LEADERSHIP COACHING SKILLS

Leaders and managers have varied aptitude for coaching. One way to acquire coaching skill is to enroll in a coaching program, or learn the practical way.

Over the past ten years of my management consultancy work, I have coached many corporate managers and directors to stay focused in their work to achieve the organization’s objectives. This Saturday, I would like to share with Eastern Times reader on coaching skills and techniques that have been proven workable.

Communicate clear expectations.

For people to perform well and to continue to learn and grow, they need a clear perception of what is expected of them. The expectations of a position become the standard by which performance will be judged, this serving as a base point for coaching. If a team member is supposed to contribute three new ideas for improvement for of operations per month is forthcoming. It is not unusual for group members and mangers to have only 50 percent overlap in their perceptions of the group member’s job responsibilities.

Focus on specific areas that require improvement

To coach a group member toward higher levels of performance, the leader pinpoints what specific type of behavior, attitude, or skills requires improvement. As effective coach might say, “ I read the product – line expansion proposal you submitted. It’s okay, but it falls short of your usual level of creativity. Each product you mentioned is already being carried by competitors. Have you thought about …. “ Another important factor in giving specific feedback is to avoid generalities and exaggerations, such as, “ You never come up with a good product idea “, or “ You are the most unimaginative product development specialist I have ever known.

Listen Actively

Listening is an essential ingredient in any coaching session. An active listener tries to grasp both facts and feelings. Observing the group member’s nonverbal communication is another part of active listening. The leader must also be patient and not poised for a rebuttal of any difference of opinion between him or her and the group member.

Part of being a good listener is encouraging the person being coached to talk about his or her performance. Asking open ended questions facilitates a flow of conversation. For example, ask: “ How did you feel about the way you handled conflict with the marketing group yesterday ? “ A close ended question covering the same issue would be , “ Do you think you could have done a better job of handling conflict with the marketing group yesterday ? “

Help Remove Obstacles

To perform at anywhere near top capacity, individuals may need help in removing obstacles such as a maze of rules and regulations and rigid budgeting. An important role for the leader of an organizational unit is thus to be a “ barrier buster “ . A leader or manager is often in a better position than a group member to gain approval from a higher level manager, find money from another budget line, expedite a purchase order, or authorize hiring a temporary worker to provide assistance. Deciding when to intervene requires considerable judgment on the manager’s part. My advice to managers is: “ Do not take your people’s ‘ monkeys’ when the monkeys should clearly rest with them. “

Give emotional Support

By being helpful and constructive, the leader provides much needed emotional support to the group member who is not performing at his or her best, A coaching session should not be an interrogation. An effective way of giving emotional support is to use positive rather than negative motivators. For example, the leader might say, “ I liked some things you did yesterday, yet I have a few suggestions that might bring you closer to peak performance. “ Another facet of giving emotional support is for the leader or manager to be a toxic handler, a person who shoulders the sadness, frustration, bitterness, anger, and despair of group members so that can work productively. The ready availability to be a sympathetic and empathetic listener is a major part of being a toxic handler, and coming forth with creative solutions to vexing problems is also helpful.

Reflect content or meaning

An effective way of reflecting meaning is to rephrase and summarize concisely what the group member is saying. A substandard performer might say, “ The reason I have fallen so far behind is that our company has turned into a bureaucratic nightmare. We are being hit right and left with forms to fill out for customer satisfaction. I have 30 email messages that I have not read yet. You might respond, “ You are falling so far behind because you have so many forms and messages that require attention. : The group member might then respond with something like, “ that’s exactly what I mean. I am glad you understand my problem. “

Give some gentle advice and guidance

Too much advice giving interferes with two way communication, yet some advice can elevate performance. The manager should assist the group member in answering the question. “ What can I do about this problem ? Advice in the form of a question or suppositional statement is often effective. One example is, “ Could the root of the problem be insufficient planning ? “ -- often makes people resentful and defensive. By responding to a question, the person being coached is likely to feel more involved in making improvements.

Past of giving gentle guidance for improvement is to use the word could instead of should. To say, “ You should do this “ implies that the person is currently doing something wrong, which can trigger defensiveness. Saying “ you could do this, “ leaves the person with a choice: he or she can accept or reject your input and weigh the consequences.

Allow for modeling of desired performance and behavior

An effective coaching technique is to show the group member by example what constitutes the desired behavior. Assume that a manager has been making statements to customers that stretch the truth, such as falsely saying that the product met a zero defect standard. In coaching him, the manager’s boss might allow the manager to observe how she handles a similar situation with a customer. The manager’s boss might telephone a customer and say, “ You have been inquiring about whether we have adopted a zero defects standard for our laser printers. Yet, so far we do not have a formal zero defects program, we stand by our printers and will fix any defect at no cost to you.

Gain to commitment to change

Useless the leader receives a commitment from the team member to carry through with the proposed solution to a problem, the team member may not attain higher performance. An experienced manager or coach develops an intuitive feel for when employees are serious about performance improvement. Two clues that commitment to change is lacking one:-

1. Over agreeing about the need for change

2. Agreeing to change without display of emotion

Applaud good results

Effective coaches on the playing field and in the work place are cheer leaders. They give encouragement and positive reinforcement by applauding good results. Some effective coaches shout in joy when an individual or team achieves outstanding results; others clap their hands in applause.

Conclusion

Effective leaders are one who is outstanding motivators and coaches. A major purpose of coaching is to achieve enthusiasm and high performance. Coaching can also be regarded as a paradigm shift from traditional management, which focuses heavily on control, order and compliance. Coaching is a partnership for achieving results. Several characteristics of coaching contribute to its close relationship with leadership. Coaching is a comprehensive and distinctive way of being linked to others in the organization. Great coach requires a talented team. It requires a high degree of interpersonal risk and trust on the part of both sides in the relationship.