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I was recently reviewing some old client files and stumbled across a case where a senior leader in the middle was not coaching down to his management team.

You see my client, let’s call him Tom, was focused on protecting down. Meaning, he didn’t want to break the status quo by following the recommended changes made by the head of the company to reorganize his team.

Eventually, Tom removed his kid gloves, stopped protecting down and instead coached down. Things turned around and his story took a different route. Today, I want us to play a little game about the dangers of defensively protecting down. Let’s get into it!

True or False? Protecting Down to Your Management Team Is the Hallmark of a Great Leader

It’s a pretty big deal when a frontline manager gets promoted to leader of leaders. You’ve more than likely spent years working assiduously towards this goal. To get to this monumental moment, you may have sacrificed missing a family function or two. Perhaps you may have spent so much time thinking of work that if you were paid per thought, you’d be a multibillionaire — Elon Musk, who?

You’re feeling a sense of relief, it must be easier to lead a team of leaders, right? Your assumptions are that they are usually more focused, committed and competent. After all, you were one of them, right? You’re here to represent them; protect them in ways the previous boss didn’t but should have. You may be thinking, they already know what they’re doing, let me give them their space while I focus on other shiny things, like strategies and making sure that my new corner office resembles the Mad Men’s set. Hee-hee, did you catch my new personal assistant? Ha! I’ve arrived.

Wrong, Oh So Wrong

The issue of not coaching down, especially as a leader of leaders can be more detrimental than not coaching as a frontline leader. Why? Your management team will lead how they’re led. That hands-off approach will be replicated to the line staff. Let me be clear, protecting down by covering up their mistakes won’t make you look like you’re the real person in change.

True or False? Coaching Down vs. Protecting Down Improves Accountability:
True — Coaching Down Is a Champion’s Strategy

It’s tragic when coaching down goes through the window. The opportunity for your team to learn more and advance their own careers gets shattered. You’re taking away the same learning opportunities you had that got you where you are now. Simply put that’s selfish and unfair.

Leaders make leaders. If the CEO does not hold their vice presidents (VPs) accountable, then the VPs won’t hold their directors accountable. Then the directors won’t hold their managers accountable and so on.

In all well-managed organizations, you will notice a trend. The largest group of employees typically report to the strongest directors, and they in turn report to the strongest VP. This is because these leaders in the middle, tend to make the best coaches.

As leaders of leaders, we are responsible for coaching our leaders to make them better, stronger, and more accountable. It’s par for course with being an exceptional leader. The mark of the most successful leaders in the world is the constant urge to advance their careers. They want to be coached, they know this is how they can learn, grow, and improve their skills at the job. Treat the leaders you lead with the same aplomb.

Final Thoughts

Being a leader is like being a parent. Many times, we know what we need to do but may drop the ball for many different reasons, often with dire consequences. It’s here I remind you, just like being a parent, there is never a good reason to not do the right thing! Great leaders know coaching down creates short-term inconveniences but is key for the long-term success for all!

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