Coaching skills for research leaders – develop a coaching approach

As you progress in your career you will be balancing research leadership and administration demands with often complex team dynamics, managing individuals at various career and contract stages. It’s impossible to be the expert in everything and you may find that trying to give advice simply isn’t working. A coaching approach can help you to support your team members to grow in confidence, step up to new challenges and responsibilities and take ownership of their own careers.

This Imperial resource explains the value of a coaching approach, sharing practical tools such as powerful questioning and listening techniques which will help you build and apply these skills to improve both your leadership effectiveness and your team’s performance.

Access the Imperial resource

“Research is a team sport. Be clear whether your greatest contribution is as the “striker on the pitch” or the “coach,” and align your role accordingly. We are all stars if we do what we are good at.”
Nick Plant, Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, University of Leeds. Read more from Nick.

What will you take forward?

One thing to try: Where might asking better questions, rather than giving advice, change how you develop independence for someone in your team?

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