Coaching an employee entails developing their skills and talents so they can continue to grow and take on new responsibilities. This is a win-win for both the employee and the manager. The employee learns new tasks and thus can bring more value to the organization. The manager can delegate new tasks and responsibilities to the employee so he/she can work on new projects and strategic development.
Watch this Live Example of an Employee Coaching Session
In this video, I conduct a real life coaching session with my assistant Sonia to delegate new tasks and responsibilities. My goal is to advance on projects that I have in mind but not enough time to do on my own.
In the video, I am using a job description that needs to be updated. This provides a tool to put what was agreed in writing and make sure tasks and responsibilities are clear. I refer to a previous video and article on writing a job description.
I also mention a video on using a win-win agreement to manager performance. The win-win agreement expands beyond the scope of a job description.
Improve your leadership effectiveness in various situations and with different types of people
Wouldn’t it be great if we could act most effectively to any situation or person? This means adjusting your emotional response and communication style accordingly.
This is what becoming balanced as a leader or person really means. If you as a person are truly balanced then you are showing great personal leadership. Here is how to do it.
What I mean by balanced? I mean balance your qualities by borrowing from another type of person.
Types of People. What is type? Why borrow qualities?
The expression he or she is not my type is quite common and that is true for everyone. It’s because we are all so unique that no two people can be the exact same type or have the same personality. But we can be very similar in our type and this is worth knowing to be come better balanced.
Here is an example. My tendency as a leader and coach with my staff and clients is to be directive and task oriented, even though I enjoy working with and helping people. I tend to focus on task accomplishment and getting things done rather than how people are feeling. This is not always the most effective approach when it comes to building trust and showing understanding and compassion.
My partner is different in that she has tremendous compassion and displays a deep empathy for people so they feel very comfortable with her and easily share their problems. She is a psychologist so this works well for her.
I coach people in the workplace and they are concerned often with achievement, which suits my style well. However, if I focus too much on achievement and the related tasks, this does not always work well with every type of person.
So now when I go into a coaching situation I’d think of my partner and how she would approach the situation and the people. This helps me to recall the importance of listening with empathy and showing I understand not just their problem but the way they feel about.
So, without even knowing about types, you could detect the key qualities of people at work with complementary qualities. What is their key strength, their key quality and in what situations would it be beneficial for you to use that?
Another example is my former partner Fritz who was a planner type and his strength was as the name implies planning. Not only was it planning but it was understanding the truth behind things, so he would spend a lot of time researching, thinking things through and strategizing. I on the other hand tend to like action and don’t have the same patience to strategize and plan as he did.
So, when I’m faced with a situation that requires an in-depth plan and strategy, I think of Fritz and how he would approach the situation. I try and emulate his qualities.
Begin to admire those qualities and think about what situations those qualities could be useful for you.
In his book and our related training programs on leadership and team development, we suggest that people borrow the qualities of another type that is complimentary to their own. This way in situations that calls for an adjustment in style of communication, one can more easily recall the quality or behaviour to borrow from the other type.
Begin to admire those qualities and think about what situations those qualities could be useful for you. Bring forth that quality into a situation where you could use it to be more effective.
While this is easy to say, it is not always easy to do. Our tendency is to default to our most accustomed behaviour and so it is quite challenging to be balanced all the time. It is most difficult when we are stressed and resort to our habitual way of responding.
Becoming balanced as a leader is about using the right style of leadership for the person and situation. Understanding others, appreciating their qualities and being able to borrow those qualities in the moment is what will make you a truly effective balanced leader.
Sometimes we might feel that the reason we do not achieve a goal or objective is because we lack self-discipline. We might have had trouble acting to achieve something worthwhile or we know we should be doing.
A good example is staying committed to a fitness workout program. We know that staying active is good for our health and well-being but we might not have done what is required to stick with the program and reap the benefits.
The same is true for at work projects and goals that are outside our routine and may require time, learning and focus to achieve.
However, the word discipline might bring up negative associations for many people. Just think of what it feels like to discipline a child or an employee. It’s not a very pleasant task for most people and one that many prefer to avoid.
Rather than think of self-discipline, use the term commitment and persistence. Thinking this way can change our perspective for acting on our projects and goals that require energy and time. It’s hard enough to get started and stick with something new. Thinking of having to discipline ourselves to do it might make things even harder.
Motivation
Motivation is a big factor when it comes to commitment and persistence to achieve something worthwhile. So, you might need to ask yourself how important the project or goal is. If you have thought through on the benefits of the project or goal and found them worthwhile enough to make the effort, then commitment and persistence is what you need to develop.
Clear Picture
Sometimes and idea of a project or goal is not enough to keep us committed to the actions required. Creating a clear picture of the outcome and benefits will spur the motivation and drive to persist, even when uncertainty kicks in.
Write a Goal
Writing your project or goal down and planning what you need to do will help create the clear picture of the outcome you want. It will also help you decide on the actions to take. You can use my goal planning form to write down your project or goal and make a detailed plan. Using the section on obstacles and solutions is a great way to determine the actions required.
Small Steps
If you find yourself stalling on the action required, break the action steps down further. Make it as easy as you can for yourself. Making small gains and recognizing and celebrating your progress will build your muscle of persistence.
Commit
On the second page of my goal planning form I ask a few questions. This is after you have gone through the process of writing down the goal, the benefits, obstacles and solutions. The key questions are, “is it worth making the effort to achieve this goal and am I willing to do the actions required to achieve it?” This is where you get very honest with yourself and decide to do it or not. From that point the only thing left is to commit and persist.
