Last months article discussed
different ways to manage your coaching time. The most time-efficient way may be
what I called ‘Coaching by Walking Around’ which means using opportunities that
come up in your everyday interactions with staff to develop them and advance
their careers. In this article, we’ll take a very practical look at five
different coaching opportunities that you can listen for and act on during your
day to day management activities. With each opportunity you’ll need to
recognize it, verbalize your support and mobilize the employee to take positive
actions.
Here are the five coaching moments to watch for
followed by examples:
1. When your employee
demonstrates a new skill or interest, seek ways to expand on it.
For example, let’s say Bob’s accounting assistant
June adds graphic elements to spreadsheets and shows a good eye for colour and
clarity. Bob notices the extra effort and added value. He praises her efforts,
comments on the positive impact of what she does and asks about her interest in
visual presentation. He asks her to think of ways she can use this talent more
within the organization.
2.
When your staff member seeks feedback, provide real,
specific feedback aimed at development.
Mary’s
marketing assistant George asks her what she thought of the latest designs that
he produced. Rather than just saying something positive, Mary thinks for a
minute and relates some specific aspects of the designs she liked and a meaningful
suggestion for improvement. Mary leaves it to George to decide if and how he
might act on her suggestion for his next design project.
3. When your employee enquires about
changes in the organization, confirm his or her emerging interest and
show them how to find out more.
Salesman
Robert asks his functional boss Lee what’s happening with plans for the
proposed division of the marketing and sales departments. Although it is a
complicated topic that is far from resolved, Lee spends a few minutes to
discuss it. Lee outlines the timetable for the decision and asks if Robert is
seeing an opportunity for himself with the change. Since Robert seems to be
interested in making something of the opportunity, Lee suggests he speak to the
Marketing Director to learn more about the plans.
4. When your employee is not doing well
at some aspect of the job, seek to discover root causes and support
them in finding solutions.
Following a
change in organizational structure, Lucy has to coordinate the workload of
several colleagues. Her boss Fai has noticed some tension among the colleagues
that Lucy works with and she realizes that Lucy is more grumpy than usual.
Rather than letting the potential problem escalate, she takes a few minutes to
ask Lucy what she finds difficult about her new role. Fai and Lucy then
brainstorm to think of how Lucy can handle the situation differently.
5. When your staff member is venting
frustration as a result of boredom or inefficiency, acknowledge their
feelings and encourage them to take action in any way they can.
Stanley
notices that his marketing manager Josephine is being unusually cynical during
the weekly meeting. Rather than letting it pass, he takes a few minutes in
private to ask what is bothering her and she admits that she’s frustrated with
the lack of support she gets from her counterparts in the region. Stanley acknowledges her
feelings and listens as she describes what causes her problems. He asks her a
few questions to help her clarify what she can do to reduce her frustration.
To be effective at coaching on the run, you first
of all need awareness. That means you are listening and watching for
opportunities for staff development. And you know how to support and mobilize
people to take advantage of the opportunities. A few well-spent minutes can
greatly advance your efforts to build strong coaching relationships with
people. Your time will pay off in increased staff motivation, engagement and
retention.
What would be the impact on your staff if you
took more chances to coach?
What stops you from coaching
your staff on the run?
This article was inspired by an
article by Beverly L. Kaye of www.careersystemsintl.com.
