I think every manager, leader, supervisor, trainer and coach has had this thought at some point in their career: What do I do with someone that isn’t engaged – are they even worth coaching? Gut instinct says, “You can’t change the way a person is.” However, after some consideration of a strategy, you can help the individual find their place. Often, lack of engagement comes from either lack of understanding or lack of knowledge on how they play a role in the company. And, for the record, every person is worth coaching to some degree. It all depends on how far you’re willing to reach to find their true motivation.

Have you ever had the conversation with this person about where they would like to end up in their career? Their ultimate goal may be in complete congruence with where they currently stand in their position and they are on the direct path toward that goal. For others, this may just be another stop along the road. A great coach will help the individual recognize where they want to be and what path they need to take to get there. On the side of the coach, it is your duty to the individual to help them find their strengths and where they need to improve to get where they want to go. What are their strengths, opportunities to improve, actions needed to be taken to get where their goals point them to, and what responsibilities do you need to assign to them to help put them on that path? This is called the SOAR Assessment. The individual you are coaching should also evaluate what they hope to become great at in their career, what opportunities might arise as a result of becoming great, what actions the must take to bring those opportunities within reach, and what their emotional connection to the goal is, or what they will Love about reaching that goal. This called GOAL-Based Coaching. These two assessments paired together are a tried and true method of bringing together the coach and the employee to build their coaching relationship and help put the employee on the path toward their goals. (For more information on these assessments and their application as the Dual Coaching Assessment Strategy, follow this link)

Whether you are coaching someone to stay with the company and build upon their strengths as an employee, or you are coaching them to realize their true passion and where they can feel the most engaged (whether that’s within the company or elsewhere), every individual is worth coaching. It’s just a matter of how far you are willing to go to be a great coach for them.