If you want your employees to yield the best results, coaching them is your best strategy to motivate them to perform at their peak. Effective coaching retains top talent and develops the next generation of leaders by tapping into potential that seeks to be unlocked.
People who are coached feel valued and more empowered to do their tasks and take on more responsibilities. It also allows managers to grow alongside their employees, positively impacting both parties. And as managers become more invested in the development of their employees, their relationships become more stable, promoting a sense of community in the workplace. And then the work environment of camaraderie, collaboration, and cohesiveness is promoted.
By making continuous coaching a part of your company culture, employees are encouraged to go beyond their average performance and halts complacent employees from negatively impacting success. Providing regular coaching and feedback lets employees know what they’re doing well or what issues need to be addressed immediately.
To produce the best results, coaching strategies should cater to all learning styles and focus on performance improvement rather than personal growth. Touch base on the missed opportunities, but emphasize on what needs to happen to produce results now. Don’t forget to praise and commend when employees perform well as this validates that they’re doing well and on the right track.
Here are some tips on how to provide supportive coaching to your employees:
1. Describe the performance issue to the employee. Focus on the problem or specific behaviour that needs to improve and not on the individual. Allow the employee to defend their actions and ask for their input.
2. Show faith in the employee’s ability and willingness to resolve the issue. Ask the employee to participate with you in goal setting that increases their effectiveness by giving them something measurable and achievable to work towards.
3. Instead of dictating what should be done in the future to avoid issues, ask the employee to provide solutions or things to avoid moving forward.
4. Determine which problems exist that hinders the employee’s ability to perform their tasks efficiently and keeps them from achieving objectives. Some common barriers are time, training, tools, and attitude. Agree on a plan on how to remove these obstacles.
5. Collaborate on a written action plan that indicates what the employee and the manager will do to resolve the problem or improve the circumstances. Identify the goals that the employee must meet to achieve the appropriate level of performance that the company needs.
6. Agree on a date and time for follow-up. Discuss improvements, so both parties know how things are progressing. Maintain confidence in the employee’s ability to perform with positive reinforcements. Remind the employee that you’re there to guide them and not make decisions on their behalf and that they are the ones primarily in charge of performance improvement.
Performance coaching is a powerful tool but only when managers do it effectively. Do you feel that you need more guidance on how to effectively coach your team? I believe I can help you. Let’s connect: https://meetme.so/GregNichvalodoff or greg@inscapeconsulting.com
