ON Business Main Menu

Home | Experts | About ON | ON Shop: Books, Videos & More! | Links ON Library | Seminars & Continuing Education | Forums | For Experts More Information About the Author: Click Here for the Barbara A. Mintzer Home Page

The Manager As Coach ... Maximizing People Potential, by Barbara A. Mintzer

In an era of unprecedented change, business leaders are facing the challenge of ensuring quality customer service and cost effectiveness at the same time . While these two concepts are not necessarily incompatible, they are not easy to achieve. How then do we provide excellent customer service with leaner budgets and fewer people doing more work? How do we get our employees to "buy-in" to the goals and objectives we want them to achieve?

One way is through the management style known as "coaching." While less formal and less structured than traditional management, this hands-on, one-of -the-team style of management provides a climate of trust that is conducive to motivating employees. There are 5 key qualities to effective coaching:

1. Loyalty: Employees today do not feel much loyalty from management. They have seen family and friends go through layoffs, they do not feel secure in their own positions, and it is imperative that management show loyalty to employees for a coaching relationship to work. While companies may no longer be able to guarantee "forever" employment, coaches can show loyalty to their employees in a number of ways:

a) Honest communication ... give timely and reliable information to your employees ... always important, and especially so if an organization is going through change.

b) Allow employees to express how they feel without fear of punishment or retribution ... a must if you want to build trust and loyalty with your staff.

c) Never ask employees to do something that goes against company ethics or values.

d) Encourage employees to grow and develop their potential, and support them in their endeavors

e) Treat each employee as a unique individual.

2. Empathetic Listening: One of the most under-valued of all management skills is the ability to listen. A coach often spends more time listening than managing. When an employee needs to be heard, the coach:

a) Finds a private spot (a neutral place like the cafeteria off-hours if employee is likely to feel intimidated in the coach's office) and makes time available to listen.

b) Holds all calls unless urgent and lets employee know that there will be absolutely no interruptions ... employee has all the coach's time for (x) amount of minutes. We spend time with things we value, and this non-interrupted time is a strong signal to employee that he/she is important and valued.

c) Sits down and leans forward in an "I am interested " position and focuses in on what the employee is saying, sometimes taking notes if appropriate.

d) Asks open-ended questions to draw employee out, and pays close attention to what is said. Employee will feel understood when his/her needs and concerns can be accurately verbalized by the coach.

e) Lets employee know that the coach is in his/her corner and willing to help. "How can we work through this" is an excellent phrase for showing empathy and concern.

3. Skills Stretching: To run a team that is competitive, creative and innovative, the coach should create an environment where employees are given an opportunity to develop new skills . The greatest satisfaction employees will have in the workplace will be to be challenged in their work and grow in new skill development. The coach should carefully evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and confidence levels of each employee, and move individuals into areas where their skills can be expanded and their interests can be developed. Classes and seminars can be effective tools in achieving skills-stretching. However, sometimes all it takes to develop potential is added responsibility and encouragement all along the way .

4. Vision Making : In today's workplace, coaches must be visionaries. They must be able to move their employees through today's changes into tomorrow's opportunities. They must be able to formulate and articulate a vision the employees can buy into and embrace. The ability to get people excited about something that is in the future , that they cannot as yet see, is no small task. However, it is the vehicle to keep empolyees motivated and wanting to give you all they have to see your vision become reality .

The 15-minute vision meeting is a wonderful strategy for getting buy-in and accountability from your staff . The power in this strategy is the consistency in which it is practiced. The key here is that nothing changes ... the 15-minute vision meeting is done at the same time, the same day, the same room, each week.

For example, let us say you meet with your staff every Friday at 9:00 a.m. You always meet in the same room, each person always takes the same seat, it always runs from 9:00 to 9:15, the vision statement is always displayed in the same place, and you always ask the same two questions:

1. What did you do this week that brought us closer to our vision?

2. What obstacle did you encounter that prevented you from doing something to bring us closer to our vision?

That is it! Those questions never change. It takes about three months, but if you follow this 15-minute vision meeting as I have outlined it, your staff will automatically start to develop a "vision meeting" mentality . They will know on Wednesday that if they haven't done anything to bring you closer to your vision, they had better do something by Friday. You will get innovation and creativity from your staff like you never expected ... and from the people you never thought you would get it from . Formulate a vision for your company or department; articulate it with enthusiasm and passion to your staff; and make them accountable for results. You will be amazed at what will transpire.

5. Role Modeling: Coaches are role models whether they know it or not. The staff's view of the coach can affect his/her attitude towards the entire organization. How each staff member feels about the coach can have a profound effect on how productive he/she is. Coaches can be excellent role models by:

a) Providing a "level playing field." The coach does not show favoritism, and each employee is judged equally on his/her work performance.

b) Giving employees constant and consistent feedback on their performance.

c) Showing appreciation for employees. When coaches give employees approval, praise and recognition, they respond by becoming more committed to the vision and doing what it takes to make that vision a reality.

d) Taking pride in themselves and their own work and emulating the behavior that they would require of their employees.

Coaching is not easy. But the reward is great ... a cohesive, alive "excited about the future" team working together towards a shared vision . It is this type of team that will keep a company competitive and on top in this rapidly changing workplace.

Copyright 2000 by Barbara A. Mintzer (All rights reserved.)