When to Coach? When to dismiss?
Hello, I am new to my position as dept supervisor of a tech. college.I have a direct report that holds the required license but not the knowledge that goes with it.
The D.R. is having trouble with the subject matter. I have tried to coach the D.R. to bring the D.R. up to the required level. At what point do you stop coaching and dismiss?
Mark,
this is a tough question to answer & a hard situation. First of all I would check with your HR department to see what kind of parameters you have. Secondly I would see if another instructor could help the DR better than you can? Not saying you're not capable, but if I can't get through, I always like to see if someone else can just because we may not really connect. From there, if they really aren't meeting the standards & it's impacting the quality of education, I think it's time to move toward dismissal.
Dr. Ryan Meers
This is a situation that most managers will find themselves struggling with at some point in their career. I like to provide the opportunity before making the decision to dismiss someone. If the person is willing to work with you to make the required changes, it may be worth the investment.
I've had one instructor who was almost fired by my Director, but I asked to give her a chance and let e work with her. She later confided in me that she would have given up teaching if she was fired. She was willing to improve her professional abilities and teaching skills so I was more than willing to coach her, to which she responded positively. In the end, I told her to never to give up on herself. And never let anyone else decide her destiny. On the opposite end, I had an instructor who took any constructive criticism as a personal offense and refused any coaching opportunities. Rather, he blatantly challenged policy and procedures despite repeated orientation and training. Going against policy and procedure places the institution's accreditation compliance at risk, and he ultimately had to be let go.
