Executive
Coaching Strategies
Coaching
Strategies
Being
an effective
manager can help improve quality and productivity are
through coaching, feedback, counseling, and discipline.
One of
the primary duties of a manager is to keep the performance
of employees at a
high level. Indeed, much of what a manager does will affect
the productivity level of the employees he or she supervises.
There
are four general
techniques that have a great effect on the productivity
of an employee. They are:
-Coaching
-Feedback
-Counseling
-Discipline
Coaching
is the ongoing, informal training
and encouragement that a manager gives employees on a
regular basis. It confirms to the employee that he or she
is doing well and gives him or her confidence to continue
the behavior. It most often takes place while the employee
is working.
Feedback
occurs when managers provide specific information to employees
to let them know how well he or she is performing. This frequently
takes place while the employee is working or when he or she
has just completed a task.
Managers
who counsel employees show them what they need to do
to improve performance. Counseling should be conducted in
private, away from other employees.
Discipline
are the actions a manager takes to help
employees follow the company’s rules. It is often
a last-resort technique implemented when employees break rules
or as a precursor to termination.
Coaching
Employees
Coaching
typically takes place at the employee’s workstation
during normal, day-to-day activities. The manager coaches
when he or she offers a piece of advice or a quick sentence
of praise. Coaching does not have to be entirely verbal, though.
A manager might demonstrate a task or provide a coaching tool
such as handbooks, logs, manuals, tip card, posters, or checklists.
Coaching
benefits both employees and managers as it:
-Usually
takes only a few minutes. This means it doesn't interfere
with anyone's routine.
-Prevents
small problems from growing, often preventing more extensive
or serious measures later.
-Helps
employees see that the manager cares about them and appreciates
their improvement.
-Helps
employees understand and fulfill the company's quality standards.
Coaching
is fairly simple. The manager must observe the employee’s
work carefully enough to be aware they are doing something
right or that they have a problem, but not so closely that
the employee feels spied upon. The manager must then decide
how to approach the employee and when to do the coaching.
Another
coaching method involves pairing an experienced employee with
the employee that needs help or is new to the company. This
“buddy” system can help transfer the good work
habits of one employee to the other.
Providing
Feedback
To truly
improve employee performance, managers need to provide feedback
on an ongoing basis. Immediate feedback is the most useful
as it usually leads to improved performance as soon as it
is given. It also helps prevent employees from forming bad
habits that quickly become ingrained.
Feedback
can be positive or corrective. Positive feedback consists
of giving a reward to employees when they do something correctly
or well. It includes raises, bonuses, promotions, formal recognition
at meetings, or just plan praise. It tells employees what
they are doing well and encourages further efforts. It can
also prevent discipline problems from occurring later on.
Corrective
feedback involves showing an employee a quick way to solve
a performance problem. It can be uncomfortable to give corrective
feedback. One way to ease the discomfort is for managers to
recognize that corrective feedback can benefit the employees
as well as the company. How? It shows employees what they
can do to work more effectively and confidently, it helps
them develop good work habits, and it increases motivation
as employees know that their manager cares whether they do
a good job.
Some
managers even find it difficult to deliver positive feedback
as they worry about sounding insincere, glossing over other
performance issues, or being accused of favoritism. Yet, positive
feedback has too many benefits to ignore. It boosts employee
confidence levels, reinforces good work habits, and increases
motivation as employees will realize that their manager notices
when they do a good job.
Here
are some tips for providing corrective feedback:
-Ask
employees how they can correct the problem and create an action
plan together.
-Provide
corrective feedback only in private and then don't raise the
issue again unless it is necessary.
-Remember
that feedback is a two-way process. Give employees a chance
to respond or explain why something was done a particular
way.
-Don't
get personal; criticize the performance, not the person.
-Explain
the consequences if behaviors or performance does not change.
Let the employees know that what they are doing affects their
co-workers. Help them to see the big picture and promote teamwork.
-Be specific.
Concentrate on a single performance issue or problem at a
time.
-Make
sure your explanations are clear.
Counseling
Employees
Counseling
is the step that follows coaching and feedback. It is a more
serious step and is taken when a manager is concerned that
an employee doesn't understand expected performance standards.
Used
correctly, counseling may:
-Prevent
disciplinary actions or even terminations
-Reduce
turnover and its associated costs
-Show
employees that the manager is committed to their job success
-Help
the manager fulfill legal obligations to employees.
A counseling
session takes more planning and preparation than either coaching
or feedback. A manager needs to have a definite objective
for the counseling session. Some managers find it helpful
to write out exactly what they will stress and what questions
they will ask employees. Managers should schedule the session
when it won’t interfere with the employee’s regular
work or breaks. They should also tell employees when the session
will be as far in advance as possible.
Managers
have an obligation to gather information, including job incident
reports and the employee’s work history. They should
talk to other managers who work with the employee to get an
idea of what needs to be stressed.
Finally,
managers should make an effort to understand how the employee
feels about the counseling process and the topics under discussion.
The manager needs to present the information in a way that
won’t make the employee feel stupid, punished, or the
victim of personal differences. He or she should also plan
how to end the session on a positive note.
When
conducting a counseling session, a manager may want to consider
these five steps:
1. Hold
the session in a private place where there will be no interruptions.
2. Establish
a comfortable atmosphere, emphasizing that the manager is
trying to help the employee improve.
3. Start
slowly, appearing calm and patient so as not to threaten the
employee.
4. Describe
the problem in a caring, positive way, making it clear that
the goal is to discuss the problem and solve it, not to blame
the employee.
5. Ask
the employee to help solve the problem or identify its cause.
Here are
some additional tips for conducting effective counseling sessions:
-Watch
body language to determine how the employee feels about the
session.
-Listen
actively. Listen more than you talk.
-Keep
the session focused on the issue.
-Ask the
employee to state the problems in his or her own words.
-Write
out some of the employee’s ideas for improving performance.
-Pay special
attention to what the employee says at the end of the session.
It may be more to the point and significant when he or she
feels the meeting is about to close.
-Set an
appointment for a follow-up session.
Disciplining Employees
Managers
are responsible for enforcing company rules and procedures.
Most employees try to do as they are supposed to, but when
they don’t the manager has to use discipline.
Many
employees react to discipline with anger, embarrassment, humiliation,
resentment, and so on. These reactions can make discipline
sessions difficult and nerve-wracking for managers.
Experts point out the following reasons why managers have
a tough time disciplining employees:
-Thinking
that “the employee knows what’s wrong, so why
should I rub it in?”
-Fear
of the situation becoming emotional
-Feeling
that I’ve done the same thing myself; how can I discipline
somebody else for it?
-Fear
that management won’t back up the discipline
-Not knowing
how to begin
-Lack
of training in disciplining employees
Another
reason managers dislike having to discipline employees is
that they think “punishment” rather than “teaching.”
Discipline should be a technique to help the employees be
more successful in their jobs. Indeed, its objections should
be to encourage employees to follow the rules, to allow employees
to work together safely, and to set up an atmosphere of mutual
respect and job satisfaction.
If the
discipline problem is a small one, managers can correct it
quickly by stating the rule, explaining it, discussing why
it is in the employee’s best interest to follow the
rule, and then offering encouragement.
If the
discipline issue is a serious one, managers will most likely
have to have a discipline discussion with the employee. During
this meeting, managers should establish their concern for
the employee as well as the problem in a straightforward statement.
They should be specific, and explain how they feel without
getting emotional. Managers should then ask the employee for
an explanation and try to agree on a way to solve the problem.
At the end of the meeting, the manager should set a date for
a follow-up meeting and end the discussion positively.
It is
not uncommon for employees to respond emotionally to discipline.
They may react with anger, quick agreement, or silence. If
they respond with anger, the manager should try to remain
calm and listen. He or she then must try to help the employee
see the situation objectively. When an employee quickly agrees
with the manager, it may be to get the session over with more
quickly. In this case, the manager can move away from the
problem and focus immediately on a solution. If the employee
is silent, it may be because he or she is hiding anger or
fear. Managers facing silence should take a non-threatening
but direct approach. They can explain succinctly the problem
and then ask the employee an open-ended question.
Finally,
here are a handful of tips for managers who must discipline
employees:
-Don’t
discuss the discipline session with other employees. It could
be a violation of the employee’s privacy rights and
you will lose credibility with employees if you talk about
things that should be confidential.
-Check
with the human resources department before scheduling a discipline
discussion. Some companies want two representatives present.
-If an
employee complains of harassment, check with the human resources
department before giving out discipline. It may be necessary
to consult a lawyer.
-If a
discipline session results in improved employee performance,
don’t hesitate to congratulate the employee on his or
her success. And congratulate yourself on your success.
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