Coaching Employees for Success

By Beth Mason, www.SmartTalk.info. 

When working with employees, here are a few tips to help you maximize your workforce:

1) The biggest problem that bosses have is no one likes to be bossed. Managers have a similar problem in that the word “manage” often translates to “control” and no one likes to be controlled. Recognizing this, many companies are training managers to lead and coach rather than boss. 

 2) The problem with this is it is easier to boss. It is easier to tell than coach because coaching requires engaging, influencing, encouraging, supporting and empowering employees.  In today’s downsized workplaces, especially with small companies, over loaded owners/managers often feel that all this “touchy feely stuff” takes more time than they have. It just seems quicker and easier to tell employees what to do when and how to do it (and many believe that throwing in a few bottom line threats with the instructions will also speed up the desired results.)  

3) Employers are better off growing and retaining than hiring new and retraining employees. The best way to grow and retain good people is to move from trying to manage your staff to helping coach your team. At the end of this article is a list of things taken from ZAPP: The Lighting of Empowerment by William Byham that either “Sapp or Zapp” the energy of your employees.  Those things listed that sap energy and cause employees to change jobs are a result of ineffective and/or bad management. Those things listed that energize employees and help retention are enhanced by effective coaching.   

4) Effectively coaching current talent takes less time than finding and training new employees. Also, coaching is less time consuming in the long run because the employee grows and takes on the responsibility of their results and thus frees the boss to work those important but not urgent aspects of the business.    

So what is effective coaching? 

Bottom line, it is better communication. It is two way communications. It involves more asking and listening and getting to know the goals and internal motivation of the employees.    

• Good coaching involves communicating with and treating those that work for you as valuable team members that work with you.  As team members, everyone work towards the shared vision of the company and gains pride in collective achievement of company goals.  If you can’t see how an employee or their position is valuable, you don’t need the employee or the position.  But if they are valuable, then their input and insights are valuable and worth the time to explore.  Everyone wants to be heard and to feel what they do is valued and important.
•   Good coaches stay in curiosity and out of judgment. They ask questions without preconceived ideas of right and wrong answers. For example,” What is your point of view here?” or “What is the client’s perspective on that?”  Questions that cause thought and problem solving helps the staff member grow in confidence as well as skill and knowledge.   
• Good coaches respect the team members’ abilities and talents. They take the assumption that the employee is a creative and responsible. They believe that team members can come up with good solutions if helped in knowing the right questions to solve. Those given more opportunity in the decision making process will take more responsibility in the outcome.  It is important that everyone on the team knows the goals and vision of the company and exactly what their roll in achieving the goals entails. 
• Good coaches are active listeners. Active listening isn’t something that comes naturally to most people but is a skill worth developing.  Active listening requires full attention and back and forth questioning for clarification.  Good listeners make less wrong assumptions that cost time, energy and money down the road. And, most importantly, there is no bigger gift you can give to someone than to listen to them.
• Good coaches take responsibility for big picture accountability.  They guide the team members by keeping the bigger picture in front of the team and individual goals alive for each of the team members.  They help everyone focus on activity and production as a means for both personal growth and individual contribution to mutually beneficial company success.  

  Remember the adage about how giving a man a fish feeds him for the day, while teaching him to fish will allow him to feed himself.  Coaching takes this a step further. Think of coaching as “helping a man to want to learn to fish and then helping him grow to fish like a pro.”  

As growth doesn’t happen over night, you have to stay active in the process by doing the three main important and on-going functions of a coach:

              1.) Asking Questions   

              2.)  Active Listening   

              3). Big Picture Accountability  

There are several books listed below that will help you become a better coach.  The first book listed, Coaching Knock Your Socks Off Service by Ron Zemke & Kristin Anderson is a good one to start with. It offers clear “how tos” for most of the situations bosses face every day.  Following the advice given in this book will make you a better coach in very little time. 

“Coaching for Success” is a win/win activity as it will save you time, money and energy and create a happier and more productive work place.

Beth Mason, MA Interpersonal & Organizational Communication Certified Professional - Co-Active Coach

Smart Talk Coaching, Consulting & Training.                               www.smarttalk.info  or email:  Beth@BethMason.com