5 keys to effective employee coaching
Rosa Say, author of Managing with Aloha, would agree with the statement that management and leadership go hand in hand. Understand the difference, though, and when to be a manager vs. a leader, is one of the keys to effective coaching.
My email tagline says: “Managing people, managing numbers.” In a nutshell, it means you need to train people to meet metrics that are required by the company or mutually agreed upon during a professional development planning session. However, simply looking at the numbers (charts, spreadsheets, and comparative reports) will not lead to success. Only people, behaving responsibly and respectively, can do that.
Because the lines between the roles of coach and manager can become blurred, it is critical that the coaching relationship be established with clear expectations and follow-up steps from the start. The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) has developed a series of podcasts related to individual and team coaching. I have summarized here some of the best coaching tips, all of which I use in my coaching relationships. I encourage you to explore the free CCL podcasts available through iTunes.
1. Expect the best: Be prepared to always look for the best in people and situations. As they say at Senn Delaney, “assume innocence.” Enter the coaching relationship with a positive mindset and assume that the person you are coaching is willing to learn, reflect, and grow.
2. Define what you want: Be explicit about what you both want from the coaching relationship. What do you want to achieve? Make sure your goals match up before you start; if they don’t, try to reach a compromise. If that doesn’t work, suggest a different trainer.
3. Clearly define your roles: Be clear about the coach vs. manager role. If you are in both roles, set signs to indicate when you are transitioning from one role to the other. Start sentences with “Are you ready for a little training?” or “I would like to talk to you about your performance”, define if you are a coach or manager. However, if you do not have a manager role, set whether or not the results of the training sessions will be shared with the person’s manager. Trust is a fundamental piece of the coaching relationship and the breach of trust is a decisive factor.
4. Self-awareness is non-negotiable: Encourage and insist that the person you train develop self-awareness. This is perhaps the hardest step for some people, because the only way you can truly become self-aware is if you ask everyone around you for feedback, are honest, and really listen. The best rule of thumb goes something like this: “If one man calls you an ass, ignore him. But if three men call you an ass, go out and buy yourself a saddle.”
5. Listen First – When the person you are coaching reflects on a negative outcome or experience, ask questions to provoke thoughtful problem solving rather than giving advice on how to do it right next time. It’s much faster to just tell people how to “fix” it, but our peers don’t learn if they fix it. I encourage coaching teams to develop the solution collaboratively.
There are times when coaching has to put management aside. For example, when an employee resists following instructions, he infects other team members with negative behaviors or challenges team or company methodologies. I call this phenomenon “an employee gone rogue.” In these cases, you should remove your coach hat and put on your manger boxing gloves. This can mean anything from having a discussion to clarify rules and roles to taking disciplinary action. It is extremely important that you do step 3, defining his role as coach, manager or both. If you find yourself in both roles, I would suggest finding another coach for the person, as changing the management structure is generally not appropriate. The important thing to remember is that coaching is a lot like parenting: there is no perfect method, some are better than others, but what counts most is the people and their relationship.
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Rosa Say’s Managing with Aloha website http://www.gestionarconaloha.com