Now I Have to Coach, Too?: Manager Coaching Skills That Save Time and Get Results
The relentless demand for marketplace performance requires management can drive organizational performance. Yet unforeseen challenge and change counteracts even the best manager's ability to drive and tune performance. And now managers are expected to add coaching to their busy schedules. Why? Because managers are in best position to draw out the potential of their staff and teams. The biggest factors in employee engagement and performance are quality of relationship with immediate manager and perceived quality of organizational leadership. Coaching works because managers are able to tap into intrinsic motivations of staff. Performance issues thought to be knowledge or skills or reminder issues are found to be motivational blocks that high-quality coaching often can resolve.
Managers taking the added responsibility for coaching staff and teams confront several dilemmas:
Where will I get the time to coach when my schedule is full? Answer: Quality coaching takes extra time and effort upfront but usually tapers off because the employee takes more responsibility, initiative, and accountability for their own development and performance.
I can't coach all my staff, so who should get coaching? Answer: Coaching usually helps high performers get even better and moves average performers to top performers. The problem with labeling employees, however, is that many who are labeled as "underperforming," "lazy," or "troublemakers" have been misidentified. High quality coaching skills will help managers find and release bottled up potential in surprising ways and more quickly than expected.
When will I learn high-quality coaching skills with my challenging schedule? Answer: True, learning and practicing coaching skills takes time, but we arrange for you to learn the essentials and begin practicing right away.
In the 21st century, performance and development are inseparable because organizations need the capacity to learn and adapt as circumstances change. Managers who use a coaching approach help employees develop ability and commitment to develop themselves to improve performance now and increase resilience to handle changes in the future.
As the program progressed her passion and commitment to learning and facilitating the learning of others raised the level of participation of everyone. -Tom Wojick, Consultant, 6 Seconds EQ Certification Group
Some lessons will still have to be learned the hard way, but many can be learned from Bobbi's own experiences. -Jeff Blasdell
