COACHING FOR SUCCESS. Leadership Through Fully Engaged Employees Chapter 6

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1 COACHING FOR SUCCESS Leadership Through Fully Engaged Employees Chapter 6

2 Table of Contents IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM... 2 TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO COACHING ACHIEVE DIFFERENT RESULTS... 3 COACHING EMPLOYEES TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN IMPROVING THEIR PERFORMANCE... 4 SOME FOLLOW UP THOUGHTS ON KEY WORDING IN THE COACHING MEETING... 6 ADDRESSING SIDETRACKS... 7 NOTES FROM CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK COACHING MEETING... 8 SOONER COACHING OCCURS THE GREATER THE CHANCE OF SUCCESS SENDING EMPLOYEE FOLLOW-UP MEMO COACHING WITHOUT BEING THE EMPLOYEE S COUNSELOR POWER OF FEEDBACK IF THE PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS CONTINUE EMPOWERING THE EMPLOYEE TO MOVE BEYOND VICTIMHOOD COACHING SUPERVISOR WHO ISN T CONFRONTING EMPLOYEE ISSUES WHEN IT WOULD BE CONSTRUCTIVE BLANK FORMS Back of Chapter 1

3 IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM The first step in the coaching process is to determine the cause of the job performance problem, is it primarily a Knowledge problem? The easiest way to determine if it is a Knowledge problem is to ask the question, Could he/she do the job if he/she would earn one million dollars for doing it correctly? If the employee couldn t successfully perform the job with that incentive, then you know you are dealing with a training or a skill deficiency problem, if so provide: - Additional training or - On the job aids. If the employee has the skills and expertise to do the job than the next consideration is, are there job obstacles that make it difficult for the employee to perform the job successfully? Frequently the way to determine if this is the problem, is to simply ask the employee, is there anything that gets in prevents them from doing their job successfully? Sometimes the obstacles that interfere with job performance are ones that can be identified and then eliminated. When training and eliminating a job related barrier is not the answer, coaching is the next step. Leadership is unlocking people s potential to become better Bill Bradley 2

4 TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO COACHING ACHIEVE DIFFERENT RESULTS 1 ST APPROACH - Supervisor shares with employee at the coaching meeting the performance expectations. - Supervisor shares examples in general terms of when employee didn t meet the expectations. - Employee feels management is over-reacting but indicates they will try to meet the standard. - Meeting ends with both sides a little put-off by the other s approach, but each hoping their message was received. 2 ND APPROACH During new employee s 1 st day, supervisor shares key performance standards. Employee acknowledged their commitment to meeting them. Supervisor made a commitment to be a resource to assist with problem solving. During coaching meeting supervisor asked for employee s help with solving a problem. - Supervisor re-shares the performance expectation - Employee acknowledged their support for meeting the expectation - Supervisor indicated, sometimes you re not meeting the standard - Supervisor shares specific behaviors that didn t meet the standard - Supervisor asked employee for feedback on what happened - Employee explains the pressures. Indicates a commitment to meeting the standards in future - Supervisor probes for actions employee is going to take in future pressure situations, so the employee will be able to remain polite and professional - They share suggestions for dealing with pressure - Employee commits to meeting the expectation - Supervisor expresses appreciation for employee s professional problem solving approach - Supervisor sends summarizing employee s understanding and commitment to meeting the performance standard, which is attached to the - Follow-up meeting is scheduled in 1 month - Employee feels management provided helpful feedback in a constructive manner - Meeting ended with both parties further respecting each other s shared commitment for openness, to learning and to customer service. 3

5 COACHING EMPLOYEES TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN IMPROVING THEIR PERFORMANCE The following coaching example is designed to gain the employee s agreement to change specific behaviors. Step 1 Describe Employee s Actions in Clear, Specific Observable Terms. I ve got a problem, and I need your help. Or there s something that s concerning me and I need to talk to you about it. Sometimes you do the following. Then provide a full description of the employee s actual behavior in clear, specific, observable terms. This could impact our department by. Other employees have step in to make sure tasks have been completed.. If it continues it will cause customer service and morale problems. (Convey the business reasons why the problem needs to be solved.) 4

6 Step 2 Express your concerns. I m concerned for you. I know you understand our department s standards. But, sometimes you are not following them. Seek the employee s perspective through an open-ended statement. Fill me in. Tell me about it. Wait for response. Hear the employee s initial response and explanation. Give the employee ample opportunity to respond. Listen to determine if the actions you plan to recommend are appropriate. Step 3 Convey The Specific Behaviors You Expect To See In Future This is what I need to see going forward Convey the performance standard in clear, specific, observable terms. Indicate the actions/behaviors that need to stop. Step 4 Ask For The Employee s Ideas What can you do from now on to help yourself meet this standard? Ask follow up questions to help the employee clarify and share what they will be doing differently in the future. Please elaborate. What other actions will you take? Please go into more detail. Reaffirm The Employee s Plan Restate the employee s solution. Let me summarize. I appreciate your commitment to Since it is so important for you to improve, please summarize the key points of our conversation in an to me this week with your plan to address this concern. I will schedule a follow-up meeting for us in 30 days. 5

7 SOME FOLLOW UP THOUGHTS ON KEY WORDING IN THE COACHING MEETING I ve got a problem, and I need your help. By beginning a coaching meeting with an I statement you reduce the defensiveness that would result if you began with an accusatory you statement. Sometimes you do the following. By using balanced terminology remind the employee that they have the experience and abilities to draw from to meet the standard. The expectation of consistently meeting the standard requires growth but is achievable. This could impact our department by. By stating the business reasons why the behavior needs to change, the employee can understand why management is going to be persistent in enforcing the standard. Let me summarize. I appreciate your commitment to By being patient and persistent in the coaching meeting, management is hopefully able to get the employee to verbalize their commitment to implementing their plan to meet the standard. Because the employee developed and shared their improvement plan, the employee s commitment to meet the standard has significantly increased. If the problem continues, the employee can be reminded that they have not yet lived up to their agreement, which explains the formal disciplinary action. Key to successful outcomes in coaching or disciplinary situations is when the employee accepts personal responsibility for their actions. The individual leads in order that those who are led can develop their potential as human beings and thereby prosper. Socrates 6

8 ADDRESSING SIDETRACKS Although it would be ideal if people would accept constructive feedback in an open supportive manner, let s be prepared for some defensiveness. The following are the most common sidetracks and appropriate coaching responses. The Stall or I ll Try The stall usually occurs after you have stated the specific behavior you expect. The stall sounds like OK. Sure. That s a good idea. I ll work on it. Or I ll try. Ask the employee follow-up questions so that the employee conveys what changes they will make or actions they will take to meet the standard. I m glad to hear you will work on it. What specific changes will you make, so you will be successful? The Attack In this sidetrack the employee attacks your authority or your performance. That is easy for you to say. You re not the one out here doing the work. Or you are not perfect either, why do you expect so much from me? This can be a tough situation to handle gracefully, because you are being verbally attacked. The key is to remain calm and continue with the 4 step coaching approach. I m sorry you feel this way. What are you going to do to meet the standard? Before we were leaders, success was about growing ourselves. When we become leaders, success become all about growing others. Jack Welch 7

9 NOTES FROM CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK COACHING MEETING Employee Date 1. Describe the event or behavior(s) that warranted constructive feedback. 2. Convey the employee s response. 8

10 3. Convey the performance standard, the specific behaviors needed in the future. 4. Indicate the employee s plan to meet the standard. 9

11 5. Indicate management s response to the employee s plan, for example date scheduled follow up meeting. Management Signature Date 10

12 SOONER COACHING OCCURS THE GREATER THE CHANCE OF SUCCESS When an employee s performance falls short of expectations, we have a responsibility as leaders to bring the differences between what is expected and what was delivered to the employee s attention and provide him with the guidance and the incentive to meet the goals. The sooner the coaching occurs the less likely the employee will have formed poor habits. SENDING EMPLOYEE FOLLOW-UP MEMO If the employee does or doesn t send an with their plan to address the concerns, send the employee a follow-up . This provides an opportunity to document and reinforce the background of the problem, the employee s stated commitment to perform properly in the future, and the date of a 30 day follow-up meeting. COACHING WITHOUT BEING THE EMPLOYEE S CONSELOR The supervisor s job is to be a coach, not a counselor. The job of a coach is to make performance expectations clear; to provide the training necessary to meet those expectations; to remove any obstacles that prevent the individual from performing at a peak level; to ensure that the person gets the feedback necessary to know exactly how well or poorly he is doing. The job of counseling is entirely different. If a supervisor crosses the line into the employee s private life, too often the employee misinterprets the supervisor s empathy and sympathy with condoning the below par performance. When this occurs the employee s commitment to change is undermined. POWER OF FEEDBACK Regular, specific, and timely feedback is an important tool for helping the employee s growth and improvement. IF THE PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS CONTINUE It may happen that in spite of making an original agreement to meet the department standard, an employee continues unsatisfactory performance, even after a follow-up conversation in which the agreement was reviewed and various alternative solutions that promote the person living up to the agreement were discussed. At this point it is wise to move to the disciplinary process since the employee is failing to live up to the agreement and continues to not meet the standard 11

13 EMPOWERING THE EMPLOYEE TO MOVE BEYOND VICTIMHOOD Too often when people encounter performance problems and don t live up to their agreements they believe they have little control over what happens to them and that they are for the most part victims of fate. The Yeah but Challenge occurs when the supervisor has suggested possible courses or action for the employee to take but the employee continues to respond with Yeah but. When you hear Yeah but it is critical to turn the responsibility back to where it belongs. For example you can say: You re right,. That is a real challenge. I agree. How are you planning to handle that challenge so you can meet your responsibilities? If the employee responds with, Gee, I don t know. An empowering strong statement can be powerful. Well, you need to think about this carefully, because of the importance of your position you need to meet this challenge so you re fulfilling your job responsibilities. What I need to see is How are you going to make this happen? COACHING SUPERVISOR WHO ISN T CONFRONTING EMPLOYEE ISSUES WHEN IT WOULD BE CONSTRUCTIVE Supervisors that avoid constructive courageous coaching situations compound problems. After all, small problems tend to become bigger ones if not addressed early. When the opportunity to confront is delayed the problem grows beyond repair, when the employee could have been coached toward success. If you have a supervisor who delays addressing problems then it s necessary to hold them more accountable until the supervisor makes the needed improvements. For example have the supervisor provide you with verbal and written assessments of new employee s strengths and weaknesses after 3-4 months service. If the supervisor is not forthcoming identifying weak employees then it is necessary for you to reinforce your expectations to that supervisor. 12

14 For example you can indicate: You haven t kept me in the loop that a new employee s job performance has been going poorly and not addressed. Why did I need to hear about it from your staff members instead of you? Let me re-affirm my expectations involving new hires any time there s a questionable new hire for any reason, I want to hear about it from you and not your staff members or people from other departments. Am I clear why it is unacceptable for a leader to not address problem situations early and why it is important for you to keep me abreast of problems within your team? IT IS BEST TO BE HONEST AND TRUTHFUL It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. E.E. Cummings JACK WELCH 5 RULES FOR LEADERS Control your destiny, or someone else will Face reality as it is, not as you wish it were Be candid with everyone Dont't manage, lead Change before you have to 13

15 Blank Forms

16 NOTES FROM CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK COACHING MEETING Employee Date 1. Describe the event or behavior(s) that warranted constructive feedback. 2. Convey the employee s response. 6-1

17 3. Convey the performance standard, the specific behaviors needed in the future. 4. Indicate the employee s plan to meet the standard. 6-2

18 5. Indicate management s response to the employee s plan, for example date scheduled follow up meeting. Management Signature Date 6-3