Evoking Genius

Transforming Performance

Step 2: How Leaders Can Coach Like a Pro

Step 1: It’s Not About You ― May Issue

85% of employees leave their jobs because of a “perceived unkindness in the workplace.” (SHRM Report) This statistic implies they feel mistreated in some way. Among their grievances are: employees feel ignored, under-trained, unappreciated and get less support from their leaders in order to succeed.

On the other hand, leaders report that they typically spend 20-30% of their time dealing with their employee's ineffectiveness. This includes the time it takes for an employee to do a task; employees who cannot do it on their own; having to clean up a mistake or a shoddy job; dealing with conflicts between co-workers, or missteps with customers.

Two sides of the same coin. Employees resent the lack of help to be their best, yet bosses feel the pressure to achieve their own goals. After all, performance is what they are good at and has propelled them to where they are. Consequently, many managers regard coaching and counseling secondary to their own performance.

WHAT IS PERFORMANCE COACHING

Performance Coaching is not a well known skill. Its design is to increase an employee's capacity to perform. Leaders need to set aside time, generally 1 hour per month, to develop an employee's growth goals and review results.

A Performance Coaching session with an employee includes a progress report on their plans, and an honest conversation about obstacles encountered and accomplishments achieved. It is an opportunity to give encouragement by speaking a longer term perspective and a reminder that learning new things takes time.

Another way a leader builds an employee up is through walking along side them, so to speak, by sharing their own views of a situation and brainstorming ways one could approach a problem. Support may sometimes include scenario planning or conducting a role play conversation. Providing a safe place for an employee to “not know” and get help is essential. In any case, a sense of partnership is created, along with a commitment to his or her success.

HOW TO SET UP A COACHING RELATIONSHIP – IT’S SO SIMPLE, YOU’LL THINK IT’S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

Here are some of the most important elements recognized and utilized by the top professional executive coaches.

Safety: Create emotional safety by shifting gears and wearing a “coach” hat rather than a manager hat. Set the stage for this added dimension of your relationship by letting your employee know you want to devote more time to their development.

Discovery: Ask what s/he needs to be able to perform at a higher level. “What help do you need to be more effective and satisfied in your job?” Be prepared that they may not know. Keep investigating, “What frustrates you? What is a struggle for you?”

Honesty: Give feedback on what you see is missing, needs tweaking or areas that need strengthening. It's an opening to uncover thoughtless routines. Include both technical job competencies and behavioral qualities, such as communication style, emotional management and planning skills.

Focus: Together develop a list of the top 3-4 areas to work on in the next 6 months to a year. This should be a collaborative exercise with equal input. Keep your “coach” hat on.

Plan: Discuss ways to approach growth in each of these areas. Some examples: offer a training class, books, CD's, an assignment designed to help stretch, additional mentoring time, observing another who has mastery in their weak area.

Schedule: Follow up is often dropped out. The 1 hour monthly meeting provides a reliable structure to support, to educate, and to initiate confidence in Performance Coaching.

As a leader sets aside time to develop an employee, the pay-off is big. Employees are motivated, competencies are developed, performance is heightened and pressures are eased. A simple method yields BIG results.

Elaine Siciliano Morris
Copyright 2009 Sea Change Inc.

Next Month - Step 3: THE ESSENCE OF A COACHING CONVERSATION

About the Author:Elaine Siciliano Morris, founder and principal of Sea Change Inc., is an executive coach, author and speaker. Elaine’s expertise is in transforming a corporate leader’s ability to increase their employee’s performance. She accomplishes measurable leaps in their ability to coach, train, give feedback, mentor and successfully up the bar of accountability in their organizational culture.

Elaine’s talk, Evoking Genius – Transforming Performance is now available for in-house corporate groups and professional associations.

More information about her is available on her website: www.seachangecoach.com, or contact Elaine by phone at 972-407-0648 or by email: elaine@seachangecoach.com.