Ask managers why they don’t coach more, and the most common answer is “I don’t have time.”
A 2024 CIPD survey backs this up.
More than 60 per cent of UK managers admitted they were “too busy” to hold coaching conversations.
But here’s the thing. As we stress during our ILM-accredited business coaching and leadership & management training courses, you don’t need an hour-long meeting to coach.
Some of the best development happens in five- or ten-minute conversations, if managers have the right tools.
Coaching doesn’t have to mean a formal sit-down. It’s about seizing those everyday opportunities. That could mean.
When leaders adopt a coaching mindset, these moments create a powerful development culture.
We call it ‘coaching in the moment’.
There are two frameworks we discuss during our leadership and management training courses you can use immediately.
The first one is a feedback model called SBI, and it stands for Situation Behaviour Impact. In fact, Dan Boniface, our head of training and an executive coach recently described it as his “favourite” feedback model.
It allows a leader to provide quick and precise feedback.
Situation: “In yesterday’s client call…”
Behaviour: “…you jumped straight to a solution…”
Impact: “…the client didn’t share the full problem.”
Simple, yet effective. What do you think?
The other model is called GROW, and it stands for Goal Reality Options Will.
It is essentially a way you can structure a short coaching conversation.
Goal: “What’s the outcome you want next time?”
Reality: “What actually happened this time?”
Options: “What could you do differently?”
Will: “What will you commit to trying?”
Again, it is short and sharp. But it puts ownership back on the individual.
For directors and senior managers, this isn’t just about “nice leadership.” It’s strategic. Coaching in the moment allows you to:
Scale development without endless one-to-ones clogging your diary
Model a learning culture that filters through your team.
Spend less time having to solve every issue. Instead, team members become more accountable.
Tesco: Through its “Every Little Helps to Lead” initiative, Tesco encouraged managers to use short, coaching-style interactions daily. This reduced staff turnover in frontline roles and improved customer satisfaction scores.
BT Group: By embedding coaching training into management development, BT saw employee engagement rise in divisions where line managers applied GROW-style conversations.
Novo Nordisk (Denmark): Known for “leadership as dialogue,” the pharma giant has shown how coaching in the moment boosts innovation across teams. Leaders use short, structured conversations daily rather than waiting for formal reviews.
Metropolitan Police: Leadership programmes encourage officers to use SBI and GROW feedback models on the job. This has improved both decision-making and confidence under pressure.
And in sport, Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward often talks about the power of “teachable moments” during matches, not just in training. And that’s a vivid analogy for coaching in the moment.
Here are some top tips from our business coaching training courses:
Good question
We know some senior leaders sometimes dismiss this approach as “slowing things down.”
And in the short term, there may be some truth in that criticism.
But it undoubtedly speeds things up in the long run. Think how many hours a team that can think, problem-solve, and adapt without constant escalation could save you.
This is the sort of coaching question you should be asking.
We suggest that at the first opportunity, you try a short coaching conversation. Maybe after a meeting, a phone call, or when you see a team member in the corridor.
Coaching in the moment isn’t about adding to your to-do list. It’s about transforming conversations you already have.
Managers who master this skill become multipliers of capability. And that’s an advantage every senior leader should want.
Get in touch to learn how our brilliant trainers can help your leaders develop their coaching skills.
The BCF Group has been helping organisations develop their talent, inspire their people and overcome obstacles and challenges for the past 25 years.
We deliver training that makes a difference. Find out more about our business coaching, management training and interpersonal skills options.