Beyond Management

Today’s workforce seeks more than traditional management—they want mentors who inspire growth and provide meaningful direction. Here’s how you can transform your team leaders into inspirational coaches.

Robert Bittner

“One of the most common questions I’m asked when I’m interviewing someone for a job here is ‘How quickly can I grow within the organization?’” says Megan Thomas-Kurek, director of employee experience for Thomas Pest Services, which serves a 12-county region of eastern New York. 

It’s a fact: Employees don’t just want to come in and be a number. “They want to immerse themselves in the culture, learn from mentors, and grow with the company,” adds Thomas-Kurek. “That’s why it’s so important to have coaches in your company. I believe there are evolving expectations within pest-management companies for coaches over just leaders and managers.”

MANAGER OR COACH?

Not every manager is equipped to be an effective coach. Coaching requires the ability to develop people, creating a growing, nurturing, sustaining relationship, according to Jacob Kulzer, vice president of operations for Ecolab. “It’s not just about inspirational speeches and motivation. Those can get people pumped up, but then they go back to their daily life and how everything was before. But if you have someone in your life who is teaching, coaching, developing you, that’s where real growth comes from. I think that’s what separates managers from coaches.” 

For Prescott Kerutis, vice president of people and culture at Alabama-based Waynes Pest Control Services, a coach is a more mature form of a leader. “You’re effective as a leader, you’re running a great team, but ultimately you see that your job is to make these people the best version of themselves that they can be and help them achieve their ultimate potential,” he says. “It’s the desire to do that, to go beyond simply leading, that drives people into the coaching role.” 
Coaches are invested in the growth of the employee, providing the guiding principles they need for their career and motivating them to get to where they want to go. “I think it takes a special person to do that,” Thomas-Kurek says. “While leaders and coaches need to have a lot of similar attributes, I think a coach is kind of like a leader on steroids. They are super homed in on the growth of their team and unlocking the potential of their team members.”

A COACHING CULTURE

Ecolab is helping to develop a leader-coach mentality through the use of Emerging Leaders courses for every level within the company, according to Kulzer. “These are designed for individuals who we think have potential to do more and who express a desire to lead others,” he says. 

At Ecolab, a development course is available at every point in someone’s career, at every grade within the company, to keep employees continually learning and growing. These courses teach leadership fundamentals, including how to teach, coach, and develop others. Courses may last one week or up to one year and combine remote learning with an in-person experience.

Developing effective coaches goes beyond coursework. One of coaching’s distinguishing traits is that it is inherently personal. “I’m responsible for developing the skills among all of my subordinate leaders so that they can one day take over my job and do even better,” says Kulzer. “That’s an expectation throughout the company. We supplement that with the formalized training programs inside Ecolab, as well as outside development and coaching opportunities through executive coaching.”

Although Waynes Pest Control Services is not currently focusing on any specific program or process to develop coaches, coaching is modeled by its leadership and reflected in its company culture.
“When employees decide to go down a leadership path with the company, we create personalized mentor-coach relationships to help guide them,” Kerutis explains. “An employee would meet one on one with a mentor four to six times a year and check in regarding goals, progress, and any specific challenges they want to discuss. The goal is to build that coaching relationship that then builds the next level of coaches who will go on to sustain the process.”

Thomas Pest Services is in the process of revamping its leadership development program, which proactively identifies and prepares future leaders within the organization, according to Thomas-Kurek. “The program is designed to provide foundational leadership courses—which we have developed in-house—while also giving a deep dive into the company culture, why we do certain things, the financials and processes, and so on. It’s an overall approach to preparing the next group of leaders.”

MISTAKES AS GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

It is not unheard of for a manager to be fired for making a mistake. But no coach wins every game. Failing—and learning from that failure—is part of the coaching process. Companies that are serious about developing coaches must foster an environment where each misstep is an opportunity to learn and improve.
 
“If we’re out striving to deliver world-class service, it’s not always going to be perfect,” Kerutis says. “It’s OK to make mistakes. When you acknowledge those mistakes and take steps to correct them, you can actually use them as opportunities to build relationships, whether it be with a customer or a teammate. When you screw up, own your mistake and learn from it.”

Kulzer agrees that it’s important for leaders to create a culture where failure is OK and learning from missteps is accepted. “While I’m pretty vocal about things I think I’ve done well, I think it’s more important that I share the stories with my subordinates of the mistakes I’ve made, so we can learn from them,” he says. “I think it’s important that we tell our teams, ‘I’m going to ask you to try new things. I’m going to ask you to push yourself, to think innovatively, and to do things you haven’t done before. If they work, great; we’re going to keep doing those things. And if they don’t work, that’s OK; we’re going to learn from them and move on.’”

To make this work, companies should embrace an environment of trust and open communication. For example, Thomas Pest Services supports an open-door approach that encourages frequent conversations, whether a leader is just checking in or an employee has an issue to discuss. When mistakes occur, “We discuss them and try to learn from them,” Thomas-Kurek says, “potentially finding ways to turn them into opportunities to improve or to revamp processes and look at what we can do to improve. Communication is key!”

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

That communication should include praise and positive recognition as well. 
“An important part of coaching is providing recognition for a job well done,” Thomas-Kurek continues. “However, not everyone wants to be recognized in the same way. Some people don’t want the spotlight on them; it’s enough to be told, ‘Good job.’ Other people don’t mind a more public recognition. It’s just a matter of understanding what motivates each person and tailoring a management approach around that.”

Positive recognition has the power to benefit more than just the individual whose work is being singled out. “As coach-leaders, we think, ‘What kind of behaviors do we want to reinforce? What will have the greatest positive impact on coworkers?’” Kerutis says. “When we honor our milestone anniversaries, when we recognize the people who are making an impact on their teammates, we’re always encouraging what we want to see repeated.”

FOLLOW THE SIGNS

There are several signs to look for when developing potential coaches from within existing teams.
Start by looking at the skills people have demonstrated, Kulzer advises. But also seek out individuals who naturally seem to go above and beyond to help, develop, and teach others. These, Kulzer believes, are people who have a calling for coaching.

“As you’re setting up a development program, keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be based on rank or position,” Kulzer adds. “Some of the people coaching me may be in a junior position to me, but they have a skill that I do not have or are really good in an area where I’m not.”

Finally, he says, “Pay attention to how your team responds to each other. Because every team will have both formal and informal leaders. Who do they naturally listen to? Who do they go to for encouragement or advice?” Such informal leaders are coaches in the making. 

“These are people who are doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do,” adds Kerutis. “They’re engaged and they enjoy what they do.” That level of engagement can help to inspire an entire team.

And an inspired, well-coached team has the potential to yield real benefits. Kerutis says, “Our simple philosophy is that coach-leaders help to take care of your team, the team will take care of the client, and the client takes care of the bottom line.”

Leveraging NPMA’s Leadership Development Resources

NPMA offers a comprehensive suite of leadership development tools and networking opportunities designed to transform pest management professionals into exceptional leaders and coaches. These resources provide a clear pathway for both emerging and established managers to enhance their leadership capabilities.

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM: BUILDING TOMORROW’S INDUSTRY LEADERS

The Executive Leadership Program (ELP) identifies and trains aspiring association leaders through a prestigious two-year curriculum that combines professional development, association training, monthly mentoring, and attendance at major NPMA events. Participants engage in self-study modules that employ leadership books, personality profiling, and presentations, in addition to monthly webinars with fellow leaders and industry mentors.

The program covers critical competencies including NPMA history and strategic planning, industry trends, diversity and inclusion training, executive etiquette, and public policy navigation, offering an unparalleled opportunity for professional growth. Applications for the 2026 ELP class are open through mid-November 2025.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH NPMA ACADEMY

NPMA Academy transforms attendees’ professional journeys through hands-on leadership training and team-building exercises. This annual intensive program features dynamic educational sessions and learning labs designed to elevate business acumen and refine teamwork skills. Academy combines physical competitions, mental challenges, and strategic team tasks to enhance leadership abilities. 

COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

NPMA welcomes all members to participate in committees and interest groups focused on technical and business management areas. Volunteer leadership roles across specialized committees including the Business Innovations Committee, Communities+ Diversity Council, Leadership Networking Community, and Employee Recruitment & Retention Committee provide hands-on leadership experience and opportunities to shape industry direction.

NPMA HIVES: TARGETED PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING

NPMA Hives connect members for focused discussions around specific industry topics and challenges. These online communities foster meaningful professional relationships and facilitate sharing knowledge among pest management professionals nationwide, offering unique peer-to-peer learning and mentorship opportunities.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND STRATEGIC NETWORKING

The NPMA Online Learning Center delivers exclusive business and technical training courses on topics ranging from business development to specialized applications. More than 25 courses are available, providing managers with tools to develop their teams effectively.

NPMA’s comprehensive events calendar, from PestWorld to regional and specialty conferences, offers managers access to cutting-edge industry insights, the sharing of best practices, and relationship-building with industry leaders nationwide.

MYNPMA COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

The MyNPMA platform serves as the association’s primary online networking hub, connecting members across geographic and specialty boundaries. This digital community facilitates peer-to-peer learning, resource sharing, and professional relationship-building.

These interconnected resources create a robust framework for leadership development, ensuring pest management professionals have access to the tools, networks, and experiences necessary to evolve from traditional managers into inspirational coaches who drive both individual and organizational success.