“"I absolutely believe that people, unless coached, never reach their maximum capabilities."
Bob Nardelli
Key Points by W. Steven Brown
• Never condone sub-par performance as this sends a signal to the entire organization that doing less than your best is acceptable.
• The coaching process is most productive when employees are encouraged to help solve their own problems.
• Efficient coaching starts with gathering accurate data based qualified facts and behaviors.
10 Coaching Questions That Work In Any Conversation by Keith Rosen
1. What is the outcome you’re looking to achieve here?
2. Can you share the specifics of what’s going on?
3. What have you tried so far?
4. How have you handled something like this before? (What was the outcome?)
5. Why do you think this is happening? (What’s another way to look at this/respond? What else can also be possible/true? What assumptions could you be making here?)
6. What’s your opinion on how to handle this? (Everyone has an opinion. Seek to understand theirs first.) If I wasn’t here, what would you do to achieve/resolve this? If we were to switch roles, how would you handle this? What ideas do you have? What’s another approach that may work (which you haven’t tried yet?)
7. What’s the first thing you need to do to (resolve/achieve this)?
8. What resources do you need? How else can I support your efforts to complete this?
9. What are you willing to commit to doing/trying/changing (by when)?
10. When would it make sense for us reconnect to ensure result you want?
Help employees learn from their mistakes—follow-up questions:
• What went wrong?
• When did it go off track?
• Why did it go off track?
• What could you have done something differently?
• What have you learn from this experience?
• What will you do differently next time?
• What additional help/training can be provided to improve your performance?
The latest SHRM/Globoforce Employee Recognition Survey revealed that 21% of HR professionals believe coaching employees is directly tied to their performance, while 45% said it is “very important”. It was noted that 66% of employees who receive coaching say it improved their satisfaction and performance.
Suggested Reading
Coaching for Performance by John Whitmore
The Extraordinary Coach: How the Best Leaders Help Others Grow by John H. Zenger and Kathleen Stinnet
Point of Reflection
I never cease to be amazed at the power of the coaching process to draw out the skills or talent that was previously hidden within an individual, and which invariably finds a way to solve a problem previously thought unsolvable."
John Russell