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It All Comes Down to the Quality of the Coaching (Printed in the Enterprise 7/17/2000) By Ed Yager To the most successful and satisfied business owners and manager the idea of being the coach in his or her organization, instead of the boss, is quite relevant. There are a few steps in the coaching relationship that most great coaches perform instinctively. 1.) The first step deals with the coaches own view of self and his or her expectations of others. Only those who know themselves, their biases, strengths and weaknesses will be successful coaches. Seeking feedback from others, asking others for opinions, and honestly analyzing data are all steps that help in this regard. 2.) In the best tradition of Douglas MacGregor who decades ago talked passionately about the assumptions leaders and managers have about others. (Some see others through a negative lens - lazy, avoiding work, in need of close supervision. Others see people as responsible, trustworthy and willing.) He expressed the differences as Theory X (negative) and Theory Y (positive) assumptions about people. Good coaches begin with the positive Theory Y assumptions. If a coach does not believe in his or her own ability to influence others, or in the other's desire to become and be recognized as competent and worthwhile a negative and destructive environment and relationship is the sure outcome. A great coach knows that most people are already doing the best that they can. They know that when performance is not adequate the problem most likely lies in the work environment, or in the system. Where there is a lack of training, inadequate tools or information, confusion, alienation, inconsistent systems, a lack of trust, powerlessness, favoritism, or poor communication, performance cannot be expected. In the case of those few who are clearly not competent to perform, the problem is still in the process - this time in the selection process. When you hire people and put them into a job they cannot or will not do, don't blame them for the problems they cause, but ask yourself how did we let this person get there? Eight-five percent of a coach's success can be attributed to selection. 3.) Be prepared to establish clear expectations. Every employee has a right to know what is expected, what are the rules and the boundaries, how can they advance, where do they go for information, how should they handle conflict, violations, customer problems, etc. In return you must know what the employee expects and needs from you and how you can mutually meet each other's needs. Be sure all of your people understand the value of hard work and demonstrate this with a work ethic of your own second to none. The greatest demotivator of all is hypocrisy - when an employee is required to do things the owner/manager will not do - soon nothing will get done. Establish measurement systems, especially process measures that every employee or team of employees can keep, monitor, and use to know how well they are doing, how well their ideas and changes are working, and to gain bragging rights. Post them in graphic forms so trends and variations are clearly recognized. An employee who is asked to work hard and pay attention without a meaningful scorekeeping system quickly loses interest. Never - never search for problems or for people to blame. Take a step back when a crisis arises. Ask yourself if this is a real crisis. Can the employee find his or her way out? Do I need to help them so they can save face? What can be learned? How do we fix the process so this is prevented in the future? What have we (you) learned? The question from a coaching perspective is not what did this person do wrong, but what needs to be done in the future, and how can I help. If you feel a need to go hunting, hunt for good things. Hunt for things that are being done right. Do you find yourself continually asking, "Why do I need to keep saying this? Why does this keep happening? Why won't they do what they have been told? Why won't they do what I would do in the same situation? The problem is, without question, not in the employee but with the coach. A coach who will commit himself or herself to constantly look for people who are doing things right, constantly communicate standards, let people know where they stand, listen to their concerns and ideas, empower them to make decisions on the spot, give praise, recognition and rewards when appropriate will be successful. A handshake, a cold soda, or a sincere compliment go a long way in any relationship. The challenge is particularly difficult in an environment of full employment like we are currently experiencing. More and more employers are forced to lower their hiring standards while at the same time increase output, they are being forced to pay more and more at the same time. Errors increase, problems increase, waste increases and on and on. Supervisors and managers are selected from a less competent, less experienced pool, and the problems are exacerbated. Frustration, anger, confusion and chaos all increase. The workplace is less and less fun or satisfying. When motivation is present and ought to increase with the seeming success of increased business, it instead leads to more problems. The real test of a competent coach is how he or she handles such situations. Any athletic team owner knows, the poorer the performance, the more important is the quality of the coach. Anyone knows that by changing the coach, whether in a scout troop or a choir, in the workplace or the church, in a hospital, or a governmental agency, the performance also will change. Concentrate on and obsess over the quality of the coaching in your organization.
Ed Yager is a renowned leadership and team consultant based in Sandy, Utah, and author of ten coaching "Leader To Leader" guides. www.yager.bizhosting.com. |
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