Coaching

Graphics courtesy of Quantum WorkplaceOpens in new window In today’s dynamic organizations leaders are increasingly expected to develop their skills in coaching and to coach their direct reports. This is quite evident in the fact that more and more organizations are investing in L&D programs Opens in new windowfor their leaders at all levels to develop their coaching skills. More and more, organizations are looking at “bench strength” and see coaching as integral to the fabric of a learning culture and as a competitive advantage.

There are two ways organizations can acquire bench strength: They can buy (that is, hire) the talent they need, or they can build their existing talent through development and coaching programs.

Many organizations are looking to build their own internal talent. Much of this talent is being developed through informal coaching. The reality is that most leaders engage in some form of informal coaching.

With this view of coaching, good coaches are seen as orchestrating rather than dictating development.

Good coaches help their direct reports clarify career goals, identify and prioritize development needs, create and stick to development plans, and create environments that support learning and coaching.

Coaching is really a blend of several different leadership skills. Being a good coach means having well-developed skills, determining where a direct report is in the coaching process, and intervening as appropriate.

Coaching is a collaborative partnership centered on achieving goals and building the skills and competencies that are needed, for example, for a direct report to be successful on the job. Quite often, it is also used as a tool to “ready” a promising employee for an advanced role.

Effective coaching means that leaders ask relevant questions, listen well, and offer constructive feedbackOpens in new window. They are growth-oriented, place import on the direct report’s career interests, and leverage development plans that target specific skills and competencies needed for current and future success.

Steps to Effective Coaching

Successful coaching by leaders guides their direct reports in the right direction. Leaders can increase the effectiveness of their coaching efforts by focusing on these five key steps of coaching which will give them a strong foundation from which to inspire and engage their direct reports to perform better across all key performance indicators (KPIs).

1.    Step 1: Analyze

Collect and interpret performance data and segment direct reports by performance. Identify unique performance gaps for the individual direct reports who will be coached, then drill into the root cause behaviors behind each gap. Prioritize the highest impact opportunities for improvement. Ensure that the organizations is using the best metrics, ones closely aligned to the desired behaviors—they are essential for measuring change.

2.    Step 2: Prepare

Before a session, set the coaching session objective, focusing on one or two behaviors per meeting. Plan the interaction, anticipating objections and preparing to overcome them.

Consider what feedback to deliver—for example, direct reports believe constructive/corrective feedback does more to improve their performance than positive feedback, by a three-to-one margin—and be respectful of individual characteristics or needs.

Coach to behaviors, rather than metrics: Helping a direct report learn to show empathy during a customer interaction is far more effective than simply telling him to improve their customer satisfaction score by 5 points.

3.     Step 3: Conduct

During the session, ask questions to open the dialogue, share perspectives and insight and determine options to move forward. Coaching is a two-way communication process that requires that the leader and the direct report both be fully engaged and motivated.

4.     Step 4: Document

Set specific measurable goals, agree on next steps in terms of actions and timing, and gain a commitment. Follow the direct report’s progress. Over time, create a list or library of best practices and learning tips based on experience and direct report input.

5.     Step 5: Follow-up

Wash, rinse, repeat. Don’t lose sight of the fact that coaching is a process, not a one-time evaluation.

Leaders would do well to also pay particular attention to the following components to creating a successful coaching effort.

Align coaching with the organization’s core values.

Coaching is the key to achieving organizational goals. Therefore, leaders’ coaching should be based on their organizational core values. They become the why behind a leader’s advice and encouragement.

This way, a leader’s coaching becomes less about what the leader thinks and reinforces the culture that the leader wants in their organization. When a leader and their direct reports are looking at the bigger picture together, it should help them be more receptive to the leader too.

Understand what motivates your employees.

It is okay for a leader to ask direct reports flat-out, in a one-on-one meeting, what makes them feel motivated. Or the leader could distribute a short questionnaire to all their direct reports at once.

Leaders should have casual conversations where they find out, for example, what their direct reports do in their free time or on the weekend and what their hobbies are. Direct reports are more likely to put in extra effort for a leader who genuinely cares about their well-being.

There is a human side to coaching. A football coach who yells at players may find that’s ineffective. If the coach appeals to the player’s background instead, the coach might be able to speak the player’s language and thus better motivate the player.

Keep it collaborative.

No matter the situation, coaching conversations should flow both ways with ample opportunity for mutual feedbackOpens in new window and discussion. This way, the leader is not removing their direct report’s responsibility in the matter or doing the work for them.

Collaboration in coaching emphasizes the relationship and teaches the leader and direct report how to become sounding boards for each other. When a leader establishes great coaching relationships with their direct reports, it can improve every interaction they have with them and makes leadership far easier. Effective coaching can build more trust on both sides and keep the door to improvement open at all times.

Know your work group or team dynamics.

As a coach, leaders may want to think twice about putting direct reports on a project who don’t work well together. If it’s unavoidable, leaders should help them find common ground. Ultimately, the leader’s goal is to achieve the best possible result for the organization. It all comes back to good coaching. If the leader is not ready to invest their time, resources, and skills to coach a direct report, success is unlikely.

As much art as science.

Like our earlier discussion on leadership, coaching is as much art as science. Coaching is there to help everyone succeed. Effective coaches inspire and listen. They build strong relationships of trust based on knowing their direct reports and good communication skills.

As coaches, leaders must be willing to work alongside the direct report, or take the blame if something was done poorly. Leaders can give a direct report a step-by-step guide on how to do something. But they are not going to coach every direct report the same way. Some direct reports need more visual coaching, others are auditory. Some are hands on. And clearly, direct reports have different motivations.

This variety of factors and personalities can make coaching as much of an art as a science. But done correctly, coaching can help a leader’s direct reports and their organization come away with a win in the end.