself

This is the same process I’d use to take someone from zero pull-ups to their first solid rep: small progressions, simple metrics, and consistent practice.

Practical scripts you can steal tomorrow

If you’re short on time and just want a few ready-made phrases, here are some to test. Adapt the words to your style, but keep the logic.

For positive feedback (lock in good behaviours)

For course-correcting feedback

For drawing out reflection

What changes when managers coach well

This isn’t just about being “nicer” or “more supportive”. Well-developed coaching and feedback skills change performance in ways you can actually count.

Here are the kinds of shifts you’ll see if you stick with this for 3–6 months:

If you want team performance to move, you have two options:

The second option takes more effort up front. But, just like a well-designed training plan, it pays you back with stronger, more reliable performance over time.

Pick one habit from this article. Maybe it’s the 4-step feedback model. Maybe it’s a weekly 1:1 structure. Maybe it’s asking, “How do you think that went?” every day for two weeks.

Test it. Measure it. Adjust. That’s coaching. And your team will feel the difference fast.

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