Employee connectivity is generally overlooked when it comes to coaching. A lot managers may not understand the importance connectivity has, or maybe they just assume that employees develop it all on their own. Some employees will be able to form strong connections in all four categories without any coaching, but connections also need to be maintained. Connectivity is fragile, it can be there one day and gone the next. It is important for managers to continually coach to building and maintaining connectivity. Managers need to coach to connect, meaning they should be mindful of their employees connectivity in each level and how it is improving.
There are four levels of connectivity in the workplace. An employees connectivity to...
- The job and its requirements
- Their boss/manager
- Their fellow employees and teammates
- The organization as a whole
When an employee has strong connections in all four of these areas, they excel in other areas such as engagement, motivation, and attitude. Also, their progress will start to increase as well.
A great way to get a sense of where your employees are at in each level of connectivity is to ask rating questions. For example, "Jim, on a scale of 1 to 8, with 1 being not connected at all and 8 being completely connected, how would you rate yourself on your connectivity to your job and its requirements?"
Listen to their answer, then ask a follow up question. If they answer with a low or middle number, ask, "What do you think WE can do to bring that up to a 7 or an 8?" If they answer with a high number, ask, "What do you think makes you feel so connected and what can WE do to maintain that level of connectivity?"
Asking questions like these can help the manager and the employee build and maintain connectivity on all four levels.
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