Managers coach best when roles are clear and conversations are frequent. Start with three words that often get mixed up. Accountability means you own the result and answer for it. Responsibility means you do the work. Authority means you have the right to make the decision. Problems start when someone is held accountable without the authority to act. Coaching works when these three line up and the manager checks in regularly.
These ideas connect to the people side of Verne Harnish’s Scaling Up framework. The words and examples here are our own.
This post draws on ideas from Verne Harnish’s Scaling Up framework. The explanations and examples here are WeKinnect’s own words.
Imagine a catering order for a wedding.
Often the accountable person also has authority. Trouble begins when they do not. If the catering manager must ask the owner before every small change, they cannot really own the result.
Many people can be responsible for doing parts of the work. Only one person should be accountable for each result. When two people are accountable, each assumes the other is watching. Name one.
If you hold someone accountable, give them the authority they need. Write down what they can decide on their own and what needs approval. A front desk lead at a hotel might be allowed to offer a late checkout without asking, but need approval for a full refund. Clear limits are not a sign of distrust. They are a sign of respect, because the person knows exactly where they can act.
Coaching is not a once-a-year review. It is a steady habit of short conversations. Try this simple pattern:
Keep praise specific: “The way you calmed that guest down kept the whole table happy.” Keep correction specific and private: “The order went out without the allergy note. Let’s walk through the check step together.”
When someone brings you a problem, it is tempting to solve it for them. Sometimes that is right, especially in a real emergency. Most of the time, ask a question instead: “What options do you see?” This builds their thinking, and over time they bring you fewer problems and better solutions.
Ask yourself these questions once a month:
If any answer is no, that is your coaching focus for the coming month. Small fixes, made steadily, build a strong team.
Great coaches serve the people they lead. They give their time, their attention, and the credit. Service before Self means a manager measures success by how much the team grows, not by how much the manager is needed. When your people can make good calls without you, you have coached well.
Accountability means you own the result and answer for it. Responsibility means you do the work. Many people can be responsible; one person should be accountable.
If someone is accountable but cannot make the needed decisions, they are set up to fail. Match authority to accountability and write down the limits.
Short weekly check-ins work well for most teams, with specific praise, private correction, and one agreed next step.
Written By
Darlene Gagnon is the founder of WeKinnect Global Branding Agency. Guided by the core value of Service before Self, she works with entrepreneurs and family-owned legacy businesses. She focuses especially on restaurants, arts, and travel and tourism. Darlene writes on Branding, Positioning, Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Storytelling, and Entrepreneurship. WeKinnect serves entrepreneurs and family-owned legacy businesses across restaurants, arts, travel and tourism, banking, home services, nonprofits, and the pet industry, and Darlene brings that same spirit of service to every piece she writes.
