coaching skills | GROW model | 1 on 1 meetings | giving feedback | mentoring | performance review | employee development
What You Will Learn:
- Run a coaching conversation with GROW and the balance wheel, and recognise the moments when coaching is the wrong tool entirely
- Ask questions that make a person solve their own problem instead of coming back to you for the answer
- Launch 1:1 meetings across a company: format, frequency, the ROI calculation and the pitch that gets it approved
- Give critical feedback without demotivating, using a six-step model and a script you prepare in advance
- Build a mentoring programme end to end — matching, mentor preparation, the first meeting, boundaries, and a clean ending
- Design a performance review form from 12 templates and a library of 170+ competency phrasings
- Write a development plan on the 70-20-10 model with success measures, budget and deadlines
- Roll both processes out with a RACI matrix, an annual calendar, rating calibration and a metrics dashboard
- Learn alongside Mike’s 1.6 million students from 185 countries
- Get the author’s experience from Preply, Wargaming, iDeals and Alfa-Bank
The “No-Fluff” Shift from Boss to Coach
Let’s be honest: most management training feels like it was written by someone who hasn’t stepped foot in a high-pressure tech environment since the 90s. We’ve all been there—sitting through generic HR presentations that tell you to “be empathetic” without giving you a single industry-standard tool to actually handle a high-performer who’s burning out or a junior dev who keeps asking the same questions. Mike’s course, “Coaching Skills for Managers,” is the antithesis of that corporate fluff. It’s a pragmatic, job-ready skills accelerator that treats management like a technical discipline rather than a personality trait.
The core insight here isn’t just about the GROW model; it’s about the psychological shift from being the “fixer” to being the “facilitator.” In tech, we’re rewarded for having the answers. But as you scale into leadership, being the person with all the answers makes you the ultimate bottleneck. This course teaches you how to stop the “monkey on the back” syndrome. It provides a blueprint for building an autonomous team that solves its own problems, which is the only way to achieve true career growth in the senior leadership track. It’s about moving from beginner to advanced leadership by mastering the silence between the questions.
Prerequisites for Success
You don’t need an MBA or a decade of experience to get value here, but you do need skin in the game. This content hits hardest if you are currently leading a team or are about to transition into a Team Lead or Engineering Manager role. You should have a basic understanding of your company’s current performance cycles, as this course will likely make you want to tear them down and rebuild them. No specific software is required, but a willingness to engage in hands-on labs by practicing these scripts in real-time meetings is non-negotiable.
Tools of the Management Trade
This isn’t just a series of videos; it’s a toolkit for real-world projects in organizational design. You’ll walk away with:
- The GROW model framework for structured coaching conversations.
- A library of 170+ competency phrasings to end the nightmare of staring at a blank performance review form.
- The 70-20-10 development model for creating actionable growth plans that don’t just sit in a drawer.
- A RACI matrix for rolling out new processes without causing a mutiny.
- Ready-to-use scripts for giving critical feedback that actually sticks.
These are the industry-standard tools that separate the “accidental manager” from the “professional leader.”
Career Benefits & Job Roles
If you’re eyeing a move into Director of Engineering, VP of Product, or HR Business Partner roles, these skills are your certification prep for the big leagues. Companies like Preply and Wargaming don’t just hire people who can code or manage a backlog; they hire people who can multiply the talent around them. Mastering the ROI calculation of a 1:1 meeting allows you to justify your management overhead to stakeholders, making you indispensable during budget cycles. This course provides the job-ready skills to build a mentoring program from scratch, a feat that looks incredible on a CV when you’re gunning for an executive-level promotion.
What Makes This Course a “Win”
- The ROI Pitch: Most courses tell you 1:1s are good. Mike teaches you how to calculate their dollar value and “pitch” them to a skeptical CFO. This is gold for anyone working in a lean startup where every minute is scrutinized.
- The Scripted Feedback: The six-step feedback model is a lifesaver. It removes the emotional “fight or flight” response from giving critical feedback. Having a script to prepare in advance ensures you don’t soften the message so much that it becomes useless, or sharpen it so much that it demotivates.
- Scalability: The course doesn’t just focus on the “me and my direct report” level. It covers the mentoring program and performance review design for an entire company. It’s a “Management-as-a-Service” implementation guide.
- The “When Not to Coach” Insight: This is perhaps the most honest part of the course. Recognising when coaching is the wrong tool and when you just need to give a direct instruction is a nuance often missed in “fluffy” leadership training.
The Honest Downside
If I have one gripe, it’s the sheer volume of templates and phrasings. With 170+ competency phrasings and 12 templates, it can feel a bit overwhelming—almost like being handed a 500-piece IKEA set without a clear “Step 1.” You have to be disciplined enough to pick one or two tools to implement first, rather than trying to overhaul your entire department’s performance review culture in a single weekend. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and the course doesn’t always remind you of that.
Overall, if you want to stop being the “firefighter-in-chief” and start being a strategic leader, this is a must-watch. It’s certification prep for the hardest job in tech: managing people.