COACHING : 5 SKILLS MANAGERS REALLY NEED FOR TODAY

 

COACHING : 5 SKILLS MANAGERS REALLY NEED FOR TODAY

Business coaching has gone from fad to being an essential part of the managers job. This was badly needed, in a knowledge economy; where the young generation believe: they are drivers of their own performance and would therefore detest a dominating style of leadership. The prime purpose of coaching  is to increase effectiveness, broaden thinking, identify strengths and development needs and set and achieve challenging goals. It is based on asking rather than telling, on provoking thought rather than giving directions and helping a person become self-regulating and accountable for his or her goals. Young generation have their highest priority (after pay packet) ... how to  grow in the role?... and a manager’s job is to help them get there!!!

Research from both academics and the corporate world has fine-tuned the skills managers need to coach others into five categories:

 

1) PUTTING TRUST AT THE CENTRE OF THE RELATIONSHIP. 
It’s easier to learn from someone you trust. People can learn more from a friend than a knowledgeable  but authoritative figure. Good Coaches must effectively establish goodwill  and build trust by being clear about the learning and development objectives they set, showing good judgment, being patient and following through on any promises and agreements they make.
 
2) PROVIDING OBJECTIVE FEEDBACK .
 In coaching the master question is: Where are you now and where do you want to go? Helping others to gain self-awareness and insight is a key job for an effective coach. The coach can provide timely feedback and help clarify the behaviors that an employee would like to change. Performance improvement is  often an exploration; which focuses on gaps or inconsistencies, on current performance vs. desired performance, words vs. actions and intention vs. impact. The ownership of accepting the gap is based upon the learner and not a prescription from the coach
 
3) PROVOKING NEW  THINKING . 
Thinking from a new perspective is an important part of the coaching process. Challenging old myths and pet assumptions helps to bring a new insight to the problem at hand or a fresh zeal to meet daunting challenges. Hence good coaches ask open-ended questions, push for alternative solutions to problems, motivate through task simplification and encourage reasonable risk-taking.
 
4) TASK AND EMOTIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT . 
Coaching places the responsibility on the learner, who has to generate the solution; or at least work in partnership with the coach  to find solution Coaching is certainly  not a prescription or a command mode of interaction.  Therefore the learner understands the solution, and how it was arrived at.  Creating their own customized solution, they are also more likely to carry it through. As partners in learning, good coaches listen carefully, are open to the perspectives of others and allow employees to vent emotions without judgment. They encourage employees to make progress toward their goals, and they recognize their successes.
 
5) FOCUSS ON MEASURABLE RESULTS. 
Effective coaching is about concrete results. The coach helps the employee set meaningful ones and identify specific behaviors or steps for meeting them. The coach helps to clarify milestones or key measures of success and holds the employee accountable for them. Self assessment is the key to learner participation and the low-risk context (if  failure occurs) is what the coach should build.

CONCLUDING: START COACHING NOW

Coaching can assist organizations with key business goals. Within the coaching partnership, the coach will work with your employees to identify and create clarity around key business goals and priority issues and outline concrete action to ensure goals are met.

With all these benefits of coaching it’s surprising that managers feel they don’t have enough time for coaching. Even if you make learning and coaching explicit priorities, coaching is a neglected duty of most managers. But as your coaching processes and goals become more consistent and more highly valued, in-house coaching will take root. Your managers will have a new way to develop and motivate their direct reports. Individuals and groups will strive to build new skills and achieve goals. And your business will be on track to a more efficient, comprehensive system of developing people.

My coaching system META-COACH^® has helped many organizations to fast track its high potentials and sales stars. This in turn has helped retention and building the talent pipeline. Write to me if you need more details to start the campaign  in your organization. But most of all I would like to know your feedback about using the instant template; which I have offered for you to begin on a new agenda in year 2018

 

Best of luck 

Dr Wilfred Monteiro