在企業裏，很多時候主管會直接給指令。「你應該怎麽怎麽做。」「你先去做甚麼甚麼，再去找某某人做甚麼甚麼。」好處是快速、直接。結果團隊成員就會一有甚麼事情，就來請示。反正，照著做就是了，因爲是主管决定的。如果出錯了，責任在主管身上。

　　於是，主管帶領的團隊愈大，職責愈廣，壓力就愈重，人也就愈累。不但如此，長期下去，團隊成員凡事依賴主管，雖然「被需要」的感覺很爽，似乎沒有他就不行。事實上主管有可能已經變成一個「瓶頸」，沒有他的指令與决定，事情就開展不了。最後也搞得電話、短訊、電郵接收不停，連休息、放假都需要開著手機，帶著電腦。

　　要做個高效的主管，平日一有機會就可以運用教練技巧：

　　教練與客戶（在這裏我們將所有被教練的人，統稱爲「客戶」）是夥伴關係。在這段關係中，教練支持客戶發揮他們的最大潜質，達到他們工作或生活中的理想成果。

　　教練不是心理或精神療法，目的不是爲了解决你過去的問題。教練是針對現有的問題，快速轉向一個特定的目標。客戶在開始時就定出希望達成的目標，然後朝未來前進。

　　教練協助人找到方向與途徑，支持他們達到所設定的目標，而不是通過命令或指令的方式，也就是說不告訴他們應該做甚麼。

　　主管可通過教練技巧與團隊成員建立親和力，通過提出强有力的問題，讓他們可以自己拓寬思維，找到解决方法。而主管可以多聆聽、多鼓勵，給予支持。

　　開始時，時間會多花一點。但是長期來看，將團隊成員栽培起來，他們能獨當一面，主管的工作就能輕鬆一點，可以將節省下來的時間用在長遠的計劃方面。

　　It is very common to see managers give direct instructions.  “You should do this…do that…”, “You need to do this this this first, then find so-and-so and do that that that…”.  The good thing about this is that it is fast and direct.  So the team members are conditioned to come and ask for directions all the time.  All they have to do is to follow the instructions.  Since it was the manager who made the decisions, so when things go wrong, the team members can point the finger at the manager.

　　As the team grow larger, more tasks to complete, pressure goes up and the manager becomes more stressful.  The feeling of “being needed” is great as it would appear that he is indispensable.  In reality, the manager becomes the bottle neck.  Things do not move without his direction.  So there is a flood of phone calls, SMSs and e-mails.  He even needs to have his mobile and laptop on during his off days and holidays.

　　To be an effective manager, he can use coaching skills as one of the management tools when possible：

　　The relationship between a coach and his client is that of a partnership.  The coach supports the clients to develop their full potential so as to achieve the desired outcomes in their professional or personal lives.

　　Coaching is neither counselling nor psychotherapy.  It is not about solving the problems in the past.  Coaching focuses on the current issues, and then move quickly towards a specific goal.  Right from the beginning, the client will set a goal and then move towards the future.

　　Coaching assists people to find a direction and a path, and support them all the way to reach their set goals; not through a directive approach, meaning without telling them what they should do.

　　Manager can build rapport and ask powerful questions to broaden the mental map of his team members.  So that they can learn to find solutions on their own while the manager just needs to listen more, encourage more to support and motivate.

　　In the beginning, it may take up more time.  But in the long run, once he can increase the capability of his team to run things on their own, he can use the time he has saved on doing long-term planning for the business.