Coaching is a great management tool to increase individual performance, deal with areas of improvement and ultimately improve productivity. The term coaching often refers to activities that improve areas needing development and retain key team members of your team.
Before coaching can take place, the staff must know what is expected of them, and this is greatly helped if they are receiving regular performance feedback. Once this is happening, coaching addresses ways to develop skills and knowledge in order to improve on-the-job performance.
Steps to effective coaching
- Expectations: Make sure your expectations have been clearly communicated in a way that staff know what behaviours are expected of them
- Feedback: Issue specific feedback based on a situation you have observed
- Measurable outcomes: Have clear steps for improvement or development with specific measurable outcomes. Explain how you will monitor and measure the change
- Honesty: Be honest and conduct coaching in person
- Openness: Listen and be respectful of different opinions or points of view
- Explanations: Explain the business rational behind the need for coaching
- Ongoing monitoring: Know how you will monitor the work situation to ensure that the behavior change occurs
Things to avoid when coaching
- Giving people feedback is not always easy. If coaching needs to happen, do not put it off or hope that it will fix itself
- Do not coach or give people feedback in front of peers or clients Instead, do so privately at a time that works for both parties
- Do not be too critical or negative. Explain things in a positive win-win manner, giving the person being coached an opportunity to explain as required
By coaching staff, you will be able to improve productivity in the people who are underperforming, as well as develop your stars to make sure they are learning and growing. Developing a coaching culture will ensure that your staff see coaching as a positive opportunity in which they will learn and grow while they help your business succeed.
With many seasonal operations that have busy schedules, training courses may not always be an option. Coaching can bridge the gap by giving immediate feedback and recommending opportunities for positive change.
