Why Coaching Skills Are Critical for Leaders and Managers

Executive Coaching Session at Wager's Way

 “The right coaching, at the right time, can pay huge dividends for employers seeking greater loyalty, productivity and contribution.” -- It’s Game Time: Your Practical Employee Coaching Playbook, SABA (2015)

I once worked as the manager at a small horse farm where I was the only full-time employee – meaning I not only was training the horses, but also was responsible for the daily barn work (feeding, cleaning stalls, and helping the owner with various projects).  The owner of the farm was “unique” and as someone who generally tries to get along with people and certainly don’t see myself as a slacker, I usually was able to pass off her comments to me on my job performance.  One day however, she said to me “You are the worst [manure – but that’s not the word she used] spreader I’ve ever seen!”  Now, to give some context here, she didn’t have a manure spreader that automatically spreads the manure so I had to put the manure in the tractor bucket and then “spread” it by tipping the bucket just right and driving backwards at just the right speed to try and spread the manure in a thin layer in the field.  Anyone who has ever had to spread anything using a tractor bucket knows it takes practice to figure out just how much to tip the bucket forward in order to spread whatever is in there without dumping it all out in one pile.  That was 20 years ago and I can still remember thinking “REALLY?!” when she said that to me.  I went home that day feeling confused and disappointed that despite all of the work I did for this person, while often enduring her off-handed remarks about various things, my boss’s only comment on my performance was that I was the worst spreader of manure that she had ever seen.  I think I worked for that person for about a year before moving from the area.  After that experience I went on to work for someone who was an amazing coach and mentor to me.  I ended up moving from a temp position in a mail room to being the executive assistant to the Chief Operating Officer of Communications and Public Affairs in less than 2 years because of her coaching.

Now that I do leadership and team development as well as executive coaching, I often hear from others that they have experienced similar kinds of comments regarding job performance.  If you have experienced that kind of “feedback,” did it make you want to do better in your job?  If you have given that kind of “feedback,” did you really think that it would make your employee want to do better?  I’m guessing not on both counts. While a lack of coaching and feedback can lead to good employees leaving an organization, giving feedback that is subjective and judgmental is just as damaging.  Ironically, coaching employees to improve performance is not something that comes easily to most people.  It takes practice and a great deal of understanding human behavior to be able to offer feedback that is productive.

So how can you develop your coaching skills to help your team’s performance (which ultimately makes you look better as a manager as well…)?  

• First, it’s important to understand exactly what you think your employee needs coached on – is there a gap in hands-on skills? Does he or she need help with time management?  Is the employee clear on what is expected of him/her?  Without answers to these questions, it is almost impossible to offer coaching that will produce the changes necessary to improve performance.  

•           Once you have identified what you feel needs improved, it’s important to “ask the right questions and engage in dialogue to increase your direct report’s awareness of his/her own choices, actions and behaviors, along with their impact – as well as gain buy in for the development plan” (Harvard Business Review Guide to Coaching Employees, 2015).  This is where having some basic knowledge of human behavior is helpful.  Not everyone has the same strengths and talents so while something may be easy for you, it may not be easy for someone else who has strengths and talents in a different area. (I recommend reading Strengths-Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie to learn more about how different strengths impact teams.)   

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•          Coaching is not teaching.  While you may feel tempted to want to “teach” the employee what you think is the “right” way to fix the challenge, it will be much more productive long term to coach the employee on finding the solution themselves.  If you can coach him/her to understand what is causing the challenge, you can then provide guidance to in seeking solutions.  Doing this well involves facilitating a discussion that allows the employee to think about what is really at the root of the issue.  Do they need more training? Are they not getting information from other departments or staff that they need? Are they having non-work challenges?  In their article “Coaching Through Questions” (T&D Magazine, March 2015) authors Steve and Kimberly Gladis state “A coaching approach that relies more on asking questions than giving answers better engages employees.”

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•           Be sure to reframe how the employee describes the situation to be sure you are not interpreting it through your own experiences.  Repeat what you heard him/her say – “So what I hear you saying is that you feel that you don’t have the appropriate skill set for this project.  Is that correct?” If the employee confirms this is the issue, then you can work with him/her to develop a plan to address the problem.  When someone reframes what we say and gives it back to us, we can confirm or correct that what we are saying is what is being heard and then work to find a solution that works.

Communication and an ability to provide constructive feedback is at the heart of being a successful leader or manager.  It is critical that leaders and managers at all levels acquire the skills necessary to be able to facilitate coaching dialogue with their team members.  Becoming an effective coach will make you a better leader or manager and will ultimately benefit the entire organization by having team members who are happy, productive and loyal.

Want to improve your coaching skills?  Contact us info@wagersway.com to find out how we can make you a leader that people want to follow!

Why Won't This Employee Do What I Want!

“They [business schools] rarely allow room for students to develop intra-personal skills, or the skills that come from being a self-aware person.” – Elad Levinson, Senior Organization Effectiveness Consultant

I read the above statement in Mr. Levinson’s blog titled “Training is a Necessity, Not a Luxury.”  As an advanced facilitator who owns a professional development consulting business, I of course was intrigued with much of what Mr. Levinson wrote.  Granted he was also selling his program, but the content of his blog is very much in line with what I experience in marketing my program – organizations have a difficult time understanding the importance of developing their employees through training, especially as it impacts their bottom line.

I am passionate about helping people realize their potential.  My work is not just a job – it’s filled with purpose and it is tremendously rewarding to watch my clients gain insights about themselves that help them to be better leaders, team members, family members, etc….  The challenge is getting potential clients to see how their misconception of the importance of training and coaching employees is having a detrimental effect on their organizations.  Over and over managers can be heard using the following descriptions of their staff: “lazy, unmotivated, unskilled, unwilling, disengaged….” the list could go on and on.  While it’s true that there is a percentage of employees who honestly do deserve those kinds of descriptions, I would offer a different perspective for managers to think about in how they interact with their employees.

In my equine assisted action learning workshops, I hear many of the same descriptions noted above when clients are interacting with the horses.  What I know about horses (after 30 years of working with them) is that they react to what is communicated (or not communicated) to them - both verbally and non-verbally.  And how we communicate with them is highly dependent on how we interpret their behavior.  If we interpret the horse’s reluctance to do something as being stubborn or lazy, then our reaction to them will be reflected as such.  How do we generally react to someone who we interpret is being stubborn or lazy? Usually with some kind of strong pressure, with the intention of making that person do what we want.  And when they don’t do what we want, we decide it is they who are the problem. This reaction rarely is successful with horses or people (when they are given the choice of whether to engage or not).  What if, just for a moment, we consider that what we perceive to be stubborn or lazy is actually protection or calm assertiveness?  Is it possible that someone’s “stubbornness” or “laziness” is actually their way of communicating that we aren’t being clear in what we want?  If we changed our perception of a behavior to reflect the latter, how might that change our interaction with the employee?

The only way for managers to gain a thorough understanding of how to see situations differently is through training that helps them gain awareness of themselves and how they interpret the behaviors of others.  If organizations want to reduce turnover, especially with non-management staff, then they need to invest in training their managers to develop the skills needed to realize that employees who are reluctant to complete a task, may not be stubborn, lazy, unwilling, etc…. They may need to be communicated to more clearly and coached on how to complete the task.

Communication is a key component in successfully leading and managing team members.  And learning to coach employees through effective communication is a skill that is critical in today’s work environment.  Are you investing in your managers?  If not, you may be affecting your bottom line and impeding the ability of your organization to stay competitive.

Wager’s Way is offering a full day workshop on “Coaching Employees to Maximize Engagement,” July 17, 2015.  For more information, visit our website at www.wagersway or e-mail me at ginny@wagersway.com.