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| 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.)
·
- 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.”
·
- 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!
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