No More Sh*t Managers summary

Once the vision is clear, it’s time to turn dreams into direction. In the “Strategise” step, Jo Wright makes the case that a coaching culture doesn’t thrive on enthusiasm alone, it needs an intentional measurable strategy. Without a plan, it’s just another well-intentioned initiative destined to fizzle.

This chapter highlights the common trap: leaders say they value culture, but their plans, metrics, and resources tell a different story. Jo challenges this disconnect head-on. Strategy means asking hard questions: What are we trying to change? How will we measure success? What resources do we need? Who owns this?

With vision clarified and strategy in place, it’s time to activate the people who will bring the coaching culture to life. In Step 3, “Engage,” Jo focuses on communication, influence, and emotional buy-in. Culture can’t be imposed; it must be co-created. That starts by winning hearts and minds.

Too many change programmes fail because they underestimate resistance, or overestimate how much people care. This chapter is all about closing that gap. Jo introduces the idea of a “Yerbut” pandemic, Jo’s tongue-in-cheek name for the common objections: “Yeah, but we don’t have time,” “Yeah, but our people won’t buy in,” and so on. She tackles each one with humour, empathy, and solid advice.

In the fourth step, “Grow,” is where vision and strategy meet day-to-day leadership. Jo argues that a coaching culture will only thrive when managers are equipped not just with knowledge, but with the mindset and confidence to coach, consistently, authentically, and well.

Too often, organisations overlook the “how” when it comes to manager development. Managers are sent on training courses that are too theoretical, not practical, or worse, one-off events with no follow-up. Jo debunks the myth that coaching is reserved for the elite or for formal, hour-long sessions. Coaching can (and should) happen in two-minute conversations in the flow of work.

In step 5, Jo shifts the focus from individual manager growth to broader cultural impact. This step is about embedding the behaviours that define a true coaching culture, open feedback, psychological safety, inclusion, and mutual trust.

A coaching culture isn’t something you do to people. It’s something people start living and thriving in. It’s characterised by honest conversations, continuous feedback, and strong human connections. In this environment, people feel safe to speak up, take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them — which, in turn, drives innovation and performance.

In step 6, Jo tackles the thorny issue of performance, specifically, how organisations define, measure, and enable it in a coaching culture. She argues that the traditional model of performance management, annual appraisals, generic objectives, and backward-looking reviews, is outdated, ineffective, and often demotivating.

Coaching cultures don’t ditch performance altogether. Far from it. They redefine it. They move from box-ticking to conversation. From judgement to growth. From “What did you achieve?” to “How did you grow, and how can we support you next?”

In the final step, Jo addresses the long game: how to prevent your coaching culture from fading into another forgotten initiative. Building momentum is one thing, maintaining it requires commitment, consistency, and ongoing care.

Jo reminds us that real cultural change isn’t a campaign with a start and end date, it’s a living, breathing process. Left alone, even the most vibrant cultures will regress under pressure. To sustain a coaching culture, organisations must embed the behaviours, language, and practices of coaching into their everyday operations, from onboarding to team meetings, from leadership behaviours to recognition schemes.