More and more, businesses that want to boost productivity and improve staff morale are encouraging their managers to use “coaching” to develop their employees’ abilities to lead and work together as a team. While good communication and strong leadership skills are essential to an organization’s success, it is important to recognize, and try to avoid, the pitfalls that appear when managers act as coaches.
 
First, many people feel uncomfortable opening up to their boss, and describing their true feelings about work. They may be too worried about getting into trouble or offending their manager to say what they are really thinking. As a result, managers will have to work hard to build trust and be effective coaches.
 
Second, managers may find it difficult to switch from coach to manager and back. One minute they are focused solely on the employee’s development, and the next they must push that same employee to put aside their feelings and meet an important deadline. This situation has the potential to undermine the manager’s authority and to damage the coaching process, especially if the manager ends up having to discipline the employee.
 
Given these potential pitfalls, it is generally held that while managers may encounter “coachable moments” throughout any given workday, that is, opportunities to offer genuine coaching to an employee, they cannot be a coach over a long period.  

"You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself."  ~ Galileo Galilei