Employee Coaching – What Every Manager Needs to Know

Employee coaching is a bit of a buzz word in organisations at the moment and managers find themselves increasingly being expected to be able to “coach” their staff, with little real understanding of just what workplace coaching is or how to go about it. Some trainers or consultants suddenly call themselves “coaches” having had little specific training and even less practice, and organisations talk of developing a “coaching and mentoring culture” with a feeling of uncertainty about exactly what this means or how to go about it.

All the while, more and more courses, theories and models on mentoring tips, coaching motivation and articles on coaching and mentoring spring up leaving managers feeling overwhelmed at the amount of knowledge and time it seems is necessary before they are able to coach their staff. In many cases, this is time they feel they just don’t have.

But the truth is, any manager can coach, provide mentoring tips and guidelines, given a few ground rules.
Conversely, ignore those ground rules and you’ll do more harm than good.

Employee Coaching : The Ground Rules

So what are those ground rules? Take a look at the following list, and see if you feel you have what it takes to be a great coach.
Great coaches are…

1. Approachable and available

You don’t have to be at people’s beck and call, but research shows when staff feel there is genuine interest in them as people, as well as for their well-being and development, they will work harder and be less resistant to change.

2. Excellent listeners

How well do you listen to your staff? I mean really listen? Most of us, manager or not, would benefit from honing our listening skills. People aren’t daft – we know when someone is really listening and when they’re just being polite, or waiting till you’ve finished so that they can jump in!If you don’t start to really listen – your staff will stop talking to you. Instead, they’ll probably talk behind your back.

3. Empathic

Empathy is not the same as sympathy.
Empathy is understanding how someone else feels or thinks, even if you don’t necessarily share that feeling or view.Empathy breeds tolerance. It allows people to feel “safe” expressing views, even if they challenge the status quo, knowing they will not be ridiculed, or at “risk” of being branded a trouble-maker. Stamping down opposing views just drives them underground anyway. Wouldn’t you rather have them in the open?
Often, people want to be heard even more than they want their own way.

4. Encouraging and supportive

Praise; noticing when people do something well; feeding back specifically what you appreciate, and helping your staff achieve some of their own personal goals, will all put credits in the relationship bank account.It’s that bank of good will which will help maintain high performance, despite any challenges. An empty bank account means no good will. No good will means you’re fighting to stay afloat.

5. Honest and willing to reveal their “humanity”

None of us are perfect. All of us make mistakes.Great coaches admit their mistakes, and allow others to know it’s OK to make mistakes, as long as we learn from them.If you’re not honest – how can you expect your staff to be?

6. Challenging

Great coaches are not afraid to challenge when they feel it’s appropriate. They don’t just challenge their staff, they challenge up and sideways too. They’re not “yes” men or women – they have transparent values – and they communicate skillfully and respectfully whilst ensuring their voice is heard.

7. People with clear and high expectations (without being demanding)

Great coaches don’t overburden staff unnecessarily with rules and procedures, but they do ensure they know what is expected of them.

Coaching Employees is less a way of “doing” – more a way of “being”.

Whilst there are techniques to help you coach more effectively, if you strengthen your ability to demonstrate the above 7 rules, you’re already developing both coaching workplace motivation skills, and a coaching culture.

And the beauty of that is – it won’t take a 2 day course or hours of reading! Just a little bit of honest self-appraisal, and some “tweaks” in the way you do things.

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For more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these great resources:

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Workplace Motivation: How to Maintain Motivation Through Unsettling Change

As a manager you need to get good not just in managing conflict but at motivating others as well – but never more so than when your staff might be worrying about their jobs, about restructuring or other major changes to their work.

The present business climate is tough, and many businesses are affected by the current downturn. There are three common consequences in businesses when sales and growth slow down. As a manager, you may have experienced any or all three of these:

1. Some staff are made redundant, given reduced hours and bonus opportunities are often lost.
2. There is increased pressure on all staff to do more.
3. Tension, conflict, stress and apathy amongst staff increases, and motivation and engagement often decreases.

If you’re a manager or supervisor, you’ll feel the pressure too – possibly more – because your people’s performance is seen by others as a reflection of your own ability to manage.
It’s an irony that, at a time when you most need your staff to pull together, to be motivated, creative and productive, the environment often produces the exact opposite.

Some managers ride these storms better than others, managing to keep their staff on-side and positive, despite the circumstances.

So how do you increase the engagement and morale of your people, reduce tension and conflict, and increase your chances of hitting targets? Here are three critical things you need to focus on if you want to maintain motivation through a period of intense change.

How to Maintain Workplace Motivation: 3 Key Tips

1. Understand that change causes emotional reactions and notice how your people are reacting.

All change, even changes we choose for ourselves, and which we think of as positive changes, take us through a roller-coaster of emotion. For example, even the presumably happy experience of getting a new job can take you through feelings excitement and celebration, to feeling really nervous about whether you will be successful, to “what on earth have I done, I can’t do this job!” These are all normal, and very common reactions.

When we are faced with changes we haven’t chosen, which outside forces dictate and over which we feel we have little control, such as team restructuring, possible redundancies or new working practices, those emotions can not only be very powerful, they are often very negative. We feel our security and “comfort zone” is threatened, and tension, stress and resistance can be the knee-jerk reaction.

The most successful managers seem to make a point of taking more notice of what’s going on in their team, and how people seem to be reacting to news about change. They know that ignoring signs of discontent, tension or antipathy is likely to allow these negative reactions to become more widespread, and more difficult to deal with.

So, start noticing how your staff are reacting to any proposed or actual changes. Don’t ignore any signs of discontent. Build opportunities for staff to feedback or highlight any issues or concerns they may be having. Once you have a better understanding of how people feel about the changes, you can start to build a strategy for managing the change which will support and encourage staff, and minimise unrest and unease.

2) Increase opportunities for communication

In times of unsettling change you need to keep the channels of communication not only more open, but more regular. At this time, more than others, the risk of gossip, assumptions, and misunderstandings is even greater than normal, and can de-rail any hopes you might have of trying to maintain motivation, focus and performance.

Consider how you can increase opportunities to either meet as a team, or one to one, and allow time to discuss changes, and for people to express their opinions and feelings. It may seem counter-intuitive to allow people to express negative emotions or reactions to change, but actually, research shows time and again, people hate not being listened to far more than change. In many cases, your staff probably realise deep down change is inevitable and actually necessary, but ignoring their views only serves to make them feel de-valued, performance motivation affected. So provide opportunities to allow your staff to have their say, but within a framework which helps to focus on solutions and positive actions.

And think about how you increase this communication too. Wherever possible, face to face always beats any other form of communication when there’s tricky stuff going on. No matter how uncomfortable it might be, wherever possible provide more face to face contact. And a word of caution – be very sparing with the use of e-mail, particularly if you need to communicate something you know might provoke strong reaction. I know you’re busy – and e-mail is a fast and simple way of communicating, but it’s the most easily misconstrued form of communication, and the fallout from a poorly communicated e-mail message will probably end up taking far more of your time and focus than setting up a face to face meeting might have done.

3) Plan a strategy for change

People react to change in different ways. The better you know your staff, the more observant you are about how they are reacting in times of massive change, the more able you are to plan how you are going to handle the situation.

So, for example, you will have the cynics, and the negative activists; you will have those who recognise there may be opportunities or who even champion the changes, and you will have the “fence-sitters” – those who could be swayed either way.

Your prime job is to know where each of your staff sits on the spectrum of emotional reaction – and to consider how you can move as many of them as possible over to feeling more positive than negative and more hopeful than helpless.

For example; how could you utilise your staff who you know are champions of the changes, or who have had positive experiences, to support or influence the cynics or the “fence-sitters”? Which of your team might you need to spend a little more time with? Taking just a little time out to consider how you might plan your approach, can save you time, money and hassle, further down the road, and maintain better employee engagement..

Successful change management to improve workplace motivation is less about managing the physical changes, and far more about managing the very normal, human emotional reactions to change in a way which helps people focus on the positives, and remain engaged, confident and solution focused.

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For more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these great resources:

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Managing Conflict: How to Manage In-Fighting or Tension In Your Team

I hear managers raise this issue time and time again; what begins as an underlying tension between two or more of your team members, with covert “sniper” tactics, strained atmospheres, gossip mongering and occasional snide comments is turning into more open hostilities.

Your team risks splitting as people “take sides”, and you begin to realise your staff are spending increasingly more time focused on the mini battle playing out in your back yard, than on the key tasks they should be performing, which will drive their and your success.

If you want to stop the soap opera from unfolding in front of your eyes, Executive and Business Coach Shona Garner has some key tips to halt the rot, and turn around the whole dynamic of your team into a vibrant, positive and focused community.

Four Effective Tips for Managing Conflict

Managing Tip 1: Don’t play the ostrich.

Sometimes it’s tempting to ignore the rumblings of personality clashes in the hope it will resolve itself. You might be right – but if you sense the tension is getting worse, or it’s been going on for longer than a few weeks, avoiding or ignoring the issue can be devastating; both in terms of your team’s performance, and your own credibility as a manager.
Ask yourself, “What will be the consequence if I continue to avoid the issue?”

My bet is the answer to this question includes such things as:
The tension will increase and become more noticeable – not just within the team, but to those outside too.
Your authority and ability to manage may be questioned; by those team members who are not involved in the “in-fighting”, by other colleagues, and by your line-manager.
You’ll waste precious time when you could be getting on with the important stuff.
There’ll be increasing “talking behind backs” and gossiping.
There’s a risk it may really escalate into disciplinary or grievance procedures. This is a drain on everyone’s emotions, time and energy – not to mention suddenly becoming a huge negative focus for everyone.
With eyes off the ball, the team performance slips – and your chances of promotion are threatened.

Take your head out of the sand, decide what you really expect in terms of behaviour from your team, and start planning and preparing your strategy to face the issue head on.

Managing Tip 2: Ask yourself: “Why am I avoiding this? What am I afraid of?”

Very few people really feel comfortable facing conflict – so if you have been hoping it will go away, you’re almost certainly not on your own. However, you chose this kitchen – and the “heat” in this particular kitchen quite regularly involves playing politics and dealing with personality clashes, power struggles, and prima donnas!

Those above you expect you to deal with such issues. And you owe it those on your team who just want to get on with their jobs, and who want to distance themselves from this petty squabbling, to strive for a work environment which is enjoyable and supportive, not divisive and uncomfortable.

So – what stops you from nipping this in the bud, or tackling the situation? Be honest with yourself. Whatever your answer, ask yourself how you can overcome this block. Talk it over with someone you trust.

Managing Tip 3: Plan your approach

Once you’ve decided you’re going to bite the bullet, now’s the time to make your plan of action.

• Get clear in your own head about what you believe is acceptable behaviour and what’s not, and be prepared to communicate this to your team.
• Think about when, where and how you have your initial conversation with the individuals concerned.
• Consider carefully the words you might use, avoiding accusation and emotionally charged or potentially inflammatory words. For example, use “I” instead of “you”. Use “disagreement” instead of “row” or “battle”.
• Consider at least three strengths you perceive each individual brings to the team.
  No matter how hard it is, if you’re feeling frustrated or cross about the situation, there’s a danger you’ll see things through negative filters, and forget the positives each individual has to bring to the team. It is these strengths which are most likely being lost in the middle of all the tension and bickering. Make a note to yourself you will remind the individuals of these strengths, and how you’d really like to focus on how these can be utilised for the benefit of everyone.

Managing Tip 4: The conversation and the importance of listening.

So now you’re ready for the conversations. You’re clear about what you want to achieve, and you’ve considered your approach. Remain approachable, but honest and firm about your expectations throughout. Stay calm, even if they don’t.

Most of all, don’t make this a one-way conversation.

Explain the issue which gives you concern, then listen. If there is a need to vent a little – let them vent; at least for a while. Then, gently, but firmly get them to future focus and suggest ways in which you can all move forward constructively.

It’s worth knowing, conflict, whilst often seen as something negative and to be avoided at all costs, can actually bring about positive change, better mutual understanding and greater harmony, if it is dealt with effectively.

So take the bull by the horns – and sort it out!

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For more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these great resources:

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Why Managers with Great Soft Skills are Essential in Hard Times

We are in a “credit crunch”. Times are hard. It isn’t the first time; and it won’t be the last.

People tighten their belts and do their best to weather the storm, and businesses focus an even more critical eye on their spending. Often, one of the first things to come under scrutiny is soft skill training and development, and decisions are made to put anything other than “essential” training on hold. “Soft skills management”, (also referred to as “people skills” or "interpersonal communication skill") is often seen as the “fluffy bunny” stuff of development, and as a result is the first to be dropped. But how effective is this strategy in reality? Is motivational humor enough to motivate employees?

This article exposes some common “myths” around soft skills and explains why, in the scramble to reduce our spending, going for the “obvious” targets may not be as effective a strategy as you think.

Soft Skill Training Definition

Why do we call “soft skills” by that name, and what does it conjure up for you exactly? What images or words do you associate with this frequently used term?

For me it conjures up some kind of “fluffy bunny”, soft, gentle, rather vague term, designed to encompass abilities which are not so easily measured, and certainly less tangible than, let’s say your ability to rewire a home, use power-point, or know your products inside out. There’s something almost apologetic about “soft skills management” too; after all these are also often referred to as “people skills” or "interpersonal communication skill" – and we’re all, well, people aren’t we? That being the case, these “skills” will be an innate part of our being already, so there’s no real need to spend much resource on developing them.

Soft Skill Training: Issues which arise when soft skills are missing

Over many years, working 1-2-1 or in workshops with managers and teams I am struck by how often the following issues come up:

• The team just don’t pull together.
• There are 1 or 2 individuals who are extremely difficult to manage or work alongside, and this creates tension in the team.
• Communication, either internally, or externally with clients or customers, is poor.
• One or two individuals are underperforming, either taking many absences, not completing work on time, or resisting doing certain parts of their role, and others are getting fed up of having to “carry them.”
• Changes in the wider organisation are affecting morale.
• Team members feeling there’s a lack of leadership, of fairness, of support or development, or of valuing what they do – with the result they just “do what they need to, to keep out of trouble” They’re not passionate or enthusiastic about their work – this is “just a job” which pays the bills.

Credit crunch or not – if you think these VERY common symptoms aren’t damaging your bottom line – think again! I bet I could find at least some of these in your business right now!
And these symptoms are caused, not because you haven’t given these people the training they need to do their job – they are the result of less than effective people skills!

The Role of the Manager

The dynamics of the working relationships in a team can make the difference between hitting, or missing your targets – between profit and loss – between survival in a credit crunch and real difficulties.

And the central figure in that dynamic, the individual who can make or break the team’s ability to function, is the manager.

A quick look at some figures, for those of you who really like to see the hard facts!

Gallup research looked at a retailer with over 30,000 employees and over 300 stores. This retailer took great care to ensure each store provided the customer with a consistent shopping experience, whichever store they visited. Using 12 questions which asked workers to rate how they felt about their role, then looking at the answers and the actual results in that store or team within a store, what they found was astonishing, and significant.

They found, that where employees scored more highly in terms of their satisfaction with the “culture” in the team, the hard line sales figures were significantly, and consistently better than those stores where the cultures were hindered by things such as lack of trust, poor morale and little enthusiasm. They found the highest scoring stores were on average:

• 4.56% over sales budget for the year.
  This translated into $104 million of sales
  If the company could transform the poorer stores, this would increase their total sales by 2.6%
• 14% over profit budget
  The bottom stores missed their profit goals by a full 30%
• Retaining staff by an average of 12 staff more per year than their counterparts in the bottom 25% of the survey
  This translated into the top stores retaining 1000 more staff over the year.
  Estimating the average store employee salary, and the cost of finding, hiring and training the new employees, the overall cost to the company was $27million.
  How would you like to shave some of that “cost” off your bottom line?

So – next time you’re thinking of cutting your training budget to strip out the “nice to have” things like “soft skills training” – perhaps you might think again?
Even if you scale down such training for everyone, finding a way to ensure your managers are highly skilled people managers is one of the most worthwhile investments you will EVER make.

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For more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these great resources:

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