Do you manage like a coach or a referee

I was watching my daughter’s soccer game a few days ago and made an observation. I saw her coach standing on the sidelines doing his job. And I saw the referee out in the middle of the field doing his.

I’ve never confused the two roles. They each have a different job to do and they do it. Some are better than others.

Manage like a coach

A coach – at least a good one – works with the individuals on the team to help them improve as individuals and as a team. When a player on his team makes a mistake, the coach provides feedback on how to improve.

A coach sets goals for the team and each of its individuals to achieve in order to succeed. Success is well defined. Everyone knows what they need to do and how to achieve success.

Manage like a referee

The referee, on the other hand, is only there to enforce the rules. He tells people when they are wrong but rarely when they’re right. It’s not the referee’s job to provide feedback to an individual on how to improve or how to do something better next time.

If the player doesn’t like the referee’s decision, you guessed it; there are rules that cover that. There are technical fouls, yellow or red cards, or ejection. When you are the referee, there are two options: my way or the highway.

Related post: Just Do It My Way

Confusing the two

In the management world, however, I see people who confuse the two roles all the time. When someone is put in charge as a manager, she has the option of making her management style that of a coach. She can give the team a common goal with direction on how to achieve it. She can congratulate and recognize the individuals when they succeed and give them helpful advice when they make a mistake.

Alternatively, she can decide that as a manager, her job is to enforce the rules. If you do something wrong, you will be dealt with accordingly. If you do everything right and even exceed expectations, you’re in luck. You won’t have to deal with any consequences.

Too often, managers walk around the office officiating, ready to blow their proverbial whistle as soon as they witness any wrongdoing.

For more information, check out The Importance of Leadership in Project Management

Managers need to determine whether they will make their position a support role, which coaches and helps people achieve their goals, or whether it will be an enforcement role that simply beats people down for screwing up.

It has been my experience in both sports and in business that coaches get better results than referees.

Do you manage like a coach or a referee?

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