I believe observing performance and behavior prior to the coaching session would be useful. Next step would be to create an open trusting listening environment to set up an ongoing dialogue.
Before a coaching session with an employee I make sure I have all of my facts straight and I have observed the employee. When communicating with them it is important to remain calm and pleasent, making them feel that they can trust that I am there to coach them, not only critize.
Shannon,
Great ideas to have the facts straight & to have observed the employee. Another tool I have used in these situations is the acronym, SBI--situation, behavior, impact.
S-situation; describe the situation as you see it happening
B-behavior; describe the behavior that you have observed
I-impact; describe the impact you feel their behavior is happening & help them to see some possible unintended consequences of their behavior.
Hope this helps,
Ryan
Observe the behavior.
Have an open trusting relationship from the start.
Ask open-ended questions to help determine what coaching is needed.
Listen and be an advocate to them and don't judge them or assume that they don't care about the outcome.
Respond to the questions and give them ideas on how to perform better.
Then it is up to them to move forward.
I think a written plan with comments and highlights from the initial discussion is the first step. An action plan and agreed upon timeline gives a concrete tool for the coach and employee to follow in working to achieve the task and maximize the learning experience. Two people need to establish a rapport that draws upon combining their communication styles to best advantage. It can be a supportive addition for a vague right-brainer to be centered by a left -brained logical counterpart. Sometimes this does not work and there is a blockage and frustration instead of synergy and FLOW, then you may need to find another coach.
Faith,
Yes, definitely need a written plan. Often people ask me if you really need to write the plan down, to which I respond yes! There is something much more "acountable" when we write it down.
Ryan
Before initiating a coaching session I would observe the employee and the behavior or skill that I would seek to improve through coaching. Next I would discuss the situation with the employee so that they will be prepared to participate in the coaching session. On the first meeting I will try to stick to broad open ended questions so that the employee can best describe their perspective and possible solutions to improve. In a future meeting I will be more directive regarding steps to take towards improvement and I will follow up with the employee on a regular basis.
This is a good approach when using "coaching" in the performance coaching context. It is always good to get the person to think through their behaviors & reflect on how that impacts others. Keep in mind that coaching is also a very effective tool to help employees with their career development & not just reserved for correcting a problem.
Ryan
let me preface this by saying i am an instructor at a career college. Often I coach students during the course of a class. With the end goal being defined by the type of school we are I typically coach students on an individual basis and ask them questions based on what they want as an end goal. Listening and empathy would have to be the skill i employ the most.
The BIT model is a structured coaching method that allows you to provide feedback to your employees using an organized approach.
•Describe the Behavior, not personality traits
•Explain the Impact of what was done well or not done well, because the employee may not realize the fallout of what he/she is doing
•Discuss how it should be done differently Tomorrow
Listening is one of the most important skills you can master as a manager. However, it is also one of the most underused skills. Many people believe that listening and hearing are the same. This simply isn’t true. To distinguish between the two, think about the next statements. Hearing is an ability that most of us have that’s performed using our ears. However, listening is a skill that is enhanced with practice and allows you to comprehend what is being communicated to you, so that you can respond in an appropriate manner.
How well you listen has a major impact on your employee's performance and the quality of relationships you will have with others within your oranization. Miscommunications due to poor listening can cause unnecessary frustration and can lead to a decrease in productivity. In other words, the better listening skills you have the more you will understand what your team needs, and your responses to those needs will be better, and the likelihood of better performance will increase.
Yes exactly & to echo the idea that it is underused think about this: how many people would ever sign up if we were going to have a workshop on Effective Listening? Hardly any in my opinion! Yet announce a workshop for leaders on effective communication or persuasion & you'll have standing room only. We do not value listening, yet, as you have stated Michael, it is an incredibly vital part of the communication process, especially for leaders.
Ryan
The coaching process needs to addressed with employees gently. The coachee must be open-minded and receptive to the coaching. Coaching is not " my way of the highway ",or "it has been this way for years"it is the collabortive effort to reach a common goal. I have experienced both styles and most definetely appreciate a coach or supervisor working with me to acheive company goals and the employment goals of the student I serve. Everyone wants to be successful and guidance and support is a vital component to that end.
I believe the most important skill is the ability to develop trust between yourself and the individual you are tyring to coach. Once the trust is established and they realize you are not gunning for them enormous strides will be made. This followed closely by active listening. Critical to this is the ability to assertain what the coachee is looking for as they describe it. Follow up questions that reinforce your understanding and summations to insure clarity will enable the two of you to come up with an appropriate plan. There is no greater reward than assisting a person to develop the capability to replace you.
In order to coach an employee, there needs to be some prior groundwork. Primarily, faculty are evaluated via ongoing compliance with policie and paperwork submission along with classroom observations, conversations, weekly meeting, etc. Specific details are very important in obtaining buy in to coaching. There must be trust and a sense of desire to help versus making an individual more like the coach. This makes the coaching relationship must more effective. Respect from both parties is essential. Listening is the most important skill. Just as in nursing, there can be no assumptions. Effective coaching relies on knowing the issue not anticipating or presuming the issue.
Great post Tina. I particularly appreciate your point regarding the importance of listening for a good coach.
Ryan
You need to make sure that the coachee is ready for the coaching experience and is interested in participating. Otherwise it is a waste of time and effort for both of you. Also you need to have the trust and respect from the coachee that you have something to offer them and that you see value in them and want to help them continue to grow. Agreeing on areas that need improvement and making a plan with timelines etc, and follow-up for checking progress is important to the success of the coaching.
I too work as an instructor at a career school. Coaching is something I do every day. Listening to your student, or charge is the key to your success as a coach.
I have found that in coaching individuals it is important to convey a feeling of "we're in this together" rather than "this is how it should be done". I try to start off finding common ground and then discuss differences in how we accomplish similar goals using open ended statements or questions. That type of discussion can open oportunities to suggest alternative practices and procedures that have improved results for me without putting the coachee on the defensive.
First, I would like to substitue the word student for employee. (I took the course because I enjoyed the idea of utilizing a coaching atmosphere in the classroom/clinical setting to allow for growth of students as well as to encourage a different level of communication.)
The process that I follow to prepare/lead a coaching session is to make sure that I remain detached from my own feelings. I try to make sure that I am developing a session with a goal/issue that is applicable to that person. I prepare by making notes with praise as well as areas for imporvement. Then I will prioritize these to list the most relevant issues first. Then I will prepare my "speech". I feel that it's very important to be perpared with dialogue to help stay on topic. (However, I don't want to seem to rigid either.) For me, I try to coach by discussing as well as role-play the "issue". I've found that role-play allows others to see the issue in a safe way. Then when the issue is picked out, then we can discuss the ways to fix the issue.
I feel that the most important communication skills in the coaching process are to be present (fully in the moment), to ask thoughtfull questions, and to be able to communicate your own weaknesses.
