IntroductionWelcome| 00:00 |
(MUSIC).
| | 00:04 |
Think about your own career for a moment.
How valuable would it be to you to have a
| | 00:09 |
boss who's completely invested in your
professional aspirations?
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A coach who's committed to your growth
and your company and career?
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Great, right?
Now, think about your team.
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Do you think they want the same thing?
Of course they do.
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Because developing your employees is not
just a good idea, it's imperative.
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And here's why.
Engaging your people's sense of purpose
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and cultivating mastery is what drives
company objectives profitability
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breakthroughs and market distinction and
reputation.
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So I'm going to give you a set of
coaching practices and development tools
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to use in your daily conversations.
These tools will take the heavy lifting
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off of you and place responsibility
squarely with your employee.
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Throughout this course, we'll be showing
short vignettes with Michelle, a manager,
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and Eric, one of her employees.
These demonstrations will help you put
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the coaching skills and practices I'm
teaching into use right away.
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In baseball, you might coach a player to
refine their stance, their grip, and
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their swing.
But you don't run the bases for them.
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So coaching is not doing and it's not
telling people what to do.
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It's guiding, questioning, prompting, and
encouraging forward movement.
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Most important, it's inspiring people to
take ownership of their own careers.
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So, let's take ownership of your career
and get started with Coaching and
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Developing Employees.
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| Getting the most from this course| 00:01 |
To make this course as relevant and
specific to you as possible, I'll be
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asking you a series of coaching questions
all along the way, similar to the ones
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you might ask your employees.
The idea is that doing the work yourself
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will give you a practical sense of what
the process is like and its potential impact.
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You'll find these questions, along with
development exercises, employee
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self-assessments and other resources in
the exercise guide for this course.
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This guide is provided free for all
lynda.com subscribers.
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I recommend downloading the exercise
guide and use it as your workbook as you
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go through this course.
So, let's get started.
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1. Overview of Workplace CoachingBusting myths and finding time| 00:01 |
To be successful in implementing the new
coaching tools and practices I'm laying
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out in this course, we need to bust some
old school myths.
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Take a minute and think about the people
you manage.
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Chances are, you can divide your team
into three types, high achievers,
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dependable performers and everyone else.
Looking through your own career lens,
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you've probably played all three roles, I
know I have.
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In hindsight, I can clearly see where a
lack of career development played a role
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in my decision to stay hidden in the
everyone else pile or to find the exit
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from time to time.
So let's bust some myths.
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Myth number one, there is no time.
This is big.
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How many times have you heard this?
We constantly challenged to do more with less.
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So if you start having these short
frequent conversations with people you
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might think you'll never get anything
done.
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And what if you're already spending too
much time trying to motivate people in
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the everyone else category?
The question of time really comes down to
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your management style.
How much time do you spend putting out
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fires and checking up on people?
Or taking over other people's projects.
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I understand the motivation.
But the coaching tools and practices
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you'll be exploring in this course are
designed to help you become more
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collaborative, and less directive.
You'll be giving people more autonomy and
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doing less handholding.
Myth number two.
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I'll lose my job or I'll lose my team.
You might fear that grooming someone so
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well would put them in line for your own
job.
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Or if you get really good at coaching and
developing people you could lose them to
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another department or company.
It's true.
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I understand the fear, but growth for
your team is growth for you.
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It's one thing to manage in such a way
that you create a revolving door of
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average talent.
That would be a job killer.
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But it's quite another to manage people
toward depth and mastery and to open up
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doors for people.
So the flip side of the myth that you'll
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lose your job is that you're actually
constantly creating value for the company
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and yourself.
Myth number three.
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Development is the employee's
responsibility.
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It's partly true.
Your employees are responsible for
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driving their careers.
But we all need collaborators, people who
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help us unlock our creativity and
purposefulness.
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The core elements of true job
satisfaction.
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In my experience there's no question,
career development coaching can turn
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around a disengaged employee.
But it can also accelerate the growth of
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your high achievers.
So right now I want you to do two things.
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First think of two or three people on
your team you'd love to help grow.
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These are the people you'll experiment
with to develop your coaching skills.
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Next open up your calendar where do you
have two or three ten minute chunks of
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time you can block out every week.
You may be tempted to say nowhere.
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But you're creating a new habit that
needs protected space in your calendar to
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master it.
Three people, three ten minute chunks,
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find the time.
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| Establishing a coaching relationship with your employees| 00:01 |
Coaching your employees is a highly
collaborative process.
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That collaboration begins by
intentionally designing your
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relationship, making mutual agreements
about logistics and what you'll be
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focusing on.
We'll be using something called the GROW
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model to help you and your employee kick
start the development and goal setting process.
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GROW is an acronym that stands for goals,
realities, options and will, and it has
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several purposes.
It helps you and your employees clarify
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their initial goals, assess what's
currently happening and identify
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potential roadblocks.
It also helps your people brainstorm
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opportunities and resources for growth.
This model offers a great set of open
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ended questions, which are all included
in the exercise guide.
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You can ask these questions in person, or
to save time, you may want to provide all
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the questions in advance and simply
review and tweak them, in your first meeting.
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So, for Goals.
I might ask, What would you like to achieve?
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For realities, I might ask, What's
derailing your progress, towards your goal?
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You want to encourage your employees to
be thoughtful with their responses.
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For options, I might ask, What
possibilities do you see for action?
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And finally for will, I might ask, What
are your next steps?
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The next piece of designing your
relationship is to agree on basic logistics.
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Agreed to the day and time you meet, how
often, and location.
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As manager, you've previously found some
chunks of time that work for you.
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If you can pick a day and time that works
for both of you and stick with it, you'll
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create momentum and you'll save time
because you won't be trying to coordinate
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your schedules constantly.
Finally, a word about confidentiality.
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To keep trust high in coaching, your
employee's process needs to be held in a vault.
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This means the details about your
conversations are not to be shared, but
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results, yes.
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| Demonstrating the cornerstones of coaching| 00:01 |
I want to give you the three cornerstones
of the coaching process that will help
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you work smarter, not harder.
We'll illustrate those corner stones in
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action with our coaching Eric, a team
leader and his manager, Michelle.
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We'll do that by showing you two
approaches, the directive manager and the
| | 00:19 |
manager as coach.
Cornerstone Number 1, Be Curious.
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At its core coaching is an inquiry, an
open-ended question asking that
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encourages people to reflect, source new
perspectives and ideas, and take self
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guided action.
So here's Eric and Michele.
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(SOUND).
Michelle: Hey, Eric.
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How's the number crunching going.
Eric: I'm having some problems getting
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the numbers to line up.
Something's off in the formula.
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Michelle: Okay.
Well, keep working on it and just get it
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to me by the end of the day.
>> Okay, that's a pretty common
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workplace interaction.
Here's what curiosity looks like through
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the manager as coach lens.
(SOUND).
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Michelle: Hey Eric.
How's the number crunching going?
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Eric: I'm having some problems getting
the numbers to line up.
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Something is off in the formula.
Okay.
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So, what kind of support do you need in
order to make our 5 o'clock deadline?
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>> It's a pretty subtle shift and
approach that empowers your employees to
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look to themselves for answers.
This brings us to the second cornerstone,
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Let the Employee Lead.
People do best by sourcing themselves
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about the choices they make.
They need a lot of autonomy.
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Your job is to help your employees
discover where their goals values and
| | 01:47 |
priorities dovetail with organizational
goals the big picture.
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Here's Eric and Michelle again.
Eric: being team leader's really challenging.
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I feel like I'm demanding things all the
time and asking for way too much.
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Michelle: Wow.
Your just going to have to shoulder through.
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Goes with the territory.
Eric: But people are pretty tense.
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And were always down to the wire with
deadlines.
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Michelle: Well, you could grab a quick
lunch with each other.
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See what's up.
Or you might set a reminder to check in
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on their progress around 4 o'clock.
Eric: Okay.
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Michelle: Okay?
>> Another pretty typical workplace
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conversation, right?
The problem is that Michelle hasn't
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explored what's underneath the problem.
She gives him direction, which means that
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he's going to remain dependent on her to
solve his problems.
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So, let's try this again using the
manager as coach approach.
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Eric: Being a team leader is really
challenging.
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I feel like I'm demanding things all the
time and just asking for way too much.
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Michelle: Hm.
Can you say a little more about this?
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Eric: Well, people seem pretty tense.
Michelle: Uh-huh.
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Eric: And we're always down to the wire
with deadlines.
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Michelle: Hm.
Where do you feel the problem rests?
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Eric: I like being collaborative.
Michelle: Uh-huh.
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Eric: But some people just want me to
tell them what to do.
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Michelle: Uh-huh.
Eric: And then, the others get very
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irritable when I give them their
assignments.
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Michelle: Hm, sounds like you're learning
to accommodate different work styles.
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Eric: I guess so.
it's just very difficult to balance.
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Michelle: What if, you were transparent
about your learning curve and asked for feedback?
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Eric: Hm, I don't know.
I can see where asking for feedback makes sense.
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I'm just not sure what they'd say.
Michelle: Well, would you rather wonder
| | 03:37 |
or would you like the truth?
So you can improve your game.
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Eric: Well, I would like to improve my
game.
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Michelle: Mm-hm.
>> Okay.
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The outcome in this conversation isn't
that different than the first one.
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But Michelle got to the root of the
problem and helped Eric find the next
| | 03:54 |
right action on his own.
Much more empowering.
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So, the third cornerstone, Coach the
Whole Person.
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This means the life-work, work-life merge
is not only relevant, but crucial to
| | 04:08 |
engagement and satisfaction, especially
in a 24/7, always on world.
| | 04:15 |
If someone is challenged by family needs,
or even a crisis, it impacts their
| | 04:19 |
ability to perform in the workplace.
So let's go back to Eric and Michelle.
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Eric: With the new baby, things are tough
for my wife and me.
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Michelle: I know it was rough when we had
our first child.
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But don't worry.
It gets easier.
| | 04:34 |
Eric: Okay, but what I'm saying is I'm
not going to be any good unless I start
| | 04:38 |
getting some sleep.
Michelle: Well, why don't you take a
| | 04:42 |
couple of days when this project is
complete?
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>> Okay, in the conversation you just
watched, the first two cornerstones went
| | 04:49 |
out the window along with the third.
And while a few days off would be a great
| | 04:54 |
help, it probably doesn't address Eric's
underlying concerns.
| | 04:59 |
So let's rewind and incorporate all three
cornerstones.
| | 05:03 |
Be curious, Let the employee lead, and
Coach the whole person.
| | 05:08 |
Eric: With a new baby, these late-nights
are tough on my wife and me.
| | 05:12 |
Michelle: Oh, yeah, I know.
It's, it's a rough time, isn't it?
| | 05:15 |
What can we do?
Eric: honestly, I mean, it's pretty
| | 05:18 |
ingrained in the culture here.
usually I'm okay with it.
| | 05:22 |
Michelle: Uh-huh.
Eric: I love the pace, normally.
| | 05:24 |
Michelle: What do you really need?
Eric: a clone.
| | 05:27 |
(LAUGH).
Yeah, but seriously, I'd love to do some
| | 05:29 |
load sharing, possibly some job sharing
with Tom.
| | 05:32 |
Michelle: Oh.
Eric: That way I can leave early for the
| | 05:34 |
next few weeks.
Michelle: Hm.
| | 05:38 |
>> Okay, they haven't ironed out all
the details of this potential arrangement yet.
| | 05:43 |
But notice how Michelle's patience makes
room for Eric's own best ideas to surface.
| | 05:48 |
Michelle doesn't deny, negate, fix, or
tell Eric what to do.
| | 05:54 |
Most of us have a tendency to listen just
long enough to offer a solution.
| | 05:58 |
It's a great strength, but in terms of
engagement it can be counterproductive.
| | 06:05 |
With just a little more patience,
oftentimes silence, your employees will
| | 06:09 |
do the talking.
And the solutions they find tend to be
| | 06:13 |
more authentic and durable.
And that's what fosters true alignment
| | 06:18 |
with company objectives.
I invite you to print out the three
| | 06:22 |
cornerstones included in the exercise
guide.
| | 06:25 |
Post them somewhere visible while you're
working on your new skills.
| | 06:31 |
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| Inspiring learning through conversation| 00:01 |
Now that you've touched on the
cornerstones, then anchor your coaching
| | 00:04 |
process, let's take a look at the three
core development conversations you'll
| | 00:07 |
typically be engaged in with your
employees.
| | 00:11 |
The first is awareness.
These conversations take a look back over
| | 00:16 |
your employees careers to get a current
and accurate read on who they are, what
| | 00:20 |
they've accomplished, what inspires them,
and what they do well.
| | 00:26 |
In turn, the information you gather can
be used to guide their goals and future actions.
| | 00:32 |
Although you'll be moving in and out of
awareness conversations throughout your
| | 00:35 |
coaching process, this is typically where
you'll begin.
| | 00:39 |
Here's an example from Eric and Michelle.
Michelle: One of your biggest goals this
| | 00:44 |
year was to develop your leadership
skills.
| | 00:47 |
Now I'm curious as to what that means to
you.
| | 00:50 |
Eric: Well, I'd like to excel as a team
lead, then move on to directing a
| | 00:53 |
development group.
Michelle: So what strengths do you
| | 00:57 |
already have that you can lean on to
accomplish that?
| | 01:00 |
Eric: That's a very good question.
I think I'm great at connecting the big
| | 01:05 |
ideas to the details to process.
Michelle: I see that.
| | 01:10 |
So what trips you up?
Where do you think you need to develop
| | 01:13 |
new skills and strengths?
Eric: well, collaboration and
| | 01:16 |
communication in general.
where those trips me up is when we're in
| | 01:19 |
meetings, when we're in group meetings
and we're brainstorming.
| | 01:24 |
And then we get stuck on, like, one idea.
Michelle: Does that happen to you?
| | 01:27 |
(CROSSTALK) Do you get stuck?
Eric: Yes.
| | 01:30 |
(LAUGH).
Michelle: Hm.
| | 01:31 |
So, are we talking about conflict
resolution skills, or what?
| | 01:37 |
Eric: Well, it's basically conflict
resolutions stuff.
| | 01:40 |
getting someone to move from their own
personal agenda, to a more shared agenda
| | 01:43 |
without being offended.
Michelle: Excellent.
| | 01:47 |
>> Okay, one of the most important
features in awareness conversations is
| | 01:52 |
keeping things open and supporting your
employee's process of discovery and self awareness.
| | 01:59 |
Now let's move on to vision
conversations.
| | 02:02 |
This is where you help your people
connect that self-awareness with the big
| | 02:06 |
picture to identify next steps and right
actions for growth.
| | 02:11 |
Michele and Eric began to touch on that
vision in the last conversation.
| | 02:15 |
So let's take it a little further.
Michelle: So, if you were to develop your
| | 02:19 |
conflict and collaboration skills, how do
you see that impacting the company overall?
| | 02:26 |
Eric: Well, if I can really deepen my
process.
| | 02:29 |
Michelle: Mm-hm.
Eric: And then demonstrate vision
| | 02:31 |
workability amongst my team, I think that
would help inform our standards of hiring.
| | 02:35 |
Michelle: Wow, that sounds intriguing.
Say more.
| | 02:38 |
Eric: Well, as we grow as I see the
biggest dangers facing us, would be
| | 02:42 |
hiring players that are ego driven and
not idea driven.
| | 02:47 |
Michelle: Got it.
So are you ready to move on this idea?
| | 02:51 |
Put this goal front and center and get
started?
| | 02:54 |
Eric: Yes.
I, in fact, I'd like to work with Amanda
| | 02:56 |
in Marketing.
she's amazing.
| | 02:58 |
She's led a couple of our group
discussions.
| | 03:01 |
Michelle: Uh-huh.
Eric: And she's excellent at, at
| | 03:02 |
diffusing conflict.
Michelle: Great.
| | 03:04 |
So, what do you want to be accountable
for this week?
| | 03:07 |
Eric: I'll schedule a meeting with
Amanda.
| | 03:10 |
Michelle: Mm-hm, great.
>> As you can see vision conversations
| | 03:15 |
are exploratory and encourage people to
come up with next steps on their own.
| | 03:21 |
So now, let's focus on reflection
conversations.
| | 03:25 |
These are really about creating a pause
in the action, to anchor learning, and
| | 03:29 |
growth and results.
It's about assessment, acknowledgement,
| | 03:33 |
appreciation, and maybe even celebration.
So now let's fast forward a bit from the
| | 03:39 |
last conversation between Michelle and
Eric, to see how things unfolded.
| | 03:44 |
Michelle: Eric, I've had such incredible
feedback about your collaboration
| | 03:49 |
workshops with Amanda.
Everyone's talking about you two teaching
| | 03:54 |
this on a quarterly basis.
Eric: It was great.
| | 03:57 |
And I must say it's up there as a career
highlight.
| | 03:59 |
Michelle: Well, you've really done
something here.
| | 04:01 |
And not just for yourself and your team,
but also for Amanda and the organization
| | 04:05 |
as a whole.
Michelle: Now, before we lose this
| | 04:09 |
learning and jump into what's next, what
made this possible?
| | 04:14 |
Eric: well, I took notes the whole way.
Michelle: Mm-hm.
| | 04:16 |
Eric: So rather than just riff them off,
how about I take a day or so, complete
| | 04:20 |
the notes, and then get them to you by
the end of the week?
| | 04:24 |
Michelle: What about putting together a
presentation for the VPs?
| | 04:28 |
Hm?
Let's widen the base here.
| | 04:30 |
What do you think?
Eric: I like it.
| | 04:32 |
I mean, it sounds great.
Michelle: Yeah.
| | 04:34 |
Oh, I'm sorry.
I jumped right into what's next, didn't I?
| | 04:38 |
Oh, I'm sorry.
Let's circle back, because this is important.
| | 04:42 |
What did you learn about your ability to
lead that you didn't know before?
| | 04:47 |
Eric: You know, honestly it's about other
people.
| | 04:49 |
Michelle: Mm-hm.
Eric: Including the ability to invite,
| | 04:51 |
inspire, appreciate, and a commitment to
the big idea.
| | 04:55 |
Michelle: And what about yourself?
Eric: You, really, I, I'm more confident.
| | 04:58 |
I'm clear, I'm excited.
Um, (LAUGH) I'd like to take the time to
| | 05:02 |
thank you for giving me free reign to
completely own it.
| | 05:05 |
Michelle: You're welcome.
Good work.
| | 05:08 |
Eric: Thank you.
Michelle: Mm-hm.
| | 05:11 |
>> So notice that Michelle defaulted to
what's next and caught herself.
| | 05:16 |
You don't have to be superhuman to coach,
just human.
| | 05:20 |
As you engage in these core conversations
you'll hone your capacity to stick to the
| | 05:25 |
corner stones as well.
You'll build trust, inspire learning and
| | 05:30 |
expertise, and a purposefulness that
benefits you, your people, and your company.
| | 05:36 |
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|
|
2. Building Your Coaching SkillsUsing Power Talk Practices| 00:01 |
What we've covered so far is an overview
of the manager as coach model, along with
| | 00:05 |
examples of coaching in action with
Michelle and Eric.
| | 00:10 |
The remainder of this course is built
around PowerTalk practices, the tools
| | 00:13 |
you'll use for having short, frequent
conversations with the people you manage.
| | 00:19 |
Whether you're having a quick walk-by
conversation or one that's scheduled,
| | 00:23 |
you'll be naturally moving through most
of the power talk practices.
| | 00:27 |
So let's take a brief look at each
practice.
| | 00:30 |
The first practice is asking powerful
questions.
| | 00:33 |
As you've already seen with Eric and
Michelle, open ended question help the
| | 00:38 |
brain storming and discovery process.
The second practice is Listening.
| | 00:43 |
You'll be using active listening skills
to understand the subject of the
| | 00:47 |
conversation, to reveal thoughts and
beliefs, and to identify underlying
| | 00:51 |
issues or opportunities.
Next is Challenge, the process of helping
| | 00:57 |
your employee think beyond an issue or to
see new perspectives and head into bolder territory.
| | 01:06 |
The fourth practice is action.
This is what you'll do and by when.
| | 01:11 |
Your employee needs to generate their own
next steps and actions.
| | 01:15 |
Now coaching would not be coaching
without the fifth practice without accountability.
| | 01:21 |
This means holding your employees
responsible for taking action and meeting deadlines.
| | 01:27 |
And finally the sixth practice is
feedback.
| | 01:31 |
Together you review progress and take a
look at successes and challenges, what's
| | 01:36 |
working, what isn't, and what's next.
You'll be using most of the PowerTalk
| | 01:41 |
practices at some level in every
conversation.
| | 01:45 |
These practices will show up naturally in
your coaching conversations.
| | 01:49 |
If you feel you're losing track of the
focus, simply pause and say, I think
| | 01:53 |
we're drifting off topic.
Remember you're guiding, not directing.
| | 01:59 |
At first, you'll have to consciously
remind yourself to use the practices.
| | 02:03 |
But after a while, it can become second
nature.
| | 02:07 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Asking powerful questions| 00:01 |
Powerful questions are open-ended and
begin with who, what, when, where, why,
| | 00:05 |
or how.
Asking these kinds of questions triggers
| | 00:09 |
your employees to source their own ideas
and solutions.
| | 00:13 |
Questions like, do you like your new
office?
| | 00:16 |
Or, are you enjoying your work with Mary?
Are close-ended and can be answered with
| | 00:21 |
a simple yes or no.
Close ended questions do little to
| | 00:24 |
encourage conversation or self-awareness.
Likewise, when you feel you are about to
| | 00:30 |
give advice or offer criticism, you can
turn those statements into open-ended
| | 00:34 |
questions instead.
So, let's reframe the questions we ask as open-ended.
| | 00:40 |
For example, what do you think about your
new office?
| | 00:43 |
Or, how are things working with Mary?
These questions encourage thoughtfulness
| | 00:48 |
and draw out more information.
Let's take this a little further.
| | 00:52 |
Here's a brief coaching snippet with
Erica and Michelle that demonstrates
| | 00:56 |
powerful questions in action.
Keep an eye out for the bump in the road
| | 01:01 |
and how to redirect.
Michelle: So how's it going with your
| | 01:05 |
email and phone call triage?
Eric: Not so great.
| | 01:10 |
I've been tracking my emails every day,
and the average is 150.
| | 01:13 |
I don't know how anybody keeps up with
that amount of volume.
| | 01:16 |
Michelle: That is a lot of email.
Now last week you talked about carving
| | 01:20 |
out time at the beginning and the end of
each workday for email.
| | 01:24 |
How's that going?
Eric: Not so great.
| | 01:27 |
I mean, there's just not enough time.
I get bogged down trying to figure out
| | 01:30 |
which emails are most important.
Michelle: Well, they're not all of equal importance.
| | 01:34 |
I think you should choose the top three
project priorities and then make your
| | 01:38 |
decision from there.
Okay.
| | 01:40 |
I'll give it a try.
Michelle: Oh, I'm sorry.
| | 01:44 |
Let's, let's go back.
Sounds like your seeing the vast ocean of
| | 01:48 |
emails and even with the hour of focused
attention, you don't know where to start.
| | 01:55 |
Is that more accurate?
Eric: Yes, I get very anxious.
| | 01:59 |
I'm nervous that I'm going to miss
something or that people are going to
| | 02:01 |
think I'm slow or that I'm slacking.
Michelle: That's an interesting perspective.
| | 02:05 |
Is it true?
Eric: Well, (SOUND) maybe.
| | 02:07 |
But actually, I'm the opposite of a
slacker.
| | 02:11 |
Michelle: So, what is your expectation
about what you should be able to do?
| | 02:16 |
Eric: I should be able to create a
system.
| | 02:18 |
get it started.
Michelle: Mm-hm.
| | 02:21 |
Eric: And then call it done.
Michelle: That's a great idea.
| | 02:24 |
What would it look like?
>> Okay.
| | 02:28 |
A few things to notice about that
interaction.
| | 02:32 |
Michelle took Eric's lead.
She acknowledged his perspectives and
| | 02:36 |
feelings, and worked with them, not
against them.
| | 02:39 |
Michelle may have opinions and criticisms
she could offer.
| | 02:43 |
But Eric's self-assessment is far more
empowering.
| | 02:46 |
Notice also that Michelle went off track
and tried to fix Eric's challenge and
| | 02:50 |
then quickly redirected herself.
Transparency is the best avenue for self correcting.
| | 02:59 |
Be sure to take a look at the exercise
guide for powerful questions to help you
| | 03:02 |
master this skill.
And here's one thing you can do
| | 03:05 |
immediately to move things from
intellectual to practical.
| | 03:10 |
Use these questions every day, all day
long with everyone, starting now.
| | 03:15 |
Experiment with your family and friends.
This is good because not only will you
| | 03:20 |
get practice, but it might also improve
the quality of your relationships.
| | 03:27 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Becoming an active listener| 00:00 |
Listening, this is the most important
practice in your coaching toolbox.
| | 00:07 |
The challenge is, that in our everyday
conversations we're full of preconceived
| | 00:10 |
ideas about what's being said and what we
think people mean and where we think the
| | 00:14 |
conversation is headed.
We're listening for what we want to hear
| | 00:19 |
and filtering things through our opinions
and biases and we're waiting for a space
| | 00:23 |
to interject our perspective.
Coaching requires a different kind of listening.
| | 00:29 |
So let's go back to Eric, with his new
responsibilities as team lead he's
| | 00:33 |
recently been challenged by a ton of
emails.
| | 00:37 |
He's missing deadlines and reacting
irritably to new requests.
| | 00:42 |
As his manager you might think the
solution is simple.
| | 00:45 |
He just needs a couple of focused hours
to clean things up, purge his inbox and
| | 00:49 |
make daily to do lists.
So you give him a little direction then
| | 00:54 |
off he goes, but that kind of fix comes
from listening from the outside in.
| | 01:00 |
The solution may work temporarily, but
your employee's being directed not
| | 01:04 |
empowered and it also means that you're
doing the work of generating that solution.
| | 01:11 |
So how do you move from giving
instruction to inspiring self guided
| | 01:15 |
choices and actions?
Here are four strategies.
| | 01:20 |
1, Be present.
Once you're sitting down face-to-face
| | 01:23 |
ready for your power talk, your objective
is to clear your mind, set aside your own
| | 01:27 |
to-do list and make yourself present and
available, that's your goal.
| | 01:33 |
2, Minimize potential distraction by
closing your door and turning off ringers
| | 01:38 |
and alerts, take a moment to unplug and
focus.
| | 01:44 |
3, Give cues that you're listening.
You can do this verbally by saying things
| | 01:49 |
like, Uh-huh, mm-hm, and yes and through
body language, by nodding and smiling occasionally.
| | 01:56 |
4, Reflect what you hear.
Again, our assumptions and judgments can
| | 02:02 |
cloud what we hear, your role is to
understand what's being said.
| | 02:07 |
Saying things like, what I'm hearing is
or it sounds like you're saying, are
| | 02:11 |
excellent starts at getting to clarity.
It takes a lot of discipline to listen well.
| | 02:18 |
You're not just gathering information so
you can craft a response.
| | 02:23 |
You're listening so you can be of service
to your employees' immediate agenda, as
| | 02:28 |
well as the long-tail vision of their
careers.
| | 02:32 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Challenging your employees for growth| 00:01 |
You could say that all of coaching is
about challenge.
| | 00:05 |
Helping your team members stretch beyond
current capacity.
| | 00:08 |
But challenge is personal.
And what may be challenging in a good way
| | 00:12 |
for one person, might be challenging in a
bad way for another.
| | 00:16 |
For example, performing a skit for a
holiday party might be exciting for you.
| | 00:21 |
And a complete nightmare for the person
you're coaching.
| | 00:23 |
So there are three key aspects to
challenges.
| | 00:28 |
One, it has to take people to or past
their current comfort zone.
| | 00:32 |
Two, a challenge has to include some
brainstorming to find an authentic,
| | 00:37 |
relevant action.
And three, it has to be accepted for it
| | 00:42 |
to be a true challenge.
So let's go back to Eric.
| | 00:46 |
He started out by setting a few goals and
discovered a few places he was stuck or blocked.
| | 00:52 |
He then identified that he needed to
create an overall system to manage his
| | 00:55 |
projects and priorities.
Fast forward a bit and let's say we find
| | 01:00 |
Eric's been moving the dial on his goals
and he's even requested help from a
| | 01:03 |
productivity expert.
Let's jump into a coaching session with
| | 01:08 |
Eric and see what challenge looks like in
action.
| | 01:12 |
Michelle: Great job Eric, you really
pulled out all the stops by working with
| | 01:16 |
a productivity expert.
Eric: It was amazing working with Sam.
| | 01:21 |
I never knew it could be that simple.
as a matter of fact I think the whole
| | 01:26 |
team can benefit from the same systems
and practices.
| | 01:29 |
and what I would like to do is to
implement my system with my team.
| | 01:33 |
Michelle: Great idea.
Eric: No, but I'm going to have to be
| | 01:35 |
their buy in.
Michelle: No, no, it's a great idea.
| | 01:37 |
How do you want to handle it?
Eric: Hire Sam to do it.
| | 01:40 |
Michelle: It's not going to happen.
It's not in the budget.
| | 01:45 |
what are some other ideas other than
hiring Sam?
| | 01:50 |
Eric: It seems that every good idea I
have, winds up with me being the person
| | 01:54 |
who has to carry it out.
I just don't think it's fair to me to
| | 01:57 |
have to, you know, constantly dump things
on one of my team members.
| | 02:01 |
Michelle: Dump?
Now, remember your leadership goal?
| | 02:05 |
I think the words you used were invite,
inspire, collaborate?
| | 02:11 |
Where is this resistance coming from?
Eric: I just, I just don't like being
| | 02:15 |
bossy, that's all.
Michelle: Oh, yeah, I can completely
| | 02:17 |
understand that.
Alright, do you want me to let you off
| | 02:21 |
the hook and scrap this leadership goal?
Eric: No.
| | 02:26 |
Well, look, I want to complete the goal.
It's just hard.
| | 02:29 |
Michelle: Okay, well, now then, let's
refocus.
| | 02:32 |
What are your core values as a leader?
Eric: That would be inspiration and collaboration.
| | 02:39 |
collaboration is key and my job is to
inspire, not to dump.
| | 02:45 |
Michelle: Right.
So, do you think you can get everyone's
| | 02:47 |
buy in on your new process from a place
of collaboration and inspiration?
| | 02:52 |
Eric: I, I do, totally but I just kind of
got my life organized and now you're
| | 02:56 |
asking me to take on more.
Michelle: Oh it's not what I want, it's
| | 03:00 |
what you've expressed you want.
So how does the perspective of
| | 03:05 |
collaboration and inspiration translate
to more work for you?
| | 03:10 |
Eric: Okay.
I think I got it.
| | 03:17 |
I need to first delegate to my team and
then see what kind of push back I get.
| | 03:21 |
Michelle: Right, are you ready to test
your new system and your leadership?
| | 03:28 |
Eric: I am.
I'm completely ready to do that.
| | 03:30 |
what I would like to do is collaborate
with Garrett, and get his buy in on it as well.
| | 03:34 |
Michelle: Okay, that'll be your homework
this week.
| | 03:36 |
Share your process with Garrett and see
what you can generate with him.
| | 03:39 |
Eric: Okay.
Michelle: Your game.
| | 03:41 |
Eric: Yes, I'm completely in agreement
with that.
| | 03:43 |
Michelle: Alright.
Then I will see you on Friday.
| | 03:45 |
Eric: Okay, thank you.
Michelle: You're welcome.
| | 03:50 |
>> Okay, the guideline here, is to
challenge people, where they are and
| | 03:53 |
where they're headed, in a way that
genuine.
| | 03:57 |
Remember the three key aspects.
Take them past their comfort zone.
| | 04:02 |
Brainstorm for an authentic challenge,
and make sure the challenge is accepted.
| | 04:08 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Finding next steps and building momentum| 00:01 |
The first three Power Talk practices,
asking question, listening, and
| | 00:05 |
challenging, will almost always point you
in the direction of next steps.
| | 00:10 |
The actions people need to take to
accomplish their goals.
| | 00:13 |
But, if your employee is foggy about what
action to take, a little investigation in
| | 00:17 |
the form of powerful questions will help
them discover not just one but many
| | 00:21 |
possibilities for action.
For Eric he's finding ways to activate
| | 00:27 |
his leadership while maintaining the flow
of his productivity.
| | 00:31 |
He may need more skills, more
information, or more challenging assignments.
| | 00:37 |
Notice that we're just now verging on the
how piece of the conversation.
| | 00:41 |
The reason is that your employee will
express a range of needs and goals.
| | 00:45 |
And you want to make sure you don't just
skate along the surface and take action
| | 00:49 |
on the first idea.
Good coaching fosters deep self-awareness
| | 00:53 |
and ownership of big ideas.
So here are a few more questions that
| | 00:58 |
will encourage the next right action.
Given all the possibilities, what do you
| | 01:03 |
want to tackle first?
Or which idea will give you the most
| | 01:06 |
learning potential?
And which idea will get you closest to
| | 01:10 |
your top goals and priorities this
quarter?
| | 01:15 |
I want to give you a heads up here, a
power tip.
| | 01:18 |
You need to hold up your end of the
bargain and walk the talk to keep trust
| | 01:22 |
and commitment high.
What your employees choose as a next
| | 01:26 |
right action might involve gaining access
to people, resources, or training.
| | 01:31 |
Things you will likely have a hand in
orchestrating, or at least approving.
| | 01:37 |
If Eric decides he needs some leadership
training or an online course; it's
| | 01:41 |
imperative that that commitment and the
time to accomplish it be protected, and
| | 01:45 |
not interrupted by the urgency of the
moment.
| | 01:50 |
So, brainstorm with your people to
discover possible actions, and remember
| | 01:55 |
to let them take the lead.
| | 01:58 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Managing accountability| 00:00 |
Simply stated, accountability involves
making agreements and closing the loop on
| | 00:05 |
three questions.
What, by when, and how will I know.
| | 00:10 |
What is your employee agreeing to?
When will they do it?
| | 00:13 |
And how will you know they accomplished
it?
| | 00:16 |
In between making the agreement and
closing the loop, lie all kinds of
| | 00:20 |
learning opportunities.
This is where your employee takes the
| | 00:24 |
what, and turns it into how.
Obviously, some actions and agreements
| | 00:29 |
are simple or transactional.
Like scheduling a networking lunch and
| | 00:33 |
reporting back about the results.
Others may involve more complex details,
| | 00:38 |
like organizing a charity event your
company is sponsoring.
| | 00:42 |
With long tail agreements like that,
you'll want to guide your employee to
| | 00:46 |
establish accountability milestones.
Encourage them to take responsibility for
| | 00:52 |
how and when they'll communicate their
progress.
| | 00:56 |
This may be all review for you, but
there's another layer of learning here to
| | 01:00 |
take on.
Missed deadlines, botched actions,
| | 01:03 |
procrastination, and forgetfulness are
all of the territory.
| | 01:08 |
In other words, failure has to be an
option.
| | 01:12 |
It's another opportunity for growth.
For you, this means support your
| | 01:16 |
employee, don't belittle their missteps.
So let's take a look at how this might
| | 01:21 |
play out with our coachee Eric.
He's been trying to get his team to
| | 01:25 |
implement his system and he's having
challenges getting their buy-in.
| | 01:28 |
So in this coaching session we'll blend a
little bit from action and accountability.
| | 01:34 |
Eric: Bottom line.
Uh-huh.
| | 01:37 |
Everyone feels the whole project is
going to create a new system that
| | 01:40 |
going to break down just like the rest.
Michelle: look.
| | 01:43 |
I know you're frustrated.
Well why don't we turn this around, and
| | 01:47 |
look at things from their perspective.
Now what would you need if you were in
| | 01:53 |
their shoes?
Eric: I don't know.
| | 01:55 |
probably brainstorming more exploration.
It is possible we moved to solution too fast.
| | 02:02 |
Michelle: Mm-hm.
Eric: I didn't give him enough time to think.
| | 02:05 |
Michelle: All right.
And what's the prescription here?
| | 02:06 |
Eric: (LAUGH).
I'd like to bag the whole idea.
| | 02:09 |
Michelle: Well that's one option.
Eric: you know, I, I like to put it all
| | 02:12 |
together and say, you know what, the
system is, needs fixing.
| | 02:18 |
You know, you do it.
You figure it out.
| | 02:20 |
Michelle: I know you're frustrated but
that actually sounds like a good idea to me.
| | 02:24 |
Now, how can you turn that around and
reframe it in a way that inspires the
| | 02:28 |
team to take ownership?
Eric: Okay.
| | 02:32 |
Well, I know I just can't say, you fix
it.
| | 02:35 |
I have to keep everyone focused on the
big commitment to the big idea.
| | 02:39 |
Michelle: Mm-hm.
Eric: We're going to be adding five team
| | 02:41 |
members at end of the quarter, and I need
to find, to develop a scalable system.
| | 02:45 |
Michelle: So, what if the team comes up
with a better plan than your original proposal?
| | 02:49 |
Eric: You kidding?
I'm all for it.
| | 02:52 |
Michelle: Okay.
So let's wrap up here.
| | 02:54 |
Let's set a deadline for the team's
proposal to put that on the table.
| | 02:59 |
Eric: How about end of next week?
Michelle: Sounds good.
| | 03:02 |
Now, how are you going to get that to me?
Eric: Can I email it to you?
| | 03:05 |
Michelle: Sure.
And who will be helping you create this proposal?
| | 03:10 |
Eric: everyone on the team.
This is going to be rough.
| | 03:16 |
Michelle: listen Eric.
I am not going to agree with you about
| | 03:22 |
what you think you can't do.
Now listen, you can do this.
| | 03:29 |
Eric: I know you're right.
(LAUGH).
| | 03:32 |
Thanks.
Michelle: You're welcome.
| | 03:36 |
>> Okay.
Notice that Eric started out by
| | 03:39 |
complaining about his team, a familiar
refrain for him.
| | 03:43 |
But Michelle was smart, she didn't add
fuel to the fire.
| | 03:46 |
An when Eric expressed his self doubt,
she kept things moving forward by
| | 03:50 |
focusing on his top level goal,
leadership.
| | 03:54 |
And once Eric discovered what actions he
would take next, Michelle was able to
| | 03:59 |
guide him toward accountability by asking
him for a deadline and deliverables.
| | 04:05 |
So, inspiring action and getting to
accountability means holding people to
| | 04:09 |
their big picture goals and outcomes, and
not letting them slide when things get a
| | 04:13 |
bit messy.
I admit, standing strong like this takes courage.
| | 04:19 |
But the payoff is immense.
| | 04:23 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Giving future-focused feedback| 00:01 |
In coaching for employee development, you
want to give future-focused feedback.
| | 00:06 |
Typical performance measurements usually
focus on what happened and provide
| | 00:10 |
constructive criticism about how things
should have been done.
| | 00:14 |
In other words, it's focused on the past.
You know yourself.
| | 00:18 |
If you tend to default to constructive
criticism, learning to focus on the
| | 00:22 |
future may take a little practice.
So, we're going to jump into two short
| | 00:26 |
conversations with Eric and Michelle.
To demonstrate the impact of both kinds
| | 00:32 |
of conversations.
Let's say Eric missed his promised
| | 00:35 |
deadline of getting a new proposal on the
table.
| | 00:38 |
First the constructive criticism
approach.
| | 00:42 |
Michelle: So what's the struggle with the
proposal, you've missed two deadlines.
| | 00:47 |
Eric: Yes, I'm sorry about that.
It's just taking more time to collaborate
| | 00:50 |
on the collaboration than I originally
thought.
| | 00:53 |
Michelle: Well, you're, you should have
given me a heads up.
| | 00:56 |
Eric: Mm.
Michelle: Remember how we always talked
| | 00:58 |
about closing the loop?
Eric: yes.
| | 01:01 |
And again, I apologize.
it's been very difficult trying to get
| | 01:03 |
everyone's schedules together so we can
meet.
| | 01:05 |
And then, when we do meet, I've got Ann,
I've got Dave and they're just super
| | 01:08 |
critical on everything and it just really
slows down on the process.
| | 01:12 |
Michelle: Yes, but you should have told
me.
| | 01:14 |
And, and here's the thing.
I think you need to rise above
| | 01:18 |
personality and just show a little more
muscle in your leadership.
| | 01:22 |
Eric: I can agree with that but it goes
counter to collaboration.
| | 01:28 |
And I don't want to make the same mistake
before where I just pushed everything
| | 01:31 |
ahead before everyone was heard.
Michelle: But, (SOUND) why didn't you
| | 01:35 |
call these people out when they were
being uncooperative?
| | 01:38 |
Eric: You're right, I should have.
But things are just tense enough already.
| | 01:43 |
Michelle: Hm.
And so it goes.
| | 01:49 |
Constructive criticism is effective in
some contexts, but to Eric, Michelle's
| | 01:54 |
feedback felt like judgement and
criticism and stopped the forward momentum.
| | 02:00 |
So now, let's take a look at feedback
that focuses on future solutions.
| | 02:04 |
Michelle: So Eric, I just found out that
you missed two deadlines.
| | 02:11 |
Let's see if we can't clean up our
agreement around accountability.
| | 02:15 |
Eric: Yes, and again I'm sorry that I
didn't keep you in the loop.
| | 02:20 |
I just didn't know how you would react,
when you found out I missed my deadline.
| | 02:24 |
Michelle: Oh I understand.
I'm not going to wave my finger at you.
| | 02:27 |
We've all missed deadlines.
I'm more interested in what we need to
| | 02:30 |
add to our accountability agreements.
Eric: Well, we could add a check-in
| | 02:34 |
before the final deadline.
Michelle: Sounds good, yeah.
| | 02:41 |
So, what's happening with the team and
the proposal?
| | 02:45 |
Eric: Well things aren't going so great I
just can't get seem them, to get them to
| | 02:48 |
agree on anything.
Michelle: What do they need to get on board?
| | 02:52 |
Eric: I could use one of your tactics,
and ask more open ended questions.
| | 02:57 |
That way, I could get them to talk more
about what the problem is, and find out
| | 03:01 |
what's bogging them down.
Michelle: Great insight, and what would
| | 03:05 |
that do for you that isn't happening now?
Well it could allow me to connect better
| | 03:11 |
with my team.
to inspire them to have more creativity
| | 03:15 |
and more problem solving.
That way things wouldn't flat-line so easily.
| | 03:24 |
>> Okay.
Here's the most important thing to notice
| | 03:26 |
about future-focused feedback.
We can't change the past, but we can
| | 03:30 |
influence the future.
So, I want to give you a couple of
| | 03:35 |
thoughts about why focusing on the future
is more effective.
| | 03:39 |
Research shows that when we highlight how
people went wrong, it builds
| | 03:42 |
defensiveness, because it puts the
spotlight on mistakes and shortcomings.
| | 03:48 |
But future-focused feedback sidesteps
this personal critique in favor of
| | 03:52 |
teasing out what's possible and what
might be improved in the future.
| | 03:58 |
So ultimately, this feedback is more
efficient because the ideas and solutions
| | 04:02 |
your employees generate on their own.
Tend to be adopted with more commitment.
| | 04:08 |
It's the kind of feedback that comes from
leadership, and inspires leadership.
| | 04:14 |
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|
3. Giving Your Team Tools for Growth and DevelopmentUsing questionnaires and self-assessments| 00:00 |
I want to give you a couple more tools to
deepen your coaching toolbox.
| | 00:05 |
Right now, we'll focus on two
self-assessments, both of which are
| | 00:08 |
provided in your exercise guide.
First, the Discovery Questionnaire, this
| | 00:13 |
is a set of deep questions that help you
create a foundation for working with your employees.
| | 00:19 |
For some people, completing the Discovery
Questionnaire may be the first time
| | 00:23 |
they've ever pondered the bigger
questions about their work and life.
| | 00:29 |
And for you, the answers they provide may
reveal new or unexpected strengths that
| | 00:33 |
can be tapped in the future.
The questionnaire focuses first on
| | 00:37 |
assessing your employees current role
with questions like, what do you love
| | 00:41 |
about your work and what do you wish you
could change?
| | 00:46 |
Next, you want to capture achievements
and goals by asking questions like, what
| | 00:50 |
do you want to accomplish this year or
where do you see yourself in the next
| | 00:54 |
five years?
The next area of the assessment deals
| | 00:58 |
with identifying work styles, with
questions like, how well do you keep your
| | 01:03 |
promises to yourself and others or how
satisfied are you with your level of productivity?
| | 01:11 |
And finally vision questions like, if you
were the CEO, where would you take this
| | 01:15 |
company or if you could change the world,
what problems would you solve?
| | 01:22 |
The Discovery Questionnaire takes time
and goes deep.
| | 01:26 |
The information you gather can be
referred to throughout your coaching relationship.
| | 01:31 |
As initial goals and priorities are
addressed and put back into action, you
| | 01:34 |
can go back to the questionnaire to
capture what's next.
| | 01:39 |
I recommend taking some time to complete
the questionnaire yourself to give you a
| | 01:43 |
sense of the work you're asking your
people to do.
| | 01:47 |
Next, is a career capture self assessment
called Looking Back to Move Forward.
| | 01:54 |
It's a fairly detailed exercise in which
your employees look back over their lives
| | 01:58 |
and careers and recapture their
accomplishments to discover their
| | 02:02 |
strengths and their values and repeating
themes.
| | 02:08 |
The benefit of this exercise for you, the
manager, is to help people translate
| | 02:12 |
their experience into career narratives.
Career narratives are stories that
| | 02:17 |
demonstrate the benefits your employees
bring to the organization.
| | 02:23 |
People already use these narratives
naturally.
| | 02:25 |
These stories come out in job interviews,
annual reviews, when networking or
| | 02:30 |
talking with a perspective client.
Going through this exercise with your
| | 02:36 |
employees will help them get an accurate
read on their true talents and learn to
| | 02:40 |
present themselves with confidence.
And when you empower your employees with
| | 02:46 |
the skills to present themselves well, it
can open doors to all kinds of opportunities.
| | 02:51 |
The best of which can include promotions
and new business, this is a foundational
| | 02:57 |
career skill.
Take a look at the exercise guide for
| | 03:01 |
both the Discovery Questionnaire and
Looking Back to Move Forward, you may
| | 03:05 |
decide to use one or the other or both.
So, whatever you choose, you'll be
| | 03:11 |
working together to establish a strong
foundation.
| | 03:16 |
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| Team sourcing and influence interviews| 00:01 |
I'm going to change things up a bit and
give you two more feedback ideas that can
| | 00:04 |
be easily integrated into your everyday
work life and your coaching time with employees.
| | 00:10 |
So, what do you think it would be like to
ask someone what they really think of you
| | 00:15 |
personally, professionally?
I call this an Influence Interview.
| | 00:21 |
The Influence Interview is when you
intentionally seek out people who really
| | 00:25 |
know you, like your family, friends, and
colleagues, and the goal is to find out
| | 00:29 |
how they perceive you: what you do well,
and what you need to work on.
| | 00:37 |
The Influence Interview is an advanced
technique, and it's not for everyone.
| | 00:41 |
But stay with me.
Although this exercise can be scary, it's
| | 00:45 |
powerful and can really be a game-changer
in how you work with each other and how
| | 00:49 |
you connect and how you solve problems.
A little tip here.
| | 00:55 |
Your employee needs to reassure the
people they interview that they won't be
| | 00:58 |
rebutting or defending.
They're simply taking it all in.
| | 01:04 |
To keep things simple and straight
forward ask your employee to conduct the
| | 01:07 |
interviews in a concentrated time frame.
And give interviewee a list of questions
| | 01:13 |
focused on two things: strengths and
reality checks.
| | 01:18 |
So strengths.
These are questions like: What are my
| | 01:21 |
greatest strengths?
What skills can I be counted on for, or
| | 01:24 |
what strengths and skills have been most
helpful to you?
| | 01:30 |
And reality checks.
These are questions like: Where do you
| | 01:33 |
see me struggle?
How do I get in my own way?
| | 01:37 |
What can I do right now to improve?
Or what would you do if you were me?
| | 01:42 |
The goal in these conversations is to
gather perspectives that your people can
| | 01:46 |
use to deepen their understanding of
themselves and their impact on others.
| | 01:54 |
Next we'll talk about team sourcing, or
using the knowledge and expertise of your
| | 01:58 |
team to drive engagement and innovation.
As a manager, you should have a pretty
| | 02:05 |
good sense of where your organization is
headed and an understanding of the
| | 02:08 |
challenges facing your industry as a
whole.
| | 02:13 |
But what about your employees?
What insights do they have?
| | 02:17 |
There is likely some really good ideas
you haven't heard.
| | 02:21 |
So in your next team meeting, launch the
idea of team sourcing.
| | 02:26 |
Here's how it works: ask everyone what
they want to learn.
| | 02:30 |
Encourage them to choose what inspires
them.
| | 02:33 |
Don't be critical of topics.
You'll hear things like researching
| | 02:36 |
industry news or keeping up with what the
competition is doing.
| | 02:41 |
They also might come up with not so
obvious connections like learning from
| | 02:45 |
hobbies or being inspired by the arts or
nature.
| | 02:50 |
So carve out time in your meetings for
your people to share what they've learned.
| | 02:55 |
It doesn't have to be formal this can
just be 5 to 10 minutes to share discoveries.
| | 03:00 |
The important thing here is to have the
conversations.
| | 03:04 |
Implementing both influence interviews
and team sourcing can be transformational
| | 03:09 |
for your business.
Insights will surface and those insights
| | 03:14 |
may just turn into new initiatives or
products or services.
| | 03:19 |
Over time, you'll not only have committed
employees but valuable partners in your organization.
| | 03:27 |
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| Aligning professional goals with company objectives| 00:01 |
Up until now, we've been focusing on
coaching to guide your employees to set
| | 00:04 |
and accomplish their workplace and career
goals.
| | 00:08 |
Now, we're going to take a look at a
couple of activities that will help your
| | 00:12 |
employees align their professional goals
with organizational objectives, so
| | 00:16 |
everything syncs up.
First is setting SMART goals.
| | 00:21 |
SMART is an acronym that stands for
Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
| | 00:26 |
Relevant, and Timely.
SMART goals provide the framework for
| | 00:30 |
accountability and the basis for
PowerTalk conversations, also, quarterly
| | 00:35 |
goal meetings and annual review
conversations.
| | 00:39 |
Here's how you test a goal for SMARTness.
S is for specific.
| | 00:45 |
This means your goal needs to clearly and
specifically state what you're trying to achieve.
| | 00:50 |
Answering these questions.
What is your goal?
| | 00:53 |
Why is it important?
And who is involved?
| | 00:56 |
M is for measurable.
In other words, how will you know if you
| | 00:59 |
are making progress towards your goal?
Can you quantify it?
| | 01:04 |
A is for attainable.
While you want to stretch people to grow
| | 01:08 |
them, you don't want to go so extreme
that their goals are unreachable.
| | 01:13 |
R is for relevant.
A relevant goal will answer, yes, to
| | 01:17 |
these questions.
Is the goal worthwhile?
| | 01:21 |
Is it the right time?
Does this match our other initiatives and goals?
| | 01:26 |
And, am I the right person?
T is for timely, and simply answers the
| | 01:31 |
question, When will you achieve your
goal?
| | 01:35 |
It's a good idea to identify incremental
goals as well.
| | 01:39 |
Okay, so far so good.
Our next activity is to investigate the
| | 01:45 |
gaps between your employee's current
capacity and organizational needs.
| | 01:51 |
We've been anticipating these gaps in the
Grow Model questions, in the self
| | 01:55 |
assessments, and in the SMART goals work.
So at this point, you should have a good
| | 02:01 |
understanding of your employees' gaps
well ahead of deadlines and annual reviews.
| | 02:08 |
So I want to give you a simple set of gap
questions you can ask your employees to
| | 02:12 |
identify and manage the gaps.
First, focus on skills.
| | 02:17 |
Ask your people, what skills do I need to
improve my contribution or expand my
| | 02:22 |
scope in my current role?
And what skills do I need to progress in
| | 02:28 |
my career?
Next, address the impact of developing
| | 02:33 |
new competencies.
Ask your people, how will I use these
| | 02:37 |
skills in my current role?
And how will my growth generate better
| | 02:42 |
results for my team?
Third, focus on the future.
| | 02:47 |
Ask your people, how will mastering these
skills prepare you for expanded responsibilities?
| | 02:53 |
And how will your professional growth
impact the organization?
| | 02:57 |
And finally, focus on the how and ask,
what are your next steps?
| | 03:03 |
Goals are really a contract between you,
your team, and the organization.
| | 03:09 |
Goals are the foundation of your
PowerTalk conversations.
| | 03:13 |
They generate accountability and act as a
tool for tracking progress and outcomes.
| | 03:20 |
Combining PowerTalk practices with SMART
goals and identifying the gaps will give
| | 03:25 |
you and your team clarity and a sense of
purpose.
| | 03:30 |
People will understand where they fit in
and how they bring value to their roles
| | 03:33 |
and the organization.
Put all this together with quarterly
| | 03:38 |
meetings and the annual review should
just show up as a formality, in which
| | 03:44 |
there are really no surprises.
| | 03:48 |
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4. Maintaining the Coaching CycleDesigning stretch opportunities| 00:01 |
Research into human motivation tells us
that we're less motivated by money and
| | 00:04 |
reward than we are by our ability to
direct our own lives.
| | 00:09 |
To learn and create new things and to do
better by ourselves and our world.
| | 00:15 |
What that research means to me is that
people want to know that they have value,
| | 00:18 |
and that they matter.
These are people who want to learn and
| | 00:23 |
put that learning to the test they want
to stretch.
| | 00:28 |
So let's talk about what stretch
opportunities might look like in your organization.
| | 00:33 |
What about formal education?
In your company getting an advanced
| | 00:37 |
degree like an MBA might be an employee
benefit.
| | 00:41 |
This is as much of an enticement to a
high achiever, as it is to somebody just
| | 00:44 |
starting out in their career.
So when you first start coaching your
| | 00:49 |
employees, be sure to ask what their
educational goals are, and see if you can
| | 00:54 |
find ways to meet them.
Informal education opportunities include
| | 01:00 |
workshops, conferences, and say,
Community College courses and online
| | 01:04 |
resources like webinars and e-learning
courses.
| | 01:08 |
They allow your employees to work at
their own pace and time without the
| | 01:12 |
limits of geography.
Next, networking and mentoring gives you
| | 01:18 |
the opportunity to share the load of
management.
| | 01:22 |
What you're doing here is facilitating
connections between your employees, and
| | 01:26 |
leaders inside and outside your
organization.
| | 01:30 |
When your employee's ready to find a
mentor, ask them to answer these questions.
| | 01:35 |
Who's path do I want to follow?
Who might be able to connect me to that person?
| | 01:41 |
While mentoring is fabulous, I recommend
putting a little skin in the game by
| | 01:46 |
sponsoring your high achievers.
Now, sponsoring isn't about money here.
| | 01:52 |
It's about being an active advocate and
putting your reputation behind somebody,
| | 01:56 |
making introductions and creating new
connections to help your people advance
| | 02:00 |
in their careers.
Depending on your company you may also be
| | 02:05 |
able to implement job rotations and
shadowing, either inside or outside your department.
| | 02:14 |
Here's a twist on job rotations that
might work for you.
| | 02:18 |
Early in my career, I was working in a
large public relations firm and we were
| | 02:21 |
short on staff in our department.
We were pretty frustrated and overworked,
| | 02:26 |
you know the story.
So, my boss sat us down and asked each of
| | 02:31 |
us how do we fix this?
What do you want to do?
| | 02:34 |
What do you want to do?
We all looked at the objectives of our
| | 02:38 |
department and tossed out our job
descriptions.
| | 02:42 |
We then chose duties that fit our
individual talents and allowed us to grow.
| | 02:47 |
We were far more collaborative and we all
walked away with new skills and strengths
| | 02:51 |
in the process.
So, what did this mean for the business?
| | 02:57 |
We exceeded targets and inspired other
managers to adopt this idea.
| | 03:03 |
There are other ways to grow your people
right where they are, like stretch projects.
| | 03:09 |
Stretch projects are challenge
assignments and the idea here is to take
| | 03:12 |
your people outside their comfort zone.
Outside the normal expected everyday work routine.
| | 03:20 |
With any of the learning choices your
employees want to tackle, here are some
| | 03:24 |
tips to remember.
Identify early what your people want to
| | 03:28 |
learn, and make sure those objectives
also align with your department or
| | 03:33 |
company objectives.
Ask them to investigate what internal and
| | 03:38 |
external resources are available.
Make sure your employees create a
| | 03:44 |
timeline for accomplishing their goals.
And do everything you can to protect that
| | 03:49 |
timeline from getting swallowed up by
emergencies.
| | 03:53 |
Next, ask your people how they want to
debrief their learning, and how they want
| | 03:57 |
to put it into practice.
A final thought here.
| | 04:02 |
A great way to lock in what you've
learned is to teach others.
| | 04:07 |
You very likely have somebody on your
team who'd be great at coaching.
| | 04:12 |
So why not share what you're getting out
of this course with them.
| | 04:15 |
Not only is this great for productivity,
but now, you have a leader in the making.
| | 04:23 |
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| Working through blind spots and resistance| 00:01 |
Employee development coaching is all
about change, and change is hard for most people.
| | 00:07 |
As you observed with Eric, you will
encounter some kind of resistance or push
| | 00:11 |
back during the process.
It's important to say that not everyone
| | 00:16 |
wants to be coached, and not everyone is
coachable.
| | 00:20 |
So it would be a mistake to make coaching
mandatory for all your employees.
| | 00:25 |
In fact, that's a strategy that will
backfire.
| | 00:29 |
Instead, start with the people who are
ready and allow the benefits to percolate
| | 00:33 |
through the team naturally.
Oddly someone who expresses readiness for
| | 00:38 |
coaching may also not be coachable.
When your employees complete the self
| | 00:44 |
assessment tools provided in this course,
use the information you gather to test
| | 00:48 |
for coachability.
If you sense your employee isn't
| | 00:52 |
coachable, maybe you get one-word answers
or I don't know, this is a cue to
| | 00:56 |
challenge or stretch them.
Or it's time to table the work until
| | 01:01 |
they're really ready to participate.
So now, let's focus on your coachable employees.
| | 01:08 |
Even with your coachable people, the
first objection you're likely to hear is, why?
| | 01:14 |
Are things really that bad?
What am I doing wrong?
| | 01:18 |
For your high achievers, you can easily
assure them that this is the very
| | 01:21 |
opposite, and what you're up to is
accelerating their growth and
| | 01:24 |
opportunities for advancement.
For those who may be underperforming,
| | 01:30 |
give them future focused assurances, like
I want to make sure we're using your
| | 01:34 |
strengths and we're finding ways to help
you be successful.
| | 01:40 |
As you get things rolling in your
employee coaching program, what else is
| | 01:43 |
likely to happen?
Pretty much everything that's already happening.
| | 01:48 |
Showing up late, forgetting meetings,
missing deadlines, or not participating
| | 01:52 |
full out, and gossiping about other team
members.
| | 01:56 |
So, what do you do?
Here are some rules of thumb and some of
| | 02:01 |
this is review.
One, don't take it personally.
| | 02:05 |
Instead be curious and try to focus on
the problem and not the people.
| | 02:11 |
Two, ask open-ended questions to each and
every issue or objection.
| | 02:18 |
If you feel a criticism about to leave
your lips, pause, and turn it into an
| | 02:21 |
open-ended question.
Three, give people time to vent without
| | 02:27 |
interruption or feedback.
Sometimes people get swept up in the
| | 02:32 |
moment, in the project, and things go
from bad to worse, and they just need to
| | 02:36 |
let off steam.
Along those lines, here are two more
| | 02:40 |
coaching tips.
Acknowledge, but don't commiserate.
| | 02:45 |
The worse thing we can do as coaches is
to agree with our people's limiting beliefs.
| | 02:50 |
Instead, just listen.
Acknowledge and reassure, nod your head,
| | 02:54 |
and say with as much compassion as
possible, okay, got it.
| | 03:00 |
Let's make a plan to move forward.
One final piece of resistance I want to
| | 03:06 |
deal with is disengagement.
Your employee shows up, sits back, and
| | 03:10 |
doesn't offer much in the way of
conversation.
| | 03:14 |
They avoid eye contact, give one word
answers.
| | 03:17 |
They sit with folded arms, or they use
dismissive physical gestures.
| | 03:22 |
In the coaching world, this is known as
geography.
| | 03:25 |
And as you've probably heard, the body
doesn't lie.
| | 03:28 |
When people are engaged and interested,
they tend to lean forward and nod their
| | 03:33 |
heads and grapple with things with their
hands.
| | 03:37 |
Some people might even get up and pace if
they think better on their feet.
| | 03:41 |
So, one thing you can do is play back the
physical posture or movement, and ask
| | 03:45 |
your employee what does this mean, and
that will often crack things open so you
| | 03:49 |
can get to the root of the issue.
With a little practice you'll push
| | 03:55 |
through resistance, rather than let it
derail you.
| | 03:59 |
So, hang in there.
Remind people frequently of their
| | 04:03 |
big-picture vision, and keep things
moving.
| | 04:07 |
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5. Creating a High-Performance OrganizationDeveloping a coaching culture| 00:01 |
Stripped down to the essence, coaching is
about shifting mindsets that lead to a
| | 00:05 |
change in behavior.
At its best, coaching also creates a
| | 00:09 |
environment in which positive behavioral
changes lead to improvement in team and
| | 00:14 |
organizational results.
Here's what's curious.
| | 00:19 |
Despite the fact that coaching is in wide
use across the corporate landscape, it's
| | 00:23 |
often viewed as a remedial tool to
correct poor performance.
| | 00:27 |
But good coaching is about creating a
high-performance culture, not managing a
| | 00:31 |
low-performance one.
So let's say you leave this course,
| | 00:36 |
committed to implementing a coaching
program, you're intent on sharing your
| | 00:40 |
experience and results with leadership
and the hopes of generating company wide adoption.
| | 00:47 |
That's fantastic.
A natural aptitude goes a long way.
| | 00:52 |
But I encourage you to take this further.
Coaching is a management skill that
| | 00:55 |
requires devoted energy to improve.
So, consider enrolling in a formal
| | 01:00 |
coaching training program.
Training and certification will give you
| | 01:05 |
the confidence and credibility to make
your case.
| | 01:08 |
Now, before we're done, I want to share a
few ideas that will help you get buy-in
| | 01:13 |
from leadership.
Number one, keep a record of all meeting
| | 01:17 |
dates, so you can quantify the time spent
with everyone you've coached.
| | 01:22 |
Two, take notes during every meeting.
You want to capture insights,
| | 01:26 |
accomplishments, accountabilities, and of
course, next steps.
| | 01:30 |
And you can use your notes to demonstrate
the return on investment.
| | 01:34 |
Three, use collaboration tools.
Because the coaching process is so
| | 01:40 |
iterative, with each session building on
the next, think about using a cloud tool,
| | 01:44 |
to collaborate, so you're always on the
same page with your employee.
| | 01:50 |
If you prefer to use pen and paper that's
great too but don't switch formats or you
| | 01:54 |
may lose track.
No matter what method you choose, be consistent.
| | 02:00 |
Four, network and share.
You want to be communicating your
| | 02:05 |
experience and progress with everyone,
from your boss to influencers in other
| | 02:09 |
departments, HR.
And if you have one, your training and
| | 02:13 |
development director.
This is vital because it allows you to
| | 02:17 |
share your best practices and it
demonstrates your leadership.
| | 02:23 |
A lot of ink has been devoted to the
topic of building a coaching culture or
| | 02:27 |
creating a learning organization.
In the exercise guide for this course,
| | 02:32 |
I've included a list of books and
websites devoted to the topic.
| | 02:36 |
So you can feed your curiosity and build
your case.
| | 02:40 |
In the past several years, many studies
have been conducted to measure the
| | 02:44 |
effectiveness of coaching in
organizations and I've included a few of
| | 02:47 |
those studies in the exercise guide as
well.
| | 02:52 |
I can't say this enough.
If there's one thing to take away from
| | 02:56 |
this course, remember people are dying to
be coached, to be supported.
| | 03:02 |
So listen.
Go out and practice.
| | 03:04 |
Fall down, get back up, and do it again.
You'll not only transform the careers of
| | 03:10 |
the people you coach, but your own career
too.
| | 03:13 |
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