What is the best investment you have made in your business over the years? You might immediately think of a financial deal or some technical tool. Few would say, “The best investment I ever made when was when I hired and developed a certain person.” If you are in a service business or any business, your best asset for real may be your best hire, the people you mentored, coached and trained. These are people who can do what you can do, are as concerned about the business as you are, and compliment your strengths.
Just last week I was talking to a businessman who was analyzing a deal as if the spreadsheet was going to serve customers, provide vision and adaptability to market changes. No spreadsheet can bring out the best talents of others. All those people who are the biggest part of your overhead. I told him deal is good or bad depending on whether you have the horses to make it work for you.
In many of my business dealings I have learned that bringing out the best in others, developing those horses, is not thought through enough by financial or technically savvy owners and executives. They seem more comfortable with numbers and technology than with ‘building people’. It is amazing how many think they are experts at it. They give quick opinions on how people/employees operate yet spend little time mentoring and coaching people, other than in meetings in the middle of a business day.
Coaching is about helping employees see what is required from them to help the business grow. Coaching shows people how to increase their own performance. It is getting the coachee to accept responsibility for the goals, the decisions made, and ultimately, to guide them through actions that produce desired results. Coaching builds confidence which allows people to develop a successful habit.
Many years ago when I was tennis obsessed, I studied “The Inner Game of Tennis”, Tim Gollways methods for improving performance. His theory was that to achieve winning success in competitions each athlete must first get rid of the opponent within. It was amazing to see the difference in my game when I stopped worrying about how I looked (my ego) and controlled my emotions and fear of failure and just watched the ball, the spin, the angles, the speed, etc.
I realized when taking Gollway’s coaching that I often prevented myself from being the tennis player I wanted to become. An effective coach helps you see and realize that some of it is an inner game. They keep you seeing reality and help you respond appropriately. We hear from many athletes that it is 80% mental (Jack Nicklaus) and often don’t know what they mean by that. They are not saying it is just positive thinking.
If we want to bring out the best in our most important assets, our best investments, we need to learn how to be an effective coach.
1. Remind yourself of the expectations and possibilities you have for your people. Express it – tell them. (Our experience tells us than when you lose your expectations of people, you lose your commitment to coach)
2. Ask people open-ended questions about a) what is needed for the business b)how they see their role in it c) what is their vision of how they will succeed.
3. In day to day coaching conversations around tasks, ask what and how they are going to do things. Help them think through their decisions. Ask more pertinent questions, for example “how do you see that action is impacting your customers?” (coaching is not telling people what to do)
4. Listen intently. Keep your opinions out of your listening and don’t put in what isn’t there. To be an effective coach, continually rid yourself of your inner opponent. Get yourself out of the way, your ego, your emotions, your opinions, your fears. Listening is where it all shows up. All your knowledge, opinions and savvy may have helped you become successful but it won’t necessarily help when coaching others.
5. Give feedback. This could be about asking targeted questions that encourage employees to be aware of what is really happening and take ownership of the required action OR to give appreciation and allow employee’s to feel good about what they have done. Avoid giving blunt, personal comments that steal away a person’s respect. As Dale Carnegie said “Instead, genuinely praise every improvement and any improvement.” Notice the word ‘genuinely’-flattery is demeaning, even destructive.
While employees want to succeed in life, most of their motivations are simple. They want to provide their basic needs by having a job. Most of the work they do does not create a lot of self belief and confidence. Young people today want valuable work, more purpose. They want a voice. Coaching is your tool to give people reward from their work. It definitely brings out their best and creates productivity and success for everyone.
This Week's Actions
What will you do this week to begin to build people through effective coaching? Here is a summary:
1. Look at your expectations of them.
2. Tell them.
3. Ask questions instead of giving orders, help them with their
choices and decisions.
choices and decisions.
4. Get yourself out of your listening. Really hear them
5. Give feedback that builds awareness and responsibility.
Give genuine praise.
Give genuine praise.
Have a great week …. ‘coach’.
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