Coach Yourself!: Navigating Your Path as a First-Time Academic Manager
Congratulations on stepping into the role of an academic line manager!
You’ve moved from being an excellent academic professional—perhaps an inspiring teacher, productive researcher, or trusted colleague—into a position where you’re responsible for leading and supporting others.
While this shift can feel exciting, it may also come with questions:
How can I grow into this role? How can I develop as a leader while empowering my team?
The answer may lie in coaching techniques—powerful tools not only for helping others thrive but also for your personal and professional growth.
Coaching is not about having all the answers but about learning to ask insightful questions, reflect meaningfully, and commit to intentional action.
This article will guide you through coaching concepts and techniques that you can use to develop as a confident, thoughtful, and effective leader in higher education.
Along the way, you’ll find examples, actionable exercises, and encouragement to help you thrive in this new role.
1. Start with Self-Awareness: Understanding Who You Are as a Leader
The Concept: Self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadership.
Just as coaching encourages individuals to reflect on their motivations, strengths, and blind spots, you can apply this same principle to yourself.
In higher education, where leadership is often nuanced and relational, knowing how you lead and why it matters is critical.
Example: Imagine Sarah, a newly appointed Head of Department at a mid-sized university.
Excited but unsure, she quickly noticed that staff reactions to her decisions varied.
Some seemed engaged, while others resisted.
Through a self-awareness exercise, Sarah realised that her natural preference for rapid decision-making, honed through research deadlines, didn’t always suit the academic team, who valued consensus and discussion.
By identifying this blind spot, Sarah began adjusting her style—listening more and facilitating conversations.
Your Call to Action:
1. Write your Leadership Story: Spend 20 minutes writing about your leadership experiences so far. Reflect on:
- What moments have shaped your leadership style?
- What are your strengths as a leader? Where do you struggle?
- How do you want to be perceived by your team?
2. Seek Feedback: Ask three trusted colleagues: “What do you see as my top leadership strengths, and where might I improve?” Write down their responses and look for patterns.
3. Take a Leadership Assessment: Tools like the Johari Window or Myers-Briggs can provide valuable insights into your personality and style. Use these tools not as limits, but as starting points for growth.
Why It Matters: Self-awareness enables you to lead authentically. It helps you play to your strengths while addressing areas for growth—something every successful coach and leader must embrace.
2. Develop a Reflective Practice: Learn Through Coaching Questions
The Concept: Reflection lies at the heart of coaching.
Coaches ask probing questions that prompt individuals to pause, think deeply, and identify their own solutions.
As an academic manager, adopting a reflective practice allows you to learn from your experiences and continuously improve.
Example: John, a Programme Leader, faced a conflict between two senior lecturers.
Initially, he reacted by suggesting a quick compromise.
However, when the tension persisted, he paused to reflect:
“Why did I jump to solve the problem myself? What could I have done differently?”
Through coaching-style reflection, John realised he needed to facilitate a dialogue between the lecturers, enabling them to resolve their own differences rather than imposing a solution.
Your Call to Action:
1. Ask Yourself Coaching Questions: After challenging situations, take 10 minutes to journal using questions like:
- What went well today?
- What didn’t go as planned, and why?
- What could I do differently next time?
2. Adopt a ‘Pause and Learn’ Practice: Before making quick decisions, pause and ask yourself:
- What are my options?
- How will this decision impact others?
- Is this aligned with my values as a leader?
3. Schedule Weekly Reflection Time: Set aside 30 minutes every Friday to review your week. Write about key decisions, interactions, and lessons learned.
Why It Matters: Developing a habit of reflection ensures that every experience—good or bad—becomes an opportunity for growth.
It’s how you “coach yourself” toward better decision-making and leadership.
3. Set SMART Development Goals: Coaching Yourself Toward Success
The Concept: Coaching helps individuals set clear, actionable goals.
The SMART framework—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound—can help you focus your professional development efforts.
For first-time line managers, vague aspirations like “becoming a better leader” can feel overwhelming.
Coaching techniques help you turn these into structured goals.
Example: Maria, an Associate Dean, wanted to improve staff engagement but wasn’t sure how.
By setting a SMART goal—“I will hold monthly one-to-one check-ins with each team member over the next three months to understand their challenges and aspirations”—Maria transformed her intention into an actionable plan.
After three months, staff morale had improved, and she gained valuable insights.
Your Call to Action:
1. Set a SMART Goal: Identify one professional development area (e.g., communication, conflict resolution, time management).
Use the SMART framework to define a goal, such as:- “I will complete a leadership development workshop on conflict management within the next two months and apply one new strategy in my next team meeting.”
2. Break It Down: Divide the goal into smaller milestones. For example:
- Week 1: Research workshops or resources.
- Week 2: Register for a course.
- Week 4: Reflect on strategies learned.
3. Review Your Progress: Check in on your goal weekly. What progress have you made? What adjustments are needed?
Why It Matters: Goal-setting provides clarity, accountability, and a sense of achievement.
It’s a practical way to focus your efforts and celebrate small wins on your leadership journey.
4. Practice Active Listening: Becoming Your Own “Coach” and Others’ Ally
The Concept: One of the most valuable coaching skills is active listening—being fully present, suspending judgment, and seeking to understand.
As a manager, learning to actively listen to your team also trains you to listen to your own needs and instincts.
Example: When Lisa, a first-time manager, met with her team, she often focused on responding rather than truly listening.
Staff felt unheard.
Lisa began practicing active listening: maintaining eye contact, reflecting back what she heard (e.g., “So what I’m hearing is…”), and asking open questions like, “Tell me more about that.”
The result?
Staff felt valued, and Lisa found herself listening to her own instincts more effectively when making decisions.
Your Call to Action:
1. Practice Listening Deeply: In your next meeting, focus entirely on the speaker. Resist the urge to plan your response. Ask yourself:
- What are they really saying?
- What’s important to them?
2. Listen to Yourself: Spend 10 quiet minutes each day listening to your own thoughts. Ask:
- What am I feeling today?
- What’s one thing I need to focus on for my own development?
3. Reflect Back: At the end of conversations, summarize what you heard: “It sounds like you’re saying [X]. Did I understand that correctly?” Apply this skill to both others and your own reflections.
Why It Matters: Active listening helps you connect with others while also improving self-awareness.
It builds trust, clarity, and alignment—a must for any effective leader.
5. Use Feedback as a Tool for Growth: Seek, Reflect, and Act
The Concept: Coaching thrives on constructive feedback.
As an academic manager, seeking feedback—both from your team and yourself—creates a culture of learning.
Feedback isn’t about criticism; it’s about finding opportunities to grow and adapt.
Example: James, a new Programme Director, found staff reluctant to share their thoughts in team meetings.
He invited anonymous feedback on his leadership style, asking: “What should I continue doing, stop doing, or start doing?”
The feedback revealed that while staff appreciated his vision, they felt disconnected due to a lack of one-on-one conversations.
James implemented monthly check-ins and saw a marked improvement in team morale.
Your Call to Action:
1. Ask for Feedback: Invite your team, peers, or mentor to share feedback:
- “What’s one thing I can do better as a manager?”
- “What’s working well in our relationship, and what could improve?”
2. Reflect on Feedback: After receiving feedback, ask yourself:
- What resonates with me?
- What changes can I make to address this feedback?
3. Act on One Insight: Choose one piece of feedback to act on immediately. For example, if you hear, “We need more clarity in meetings,” focus on improving your meeting agendas and communication.
Why It Matters: Feedback is a mirror that shows you where you’re succeeding and where you can grow. Acting on feedback builds credibility, trust, and continuous improvement.
Conclusion: Embrace Coaching as a Pathway to Growth
Stepping into your role as an academic manager is an exciting opportunity to learn, adapt, and thrive.
By applying coaching techniques—developing self-awareness, practicing reflection, setting goals, listening deeply, and seeking feedback—you create a framework for your professional development that is both sustainable and empowering.
Remember, coaching isn’t just for others—it’s a mindset you can apply to yourself.
Each small action you take builds confidence, competence, and a stronger connection to the people you lead.
As you embrace this journey, know that growth doesn’t happen overnight—but with intention, reflection, and courage, you will evolve into the leader your department needs.
As you coach yourself, you’ll be practicing techniques that improve your coaching of others.
You’ll develop a style that makes your coaching authentic.
Think of self-coaching as coaching by stealth.
You can practice on yourself first.
So, take that first step today: reflect, ask questions, and challenge yourself.
Your team—and your future self—will thank you for it.
Your Coaching Challenge:
What’s one coaching technique you’ll start using this week to develop yourself as an academic leader?
Write it down, commit to it, and watch your growth begin.