Management and Leadership – Coaching for Exceptional Performance
“There is a reason why constructive criticism is a good thing and criticism is not.”
Lucas Ives
Principal Contributor
StrategyDriven
The best leaders are those whose employees perform well because they want to, not because they are forced to. This may be based on those employees’ work ethic, or it may be because their leaders inspire them. Chances are that it will be a combination of both, however, it is certain that anyone who manages through fear or intimidation is a leader in name only. Real leaders are both respected and respectful, regardless of job title.
An integral part of being a leader is coaching others on their performance. Providing constructive feedback is often the only way that an employee will know what they are doing well and where they have an opportunity to improve. Coaching is also a way to build relationships by showing others that you respect them and, by doing so, earning their respect.
Coaching is meant to be constructive, building up the employee and improving his/her performance. When coaching others, follow the three tips below to ensure you are doing so constructively:
Focus on the behavior to be changed, not on the person
Keep the focus of any coaching on the behavior itself. Because an employee is verbose and takes twice as long to assist a customer on the phone as he should does not make him a bad person. By focusing on the behavior, you demonstrate that it is the excessive chatter you want to change, and not the employee himself. This prevents the feedback from being viewed as a personal attack.
When possible, coach in private and praise in public
Coaching an employee in front of others will almost always cause embarrassment and is usually counterproductive because the individual being coached will focus her attention on the embarrassment she is feeling in front of their coworkers and not on the message you are trying to deliver.
On the other hand, praising an employee in public has several benefits. First, the employee being praised will feel good about her performance and her recognition, which will translate into continued positive results. Second, observers will be motivated to do well in the hopes of receiving similar recognition.
Be objective and never coach an employee when you are angry
It is difficult to make sound decisions when you are angry or frustrated. If you are angry with the employee to be coached, you may be focusing (although unconsciously) on achieving the wrong goal of scolding him rather than improving his performance. While the employee’s actions may make you furious, your first reaction may make the situation worse. Step away from the heated situation, collect your thoughts and coach that employee when you have calmed down.
Remember, coaching is meant to be a constructive way to encourage positive actions and discourage negative ones. Whichever one of these you are attempting at any given point and time, the goal is always the same: to improve your employee’s performance.
Lucas D. Ives is a training consultant at Verizon Wireless and a StrategyDriven contributor. A dynamic facilitator, he excels at creating and delivering captivating training focused on the business professional. To read Lucas’s complete biography, click here.
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