As a trained and certified Development Dimensions International (DDI) coach, I have learned a lot about this specialized area of expertise. Organizations can realize distinct advantages when managers and supervisors are trained in employee coaching techniques and best practices.
For example, you may have a business need or objective that necessitates calling upon a manager who can effectively ‘coach for success.’
This manager-coach specializes in guiding employees to succeed in a new or challenging situation. You’ve probably heard some managers give feedback by making comments such as: “You’re doing a great job! You’re doing very well! Keep up the good work!”
Well, of course, all those statements are OK. But in addition to that sort of feedback, a trained manager-coach knows how to pass along more specifics related to your business goals, than a great pat on the back will do. In other words, a trained coach will know when it’s time to say, “Here is what else I am going to give you that is a little more challenging than what you’ve been doing.” Or he or she might say, “Here is what I want you to do so that you can expand your skills.”
Or you may need a manager or a supervisor who can ‘coach for improvements.’
In this type of coaching role, a manager may need to guide employees who are performing unacceptably so that they will improve. Here is a scenario to help explain what I mean: Let’s say that I am late to work one day, which is usually OK. Then, I’m late two days, which again may be OK. But, when I’m late 10 days in a row, then something is going on. Something is happening here. Should someone tell me something about this? If they do, I will need to be informed about my performance, as it relates to my being chronically late.
Now the above-described scenario warrants a supervisor who can apply further coaching techniques in order to remedy this chronic performance issue.
So now this supervisor or manager needs to find out why I was late 10 days in a row. “Tell me something about this; why have you been late 10 days in a row?”
At this point, your goal is to help and coach employees to improve while, at the same time, you want to avoid jeopardizing their self-esteem. A trained manager-coach will extend that ‘benefit of the doubt,’ empathetic helping hand by saying something such as, “I know that you’ve been arriving late. Is there something we can do to help? Is something wrong? What is the issue?” You may find out that there are child-related issues that need to be addressed and resolved.
So you want to pave the way for the employee to feel safe about sharing what is going on. And you also want to see if you can coach the employee to figure out his/her own solutions to whatever is causing the chronic tardiness. For instance, the manager might ask, “How we can go about finding ways that you can meet both your work and your personal obligations?” However, if there are no changes or improvements, and, in this instance, I continue to be chronically late, then the coaching can turn into an employee counseling matter. In these situations, you will want to be sure and document employee discussions.
It’s important to remember, as well, that coaching is an ongoing process. You’re always looking to help employees either improve or reach higher levels of success. That is why employee coaching is a valuable area of expertise for the leaders of any successful business!