11 Skills AI Will Never Replace: Skill #8 Coaching

Welcome to The Learn-It-All Podcast’s 11 Skills AI Will Never Replace-- our 11-part special series exploring the essential human skills that AI cannot replicate. With the start of the new year, we’re all facing unprecedented technological disruption and workplace transformation. To help you thrive in this new landscape, we’ve leveraged a study from MuchSkills that analyzed data from 28,000 professionals to identify the capabilities that will make you irreplaceable in an AI-enhanced workplace.   

Each week, dive deep into one critical skill, providing you with actionable strategies, expert insights, and Learnit’s proprietary frameworks to future-proof your career. This series isn't just about adapting to change – it's about mastering the unique human abilities that will define leadership success in the age of AI.  

The Art of Coaching: Unlock Your Team's Full Potential

Are you struggling with underperforming team members despite their obvious talent? What if the key isn't more directives, but a fundamental shift in how you lead?

In this episode of The Learn-It-All Podcast, host Damon Lembi speaks with Dr. Mickey Fitch-Collins, Learnit's top-ranked facilitator and leadership expert, about transforming ordinary management into impactful coaching. Their conversation reveals how coaching differs from traditional command-and-control leadership and provides a practical five-step framework for non-directive coaching. Through real examples and actionable advice, Mickey shares how coaching can elevate team performance, increase employee satisfaction, and drive retention—turning regular teams into "unstoppable" ones. This episode offers business leaders a clear roadmap to transition from simply managing outcomes to unlocking their team's true potential.

This Episode Covers:

• The crucial difference between managing and coaching
• How shifting from directive management to coaching questions completely transformed an underperforming team member
• The five-step non-directive coaching model with "magic questions" that puts employees in the driver's seat
• Why to coach strengths rather than weaknesses
• "Chameleon leadership"

Episode Highlights:

00:01 – Why Coaching is Critical in Today’s Workplace – How coaching helps leaders move from managing people to unlocking their full potential.

06:25 – The Cost of Not Coaching – Why command-and-control leadership leads to disengagement and turnover.

12:18 – The Five-Step Non-Directive Coaching Model – A structured approach to asking better questions and guiding problem-solving.

19:45 – The Magic Questions of Coaching – How "What’s on your mind?" and "What’s the real challenge?" create deeper conversations.

28:30 – Coaching vs. Mentoring – Understanding the key differences and when to apply each leadership style.

33:50 – Why Strengths-Based Coaching Works Best – How focusing on what people do well leads to better performance and engagement.

46:06 – Final Takeaways & Next Steps – How leaders can immediately apply coaching techniques to their teams.

About Damon Lembi:  

Damon Lembi is a 2x bestselling author, the host of The Learn-It-All Podcast, and CEO of Learnit – a live learning platform that has upskilled over 2 million people. Drawing from his prior baseball career, Damon brings an athlete’s perspective to leadership.