Have you ever thought that as a project or program manager, you indirectly set a precedent on managerial style, behavior, competencies and professionalism. Unconsciously, we are showing our team members how to manage crises, deal with stakeholders and so on.
 
There are many ways that we can unknowingly coach our team members. When dealing with stakeholders, for example, project managers have the authority to set limits and control the discussion to stay on the subject. To be able to do this, we need to know the business process at both a high level and in terms of the customer's business goals.

In dealing with stakeholders, we indirectly coach our project team members to do the following things:

1. Exercise a project manager's authority when the situation calls for it
2. Understand the strategic direction the customer is embarking on
3. Display at least a little business acumen and subject knowledge
4. Communicate direction effectively with the objective of getting good results
5. Control meetings and discussion; ensure objectives are met within the allocated time

As project or program managers, we need to tackle our day-to-day tasks strategically in order to be an effective coach and leader. Our team members observe every communication we make and actions we take.

How have you indirectly coached your team members in your projects? What examples do you set for your team members to follow?

Read more posts on coaching teams.