We need to coach because study after study shows if we are engaged with employees, productivity goes up! A recent study by Teresa Amabile, Professor at Harvard Business School, showed the one thing that motivated people the most was a sense of progress or a feeling they were improving. Management felt it was reward and recognition. WOW, what a disconnect. You help an employee see things in themselves they did not even think was possible and you will have an employee who will seek to get better on their own. Coaching is about getting people to perform beyond what they thought was even possible.
Now the question is, how do we do that? The answer is simple, engagement. Look, if we engage with employees on a day to day basis and most managers do, why not make the most of it? But how does a manager do that? First we need to be equipped with three fundamental first steps to start the coaching process:
- Ask Questions
- "What are you going to do to successfully overcome that challenge?
- How can I help you move forward more comfortably?
- What are the two things you need to do to address this successfully?
- Listen
- Maybe they don t know how (lacking knowledge)
- Maybe they have not practiced enough (lacking skills)
- Maybe they have a fear of trying (lacking confidence)
- No matter the issue each of the above challenge the manager to needs to approach each one differently.
- Okay, we have learned where the employee is coming from so now the manager understands why performance is not being achieved; therefore, the manager can SHARE in the pursuit with a wonderful word : WE
- What if WE worked together on this how would you feel?
If employees feel managers are willing to help and pursue better performance with them they will be more inclined to work hard!
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