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Click Board! After Action Review Source The After Action Review is a extremely highly effective technique that helps teams and organizations learn how to achieve excellence. This .pdf file has the basic idea. http://www.fireleadership.g ov/toolbox/after_action_re view/aar.pdf The Art of Conversation Here is a guide for the shy person. What do you say after you say hello? What would you say after you said hello to Paul McCartney? Michael Jordan? Be prepared. http://www.entertainmates. com/experts/conversation. asp |
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Well-Spoken
"Good teaching is
one-fourth preparation
and three-fourths pure
theatre>"
Gail Goodwin
"No one realizes how
beautiful it is to travel
until he comes home
and rests his head on
his old, familiar
pillow."
Lin Yutang
"Good teaching is
one-fourth preparation
and three-fourths pure
theatre>"
Gail Goodwin
"No one realizes how
beautiful it is to travel
until he comes home
and rests his head on
his old, familiar
pillow."
Lin Yutang
ManagerZine Archive Favorite
13. How To Leverage The Coaching Experience
How many times have executives told us to “give that person some
coaching” because his or her performance was either drifting downwards or
unacceptable? Oh, what a painful request. It happens too often—a leader
outsources his or her performance problems to a coach. Oh, that managers
had a wider and more productive view of what coaching can do! Oh, that
coaches teach managers what coaching is all about! Well, here are some
thoughts on coaching that might be helpful to managers at all levels.
For one thing, outsourcing coaching shouldn’t be a leader’s first choice of
intervention. He or she should do it. Unfortunately, many leaders don’t like
to coach, don’t feel comfortable doing it, really don’t have the time and
would rather avoid a coaching discussion or an ongoing coaching process.
As a result, coaching vendors have quickly filled the void; it is easier and
less personally distressing and time consuming to hire a professional coach
for some managers than do it yourself. Fair enough; hiring a pro may be
the best solution, given the reservations and limitations a manager might
have.
It’s important to note that coaching isn’t just for employees with
performance issues. Here are some other opportunities for coaching that
don’t involve fixing slack performance:
Effective performers are looking to move up
Effective performers who have moved to a new role
Effective performers who are in a totally new position to the organization
Why coaching isn’t a quick fix.
Some people don’t want advice
Being coached may carry a negative connotation
Performance is not happening because of deeper issues than job skills
How to make coaching work
Position coaching as an opportunity for improvement and enrichment, not
just remediation
Ensure there is agreement on what is expected from the experience
Start with data on the coachee’s performance
Make sure the manager is involved and hears about progress at defined
points along the way.
13. How To Leverage The Coaching Experience
How many times have executives told us to “give that person some
coaching” because his or her performance was either drifting downwards or
unacceptable? Oh, what a painful request. It happens too often—a leader
outsources his or her performance problems to a coach. Oh, that managers
had a wider and more productive view of what coaching can do! Oh, that
coaches teach managers what coaching is all about! Well, here are some
thoughts on coaching that might be helpful to managers at all levels.
For one thing, outsourcing coaching shouldn’t be a leader’s first choice of
intervention. He or she should do it. Unfortunately, many leaders don’t like
to coach, don’t feel comfortable doing it, really don’t have the time and
would rather avoid a coaching discussion or an ongoing coaching process.
As a result, coaching vendors have quickly filled the void; it is easier and
less personally distressing and time consuming to hire a professional coach
for some managers than do it yourself. Fair enough; hiring a pro may be
the best solution, given the reservations and limitations a manager might
have.
It’s important to note that coaching isn’t just for employees with
performance issues. Here are some other opportunities for coaching that
don’t involve fixing slack performance:
Effective performers are looking to move up
- Coaching can make them stronger candidates for promotion,
giving them skills in presenting themselves, directing them to learn
or re-learn new job content, or in networking.
Effective performers who have moved to a new role
- Coaching can help employee orient themselves to their new jobs,
develop an agenda, and become more comfortable in making the
transition.
Effective performers who are in a totally new position to the organization
- There are times when skillful executives are placed in a new
strategic job, a position that is totally new to the organization.
Coaching can help them define the job.
Why coaching isn’t a quick fix.
Some people don’t want advice
- Many individuals, especially successful high performers, feel they
have the “right answer”. Why should they listen to someone who
doesn’t know their world or how they have succeeded?
Being coached may carry a negative connotation
- Being assigned a coach may send a signal something is wrong.
People become defensive and guarded if they feel their
performance is being closely scrutinized.
Performance is not happening because of deeper issues than job skills
- A coach can’t address complex psychological or emotional
causes, even though these can impact job performance.
- No amount of coaching is going to help a person who is working in
a confused or unsupportive work environment with unclear or
contradictory direction and ineffective job tools.
How to make coaching work
Position coaching as an opportunity for improvement and enrichment, not
just remediation
- It’s up to the manager to position the coaching experience as a
chance for personal and professional development and skill
enhancement. Coaching is a path to increased effectiveness and
value to the organization.
Ensure there is agreement on what is expected from the experience
- While the details of what the coaching process will achieve is
between the coach and the coachee, a manager should clarify
what direction the coaching process should go in. These might
be, for example, preparing for advancement, orienting to the skill
requirements of a new position, improving specific job skills, and
the like. Coaches should not be engaged to “change people”
because they need to be “fixed.”
Start with data on the coachee’s performance
- An effective coaching process begins with some baseline
performance data, whether 360-type reports or personal interviews
with work colleagues.
- Coaching works best when the coach and coachee develop a
contract, agreeing on a specific goal, a communications process
(phone, email, meetings, observations) and success indicators that
signal the end of the engagement at the outset. Expect the
process to evolve.
Make sure the manager is involved and hears about progress at defined
points along the way.
- Even though a coaching function has been outsourced to a
professional, the coach would be wise to schedule update or
planning meetings with the manager involved and the coachee.
© 2007 Singularity Group