Leading Through Coaching: How a Communications Director Can Empower Their Team for Success

It's easy to think the most effective communications director is the one constantly behind the scenes, managing every task, crafting every message, executing every project. The reality is different. A great church comms director spends much of their time coaching and empowering their team, other staff, and volunteers to do the work.

Everyone on church staff is in the communications department, because everyone communicates with the church.

When you have a talented team of creatives, whether they're designers, video editors, social media managers, or writers, your role shifts. While it's essential to have the skills to do the work yourself, the true measure of leadership lies in your ability to step back, guide, and coach others to excel and grow. A smart leader once told me his main goal was to work himself out of a job by building a capable team led by principles, not preferences.

When do you stop doing the work and start coaching your team?

There was a time in my career when I was doing everything. Writing content, designing graphics, coding the site, editing video, managing social media. If it needed to be done, I was the one doing it. But as the team grew and responsibilities expanded, my role shifted from doing the work to coaching others to do it. That shift has been one of the most important changes in how our communications team functions.

It's easy to get wrapped up in the creative process and want your hands in every detail. Being a great communications director isn't about micromanaging every project. It's about equipping your team to be successful on their own. When I walk through the office checking in with people, I'm not rewriting documents or changing designs unless absolutely necessary. I'm giving direction, offering feedback, and encouraging growth. Leading by coaching, not by doing.

How do you empower your church communications team?

As communications director, I spend less time executing and more time ensuring the work aligns with the church's mission. I manage projects, offer feedback, and give the team space to thrive. My goal is to make sure they feel their work is mission-critical, because it is.

On a recent ad campaign, I didn't write the copy. I reviewed it. I didn't create the design. I gave feedback on how it could better align with our brand. My job was to ensure the team had the resources and clarity they needed to execute it well, not to take over. Coaching can often be as simple as asking the right questions:

What's the goal of this project? How does it align with our mission? Who's the target audience, and how can we best speak to them? What's the one thing you want people to walk away with?

These questions empower your team to think critically and creatively while keeping the bigger picture in view. Less telling. More helping them make good decisions.

How does coaching your team build trust over time?

Sometimes coaching means listening. One of our team members vented to me about a workflow issue they were dealing with. Instead of jumping in with solutions, I listened. I asked follow-up questions to get to the root of the problem, and together we worked out a sustainable way to address it. My role wasn't to fix things immediately. It was to help them work through the problem themselves.

That kind of coaching builds trust. It shows your team you care about their development and believe in their ability to handle the work. It encourages them to think creatively and independently, knowing you're there to guide them when needed, not to second-guess every decision.

How do you lead a creative team without hovering?

In a creative environment, your team needs the freedom to experiment, fail, and grow. Sometimes I'm not behind a screen executing. I'm walking around the office, checking in with people, listening to their ideas, offering encouragement. This informal presence is crucial because it fosters open communication without the pressure of a formal check-in.

It's not about hovering. It's about being present and accessible. You don't need to be behind every project, but you do need to be involved enough to ensure everything is on track and the people doing the work feel supported.

By coaching rather than doing, you free yourself to focus on the bigger picture while giving your team real ownership of their work. Creative, confident, engaged team members who produce high-quality work without constant supervision aren't an accident. They're the result of consistent, intentional coaching over time. That's the kind of communications team that can sustain a mission.