- Kevin Sanders
- Sep 13
- 5 min read
September 13, 2025
Read Time - 4 minutes
“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.” — John Whitmore
In 2008, Google launched “Project Oxygen,” a massive study to figure out what behaviors made its best managers effective.
The surprising result?
The #1 behavior wasn’t expertise. It wasn’t vision.
It was something most leaders overlook entirely: coaching.
That should give every academic leader pause — because most of us were trained to correct, not to coach. We mark up student papers. We tell people what’s wrong and how to fix it—Correction feels like leadership.
But Google’s research — and higher ed experience — suggest otherwise: correction may fix the moment, but it doesn’t build engagement or growth. Coaching does.
Why Leaders Default to Correction
Think about it this way: if you’ve ever had a supervisor tell you exactly what you did wrong, you know how discouraging correction can feel. But if you’ve ever had a supervisor ask you to explain your thinking, or invite you to consider what made something difficult, you’ve experienced coaching. And you know how different that feels.
One approach fixes the mistake. The other builds the person.
Most leaders choose to correct because it feels effective. It’s fast. It feels clear. And it feels like leadership. But those feelings are short-term wins. Correction may fix the immediate issue, but it doesn’t build the capacity to solve the next one.
The harder—but more transformative—move is to pause and ask:
👉 “Am I solving this for them, or am I helping them learn to solve it themselves?”
That’s the pivot from correcting behavior to coaching growth.
What Does it Mean to Coach?
Correction transfers information. Coaching develops people.
Correction says: “Here’s what’s wrong, here’s how to fix it.”
Coaching says: “What are you trying to accomplish here? What’s in your way? What options do you see?”
Correction protects standards in the moment. Coaching strengthens people for the long run.
And for higher ed leaders, that distinction matters. Because your role isn’t just keeping the trains running — it’s helping faculty and staff grow into their best contributions.
Practical Coaching Tips You Can Use Immediately
So what does coaching look like day-to-day? Here are five small shifts you can try this week:
Lead with curiosity. Ask: “Tell me what you were aiming for here” before giving your take.
Use the 2-for-1 rule. For every correction you want to give, ask two questions first.
Name strengths first. Start with: “Here’s what’s working well…” then address the gaps.
Reframe the no. Instead of “That won’t work,” ask “What would it take to make this work?”
Coach the system. When slips repeat, ask: “Is this a one-time issue, or is the system unclear?”
These moves may feel slower in the moment, but they prevent you from becoming the bottleneck for every answer — and they create colleagues who can carry more of the work themselves.
Coaching Moves in Action
Here’s what those principles look like in real situations department chairs and deans face every week:
Conflict in meetings
Correction: “That’s out of line.”
Coaching: “I hear strong feelings here. What outcome do we want for students in this decision?”
Faculty underperformance
Correction: “You’re not meeting expectations.”
Coaching: “What feels most challenging about meeting these expectations? What support or system would help you succeed?”
Missed deadlines or policy slips
Correction: “The deadline was clear.”
Coaching: “What made this deadline difficult to meet? What could help you avoid this next time?”
Notice the thread: Even when you know what should be done, you’re not spoon-feeding solutions. You’re guiding people to discover them — and because the answer is theirs, it sticks.
How to Tell the Difference
Of course, not every situation calls for coaching. Some moments demand correction. Here’s a quick guide to knowing which approach to take:
Correct when…
Non-negotiables are at stake — safety, compliance, accreditation, or professional conduct. Correction protects people and upholds standards.
Coaching hasn’t worked — when support has already been given but the behavior doesn’t change. Correction reinforces accountability and fairness.
Coach when…
You want to build capacity — helping colleagues problem-solve instead of depending on you.
The issue is developmental — underperformance, messy proposals, or skills that can grow.
The system may be the problem — repeated slips that reveal unclear processes or imbalanced workload.
👉 Put simply: Correct when the standard can’t bend. Coach when the person can grow.
Try This Before Friday
The next time you’re tempted to correct a colleague for not following a policy, pause.
How can you have that conversation in a way that invites your colleague to offer solutions.
Instead of saying, “The rules were clear,” ask:
👉 “What made it hard to follow this policy as written?”
You may uncover a system that needs fixing — and you’ll invite your colleague into owning the answer.
Bottom Line
Correction feels strong in the moment. Coaching feels gentler.
But don’t mistake gentle for weak. Coaching is the more effective way to develop the people around you — and, ultimately, the only way to build stronger leaders and stronger programs.
I’ve seen this in my own journey. The times I’ve been coached — rather than corrected — are the times I’ve grown the most. And in my own coaching work with academic leaders, I’ve watched people step into clarity and confidence over and over again not because I have the answers, but because I helped them find their own.
And that’s the real legacy of leadership: not the corrections we deliver, but the leaders we leave behind.
Thanks for reading.
I'll see you next Saturday.
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