I already knew the concept of coaching, but I decided to actually learn it when I changed jobs last year. A senior colleague I’d been close to for a long time advised me to lead through ’the language of coaching,’ and introduced me to an excellent coach, which let me get started easily without much effort on my part.
The process itself wasn’t easy, though. Over the following months I went through training and practice and earned the certification, but honestly, I still feel I fall short as a coach. Coaching someone isn’t simple, and if anything, the more I do it, the harder I find it to actually apply the coaching language and structure. Even so, I’ve come to believe coaching is useful and necessary, because the role of a PM (Project Manager) shares a lot with the philosophy of coaching.
The Korea Coach Association defines coaching as “a process, built on an equal partnership between coach and client, that supports the client in discovering their own potential and achieving their goals.”
In other words, a coach isn’t someone who ‘gives’ answers, but someone who helps the client find their own answers through questions.
It defines a project manager as “a leader who sets direction, a facilitator who coordinates relationships, and a coordinator who drives execution.”
In the end, the essence of a PM isn’t knowing all the answers — it’s helping the team find its own answers. Project members are excellent experts in their own fields, but they sometimes lose sight of the project’s big picture or goals. At those moments, a PM, like a coach, can trust, ask, wait, and search for direction together with the team — and at other times, drive things forcefully in the opposite direction. The leadership required differs depending on the situation and conditions, but I think coaching-style leadership is fundamentally important, and it’s an approach that can drive the team’s growth over the long term.
Coaching skills go beyond just one-on-one conversation techniques — they touch the core competencies of leadership. Skills like active listening, powerful questioning, feedback, and recognizing and defining problems are all capabilities a PM needs when working with a team. Isn’t this kind of coaching-style leadership more than simple management — a force that draws out autonomy and accountability, built on trust between people?
One thing I’ve come to feel while learning coaching is that leadership isn’t about leading someone, but about creating the space for them to grow on their own — and I think my role as a PM shares that same context. Rather than deciding or controlling everything myself, helping the team understand its goals on its own and solve problems through each person’s strengths — that’s what I want to keep developing going forward.
This is only the beginning and there’s still a long way to go, but I’m grateful to have had a ceremony like this to mark earning the certification. Thank you to senior colleague Moongyo BAE for creating the opportunity, and to coach Jae Kyung LEE, MCC, KSC, ACTC TEAM Coach, for the guidance.
#CoachingLeadership #KAC #ProfessionalCoach #KoreaCoachAssociation #ProjectManagement #PMI #LeaderCoach #GrowthMindset #EmpoweringLeadership #ContinuousLearning #PMLeadership #CoachingCulture