 | | These three actions are all integrated and focus on boosting the performance of an individual or team. Success in these stands on a foundation of seven (7) key factors. They are: |
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| Coaches, counselors, mentors and learners must first agree explicitly on how these activities will be delivered. A context of trust and understanding can be achieved through brief discussion and a written contract.
The learner needs to be certain that he or she is continually evaluated. In most workplaces there is a highly evaluative culture and people don't typically ask their manager or supervisor for coaching/counseling/mentoring support. They seek to avoid showing weakness or ignorance.
Understanding what motivates learners to perform at their best is critical so you know whether or not the underperformance is from lack of skill or lack of will. Insight in both instances will significantly impact the approach taken to impact behavior and resolve the performance concerns.
Managers and supervisors who are most skillful also invest time to ensure that each learner clearly understands how, why and when they prefer to deliver coaching, counseling or mentoring. |
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| | Develop the art of asking questions versus telling or ordering a learner. This produces the best results when providing feedback or generating new approaches to improve performance. |
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| | A crucial component is mutually agreed-upon goals. Just remember the SMART acronym when developing goals and objectives: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused and Timely. |
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| | The manager/supervisor closest to the learner is the most effective person to impact performance. These leaders can directly assign, assess and monitor tasks that challenge the learner in those areas where performance needs improvement. That's especially true when evaluating present assignments or suitability for future ones. |
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| Ongoing feedback is one of the most effective techniques when it is constructive and focused on specific skills and improvements. Take three steps to enhance the effectiveness of feedback. These work whether your feedback is positive or negative:
1. Replay actions the learner has taken.
2. Highlight implications of the learner's actions.
3. Suggest a detired outcome.
One way you can remember this is the acronym AID: Actions, Impact, Desired outcome. |
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| | Hold regular 30-60 minute sessions that drill down into Goals, Reality, Options and Wrap-up. |
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| • | Goals: the coach, counselor or mentor agrees with the learner on a specific topic. Choose from those things that the learner wishs to improve. Spend 5 minutes brainstorming ideas. |
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| • | Reality: Ask the learner to talk about strengths and weaknesses for 15 minutes. The manager/supervisor should use this to ask questions for a deeper understanding. Look for why the learner believes he or she has weaknesses or strengths related to specific developmental goals. |
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| • | Options: Both parties use this time to explore various options. This allows the learner to hone in on the best approach. When they do this, you'll see buy-in that is more natural and effective. |
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| • | Wrap-up: The manager/supervisor helps the learner choose the most effective option. Mutually agree on next steps, define necessary support, set a timeline for completion and find the best ways to overcome obstacles. |
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| The managers and supervisors who excel and advance are those who take personal ownership, accountability and responsibility for coaching, counseling and mentoring. They view and accept this as one of the obligations of their role as leaders.
The benefits are clear to them, because they have stronger individuals on their team to whom they delegate tasks. They save time recruiting and training replacements. The workplace is also more positive and enjoyable for everyone. Plus, their interpersonal skills improve with each interaction.
The benefits to learners include:
1. They will be more engaged in learn and feel as though they have more input and ownership for their rating.
2. Reduces the stress level of the learner because they have a clear line of sight as to how their performance links to their compensation and ability to advance.
3. Stimulates a mentoring environment for all employees, because they will recognize that leadership has a sincere interest in them as individuals.
4. As the employees learn more skills they become more confident and valued team members.
5. Employees who are well coached, counseled or mentored, tend to model the behaviors they learn during this process as their career advances and are more likely to mentor their peers. |
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| | Listening and overall communication skills are enhanced for both parties. Good questioning skills allow the learner to open up. Dialogue takes place without most of the negatives that potentially occur when managers and supervisors are less skilled in these activities. |
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