Don't lip service coaching and mentoring

"That's a HR thing, right? I'm out here slaying targets! No time to worry about these rank-and-file peons!"

There are a few managers here and there who are good at coaching and mentoring, but by and large I'd say most are not. (Definitely not most I've worked with.) When you say a term like "coaching and mentoring" to an average manager, here's what I think it conjures up for them:

• "That's fluffy stuff and I do real work"

• "Isn't coaching and mentoring the stuff…