To have successful coaching conversations, you’ll want to think about how you will prepare, promote dialogue during the meeting, and reinforce the coaching post-meeting. Coaching is a process, not an event!
1. Prepare for the Coaching Conversation
Begin with the End in Mind.
What is the desired outcome for your conversation with this employee?
This will be different for each member of your team and depend on the employee’s performance status. Consider the following:
- Does this employee need to go from poor performance to acceptable, from good to great, or from great to a new challenge?
- What are your goals for this employee?
- What does the team and overall organization need from this employee?
Remember that each employee may also have their own professional goals, which should be integrated into their coaching plan to increase their commitment.
Use care in setting up your meetings.
Your team may interpret the order of your meetings as a statement on an individual’s performance status. Remember, until they see evidence that this process will actually benefit them, their skepticism is natural.
Below are two good choices for setting up your meetings:
- Let your team know what timeframes you are holding for their coaching and ask them to put time on your calendar during one of those timeframes.
- Schedule your team members based on a transparent characteristic such as alphabetical order or seniority status.
Either way, don’t arbitrarily set up meetings, as someone likely will read something into your decision.
Pro Tip: Always schedule more than enough time. You never want to end a coaching discussion prematurely because you didn’t budget the time correctly. It will send a very negative message to the employee.
2. Promote Dialogue During the Meeting
Promote dialogue.
- Ask questions and solicit feedback.
- Listen more than you talk.
- Let the employee know that you understand their point of view
- Ask the employee if he or she has any final thoughts or feelings.
Communicate your vision of the employee’s success.
- What is the next level you would like to help him or her achieve?
- Paint the bigger picture; let the employee know how their success is also important to the company’s success.
- Be concise, direct, and factual. Avoid comparisons.
Set Expectations
- Conclude with agreed upon next steps, action items and time frames.
- Roughly establish when you will meet again.
3. Post Coaching Follow-up
Coaching is a process, not an event.
As you move forward, make this thought your mantra. Follow up with the employee within a few days of each meeting. Based on the situation, your follow-up might be:
- Positive Feedback: If you see the employee implementing a new behavior or taking the next step on their action plan, let them know that you see and appreciate their efforts.
- Confirm Alignment: If you do not see the employee making changes yet confirm their understanding of their action plan and your expectations.
- Constructive Feedback: If the employee is unsuccessful in implementing a change, provide supportive but constructive feedback about how they can improve. Ask how they might have handled the situation differently. (Ask is the operative word, not tell.) Give them a chance to think through alternatives. Then, gain their commitment to implementing the new behavior going forward. When you witness progress, be quick to acknowledge it.
Day-to-day coaching is the key to creating a coaching culture. It means staying tuned into your team on an ongoing basis and regularly reinforcing or redirecting.
Click the link to learn more about BRODY’s Coach with Courage training.