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Coaching

Written by: Lee Meadows

Article Overview: This article discusses the basic elements of developing employees and boosting their skill level.

Coaching

The business world is flatter, spins faster, peaks quickly, dives sharply and reinvents itself without the benefit of a sleep cycle. When the dust from all this fractured refiguring finally settles, it usually comes to rest in the semi-cubed work area of a manager who is besieged on all sides by the increasing task, process and people demands that come with trying to manage toward profits. One of the crucial changes that upset the traditional management cart has been the ever broadening span of control which stretches with the addition of new project teams and new team members. The skill of micro managing may become a distant memory, like erasable bond paper, because those comfortable with micro managing won’t have time to micro manage. Those staff members who lived through the detonation of organizational layers are expected to produce more, use less and build competencies as they stumble their way through the malaise. Managers will have to rely heavily on the personal initiative of staff members and presume that they are competent enough solve a problem and get results. The presumption of competence is okay as long as there is a supportive coaching process to round off the rough edges. The restructured battle ground known as the competitive landscape looks a lot different than the old command and control days of the industrial machine. Managing more people means controlling less of the process. Coaching is the glue that holds those two polarities together. More than just telling someone what to do, coaching combines guided discovery with hands on learning and the proper choice of tools to get the job done. All of this has to take place in an accelerated work environment with limited developmental time. While all managers want their staff members to act confidently and be the best at what they do, the forced hands-off model still leaves too much to chance. Managers must become good at coaching in order to achieve the broader results that come with broader responsibilities.
It requires a shift in how a manager thinks about the use of time. Like any budgeted item, time is an allocated resource that is woven through several items. Time allocated for coaching means time taken away from less important tasks. The purpose of this dedicated energy is to provide time to staff members to help improve their skill base, while moving a task along toward completion. As any good coach will attest, the ‘quantity’ of time on the front end of the coaching process is offset by the ‘quality’ of time on the back end. A manager, operating in a coaching mode, knows that certain tools (i.e. problem solving models, recommended readings) are essential to expanding the knowledge base and analytical capabilities of staff members. They also know that giving ‘feedback’ is a crucial element in addressing performance issues and how one gives feedback will vary given the needs and personality of the staff member and has to be specific to an issue or behavior.
In a business world gone global, managers will have to become good in the skill of coaching by shifting their thinking and behavioral paradigm to…
Listen more and talk less: Concentrate on what is being said in order to guide the staff member to the solution.
Delegate more and hoard less: Find those tasks that rightfully belong to members of your team and delegate accordingly. Find those tasks that don’t belong to anyone and detonate accordingly.
Move more and sit less: Issues that prohibit performance rarely show up on your flat screen monitor. Circulate among your staff members, find supporting resources and let them see that you are visibly available.
Ask more and tell less: Open-ended questions that guide staff members toward solutions, typically, start with Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. There are no secrets here.
Coaching is about helping staff members to work smarter and maximizes the value of their contributions toward keeping their organization competitively ahead of the game.

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Article Tags: basic elements, Coaching, skill level



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Re: need pricing help please - here's my opinion that was derived from the person I heard it from (Russell Brunson) I view internet Marketing products as a Ladder. At the bottom of the Ladder is ebooks and at the top is One on One Coaching. so the ladder would look like this starting from the Top ($$$) to Bottom($) One-to-One Coaching ($$$$$$) Workshops ($$$$$) Teleseminars ($$$$) Video($$$) Audio ($$) ebooks ($) I agree with this methodology mainly because of the convenience factor and value from the customers point of view.
Re: need pricing help please - [quote="jvprosperity":t4htv1h6]here's my opinion that was derived from the person I heard it from (Russell Brunson) I view internet Marketing products as a Ladder. At the bottom of the Ladder is ebooks and at the top is One on One Coaching. so the ladder would look like this starting from the Top ($$$) to Bottom($) One-to-One Coaching ($$$$$$) Workshops ($$$$$) Teleseminars ($$$$) Video($$$) Audio ($$) ebooks ($) I agree with this methodology mainly because of the convenience factor and value from the customers point of view.[/quote:t4htv1h6] I also agree with this methodology, but sometimes some ebooks sell more in 2 digits. My 26 pages report sell for $9.77
Re: Business Women Peer Mentoring Spotlight - That is a great idea, David. This is what I had in mind for the Women's section, but it makes sense to post in on the main site. Of course, I'm waiting for some women to step up to the plate and share how they could use some support on taking the next step with their business! If you are a Business Woman reading this, I invite you to consider that this is not displaying weakness in any form. Peer mentoring and Coaching is incredibly valuable. You get to bounce your ideas off others, hear perspectives from outside your own box, and feel the power of others cheering you on. To me, it's wisdom to use all of our available resources to move towards business success. That's why I have my own Coach and my own Mentor Coaching Group. I also offer that to my clients. These are services one usually has to pay for and you could enjoy some of it free right here! So who wants to start? Can you tell I'm excited about the possibilities for you even before you begin? Warmly, Tami
Re: Business Women Peer Mentoring Spotlight - Hi Everyone, Gosh, I REALLY appreciate your concrete feedback. This was far more than I expected and I'm glad you said what you thought straight out. Each of you have shared something of value and I want to take some more time to think and really go over what each of you have said. However, I can see there are some things I need to change right away. What an interesting point about a NEW program perhaps making people think they are guinea pigs! This is NOT what I want to convey! It's funny how we can see some things so clearly in others while not always seeing it for ourselves! I must admit there are a few things I've been meaning to change (like my bio which is very outdated). Obviously, these things need to be higher on my priority list. You caught me like the plumber who puts his clients first and doesn't get around to fixing his own tap! As far as my target market, I do feel quite strongly about working with Women Leaders and doing Leadership Coaching with them. It's non-negotiable in my books. In my Executive Coaching training, the terms "Leaders" and "Executives" are interchangable. To me, an Executive is a Leader and so is the Business Woman or Entrepreneur who is CEO of her own business. I love working with decision makers! What I did learn is that I need to avoid opening up the Leadership term beyond what I described above. I'm also wondering if there is a misunderstanding with the general public as to what Leadership Coaching really is. Leadership Coaching is all about developing your leadership skills, both as a people manager and in more effectively running and growing the business. There is ALWAYS room for growth in some way. As well, sometimes, we just need a sounding board to clarify what our next BEST step is. In fact, if a woman thinks she has nothing to work on, then we aren't a good Client/Coach fit anyway. How can she grow if she doesn't see the value of expressing ALL of the great ability within her? How can her company grow if she doesn't see the value of strategic planning for the next best level? Thanks again to you all! I will go back to my website and really question whether I am conveying the right message. I got more than I bargained for in this Spotlight... you generously offered way more than I was asking. I think we could be on to something great for the Forum. Now it's time to let someone else have the spotlight. It would be great if everyone took a turn! In gratitude, Tami
What are you doing to grow your business Ladies? - Hi Ladies, I thought it might be great for us women to share what we are doing lately to develop our business(es). I have now signed a lease on a new commercial space where my husband and I plan to open a Sport's Consignment and Cappuccino Bar. We're an active tourist destination and we also want to give back to our local community by offering discounted quality equipment. I'm doing lots of research and planning right now. For my Coaching Business, I have signed up for a new coaching mentorship program by one of USA's top Executive Coach trainers, Drayton Boylston. He's sure to challenge me, offer continued professional development and keep me on track as I grow my Coaching business. I'm quite excited about the opportunity since you have to be invited to even participate in this group. What are you doing lately or what are you planning in order to develop your business? I'm hoping we can all encourage each other to keep our businesses growing. Warm regards, Tami


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