The Leader as Teacher: How to Grow High-Performing Teams

Teaching at Work Is a Core Leadership Skill

Teaching in the workplace is not an optional extra. It is a fundamental aspect of being a leader or manager.

I don’t mean outsourcing learning to training providers or uploading content to a Learning Management System. That has its place. But real teaching — the coaching, guiding, and knowledge transfer you do with your team — is the work of leadership and management.

It’s often said that leadership is about creating the next generation of leaders. That sounds reasonable, but it misses the point. Leadership is not only about preparing people for some future promotion. It’s also about ensuring they are equipped to perform at a high level in the role they hold today.

The world changes. New problems emerge. Markets shift. Competitors adapt. For a business to survive, its people must grow with it. And if your people are not learning, then by definition, your business is not learning.

Why Teaching Matters

High-performing teams don’t just happen. They are built. They are taught.
Teams that grow together:

• Deliver more value.
• Create better workplaces.
• Keep costs in check.
• Adapt faster when things change.

Within those boundaries lies your role as a leader: to teach.

Step One: Know Your People

You cannot teach what your team needs if you don’t know them. Too many managers skip this step. They design training sessions, share articles, or prescribe new methods without ever asking, “What does this person need right now?”

Teaching begins with understanding:

• What are their goals?
• Where are their gaps?
• How do they prefer to learn?
• What ambitions are they working toward?

This is the foundation of all education — inside or outside of work. A teacher who doesn’t know the students is guessing.

At work you have an advantage. You already see how your people operate. You know their habits. You have the chance to shape learning directly around their career paths and the needs of the business.

I cover more about getting to know people when running workshops or corporate training sessions in my book Workshop Mastery.

Step Two: Make It Relevant

Here’s a common mistake: leaders teach what they find interesting, not what their people need.

The golden rule of teaching is simple: it’s not about you. It’s about them.

Pick material, subjects and content that is relevant. Choose skills that help mitigate weaknesses. Or, even better, help them magnify strengths. Teach lessons that matter in their role today and prepare them for the role they may hold tomorrow.

And remember: not everyone learns the same way. Some need detail. Others need practice. Some prefer self-study. Others want coaching. Good teaching meets people where they are.

Step Three: Turn Information Into Action

Books, courses, and training sessions are only half the journey. Real learning happens when people apply what they’ve learned.

Give your team the space to practice. Encourage them to test new skills on live projects. Watch closely. Notice what works. Notice what doesn’t.

Information acquisition creates knowledge. Task acquisition creates behaviour change. And behaviour change is the goal.

Step Four: Teach With Humility

You don’t need to know everything. In fact, you shouldn’t pretend you do.

Teach within your expertise. If a direct report needs help in an area you cannot teach, admit it. Then bring in someone who can. Outsourcing has its place — so long as it complements the teaching you do, not replaces it.

As I write in Workshop Mastery, never teach at the very edge of what you know. If someone needs depth beyond your experience, be humble enough to step aside and connect them with someone who has that expertise. That humility not only protects your credibility — it accelerates their learning.

Step Five: Observe, Adapt, Repeat

The teaching process is not static.

1. Observe your people.
2. Teach them something relevant.
3. Watch what happens.
4. Adjust your methods.
5. Learn from the process yourself.

Teaching is a feedback loop. Done well, it develops your people and sharpens your own leadership.

The Core of It All

Good teaching is not about creating walking talking encyclopaedias. It’s about growth that matters — growth for the individual and growth for the business.

The first step is always the same: know your people. Observe them. Listen to them. Teach what is useful, relevant, and timely. Then create the space for them to act on it.

Do this consistently, and you don’t just lead, you build a culture where learning is normal, growth is expected, and teaching is part of the job. It's the seeds of a Learning Culture.

If you want to go deeper into how to teach effectively in professional settings and conferences, you’ll find further practical guidance in my book, Workshop Mastery.