Proper Coaching Will Prevent Bad Employee Behavior

Your job IS changing all the time. It’s a sign of the times: There’s more to be done and fewer employees on your staff to get things done; employees change jobs more frequently, leaving you in constant retraining mode; your staff feels frazzled by the hectic pace; the talent pool for the skills you need seems to be more shallow than ever before; and you’re wondering how to clear all these leadership hurdles to get the results you need.

The old rules of management and supervision simply don’t work with today’s complex workforce. That’s why the most effective leaders in America now rely on the power of coaching and mentoring to lead their teams to success. You need expert coaching techniques to ensure your team members know their positions, fully devote their talents to the task at hand and support their teammates — pulling together to meet even the toughest goals. Through effective coaching, you’ll build loyalty and trust by making every team member feel valued and appreciated. And you’ll know exactly how to coach your under-performers, inspiring them to become strong contributors.

Encouraging Employees

• Never let good work go unnoticed: Praise people! Good work that gets noticed gets repeated. Be specific, using concepts that matter to the employee. Consider SELF.
• Make it safe to fail. The only real failure is failure to try … failure can lead to growth. Don’t dwell on failures and don’t let others do so.
• Create small wins and remind your team of their value to the organization.
• Be clear about whether you are encouraging will or skill — or both — they’re not the same. Skill can be trained — will is a function of each employee’s motivation and can’t be trained. Remember SELF and what motivates each of the styles.

Challenging Employees

• Never let poor performance or conduct go unnoticed. But … a challenge does not have to be a collision. Make it private and productive.
• Set the tone. Be kind but direct.
• Determine if the employee knows (1) what’s expected, (2) the problem with what’s being delivered and (3) any obstacles to achievement.
• Be aware of your emotions. Are you doing it for your success or theirs?
• Show you care … but don’t get sidetracked by defenses and their emotions.
• Encourage them to talk. Ask questions. Get agreement on the problem if possible.
• Offer simple, positive, totally practical advice for dealing with the situation in the future. Remember — employees can’t correct the past — the past is over.
• Develop a plan to improve. Express your confidence in the employee.
• Follow up. Delegation isn’t abdication.

Painting the Vision for Employees

• The coach gives the team a clear vision of success — repeatedly.
• Each person is motivated (will) for a different reason. You can’t motivate them, but you can remove obstacles in the path of each employee’s progress — remind them WIIFM! (What’s In It For Them).
• You can’t coach attitude; you can only demonstrate it.