Coaching Ideas
By Charles E. Wilson, Ph.D.
Coach when there is an opportunity for action required to improve effectiveness or efficiency, or when one acquires a new set of skills.
In a new situation where an individual may not have the experience and confidence -- coaching is appropriate. General areas of coaching are:
Things to do
Things to avoid
Recovery from a miscue
During the training process -- effective coaching is a behavioral process that involves telling participants how to do something, showing them how it is done and then letting them demonstrate competency in that performance.
Coaches then give praise for things completed correctly or near correct. Appropriate feedback and redirection occurs regarding things not completed as required.
Coaching begins with asking open ended questions, followed by:
Effective listening for message content
Listen for associated emotions.
Content gives the coach clues to the issues, concern, or details of information they are seeking. The emotional content can provide clues to the participant’s frustration, fear, anxiety, excitement, happiness, sadness, etc., regarding the concern being shared with the coach.
Listening can be difficult -- often we interfere with the message being sent by asking questions inappropriately, offering opinions, suggestions or making comments in general.
As a listener, we must attempt to understand the message being relayed. Once the speaker has completed establishing purpose and importance of this communications, clarify the details.
This is best practiced by paraphrasing or quoting the message content as understood and folding in the emotion as you felt, heard or witnessed. “What I heard was …. Is this correct?” This gives the speaker an opportunity to correct understanding of the specific points of the intended message.
Information gathered to this point will have significant impact on the remainder of the coaching session. The coach continues to seek input, using open ended questions, until both are satisfied the intended message has been correctly understood.
Coaches might need to assist in identifying and discussing constraints or barriers viewed as negative impacts to reaching successful resolution of the situation at hand.
As example a coach might ask, “How do you plan to handle the data reporting process with the new executive management team member?”
Listen attentively to the response, observe.
The coach might then ask the performer, “What reactions might you expect due to the technical nature of the report?”
Listen to the response and observe.
“What will you do or say if (xyz) occurs?”
Listen and observe.
Each of these open ended questions requires the performer to give more than a simple yes or no answer, thus the process solicits the performers active participation. Be wary when the content is one thing and the body language is another– something is not right.
Helping the performer arrive at an agreed upon resolution is a discussion of the pros and cons of each approach or idea presented as a solution. Coaches need to be skilled in root cause analysis techniques, anticipating problems or barriers that might arise as a result of a particular solution selected.
Coaching enhances the performers self esteem. Positive affirmations are the order of the day; accentuating the positives and eliminating the negatives assists the coach in enhancing another person’s self esteem. Building on collaboration, synergy, and innovation leads to both motivation and personal commitment to carry out the actions agreed upon.
Check for understanding in your coaching process. Expressing confidence, letting the performer know you fell they will successfully accomplish the objectives is yet another motivational factor to be exercised in this final coaching step.
When confirming actions use the tried and true:
How
What
Who
Where
When
With Whom
Why
Use specifics and be sincere in your delivery. Never “blow smoke” --likely the performer will recognize it for what it is and loose confidence in the coach. Finally, end the discussion on a positive note and set follow up meetings as necessary.
Empathy says you identify with and understand another person’s situation, feelings and or emotions. Sympathy is the act of sharing another feeling by agreement, compassion, loyalty, devotion, and allegiance as a relationship between persons in which whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other.
Coach and performer collaborate in reaching desired win-win solutions. They must each commitment to corrective actions required for an issue. Asking what one wants to accomplish begins the discovery process for potential solutions.
Coaches do not take on performance activities that rightfully belong to the employee. It is the coach’s duty to:
Remove barriers to desired performance
Assist in solving problems
Help develop specific skill sets
Consider alternatives
Coaching is proactively influencing the performance of others. It often determines whether the individual uses a particular skill or set of skills or not. This is especially true for participants applying Six Sigma methodologies recently acquired.
Coaching builds positive affirmations, commitment, and motivation, skills to handle a situation, manage interpersonal relationships successfully, and move toward the desired RESULTS.
Adding to another person’s emotional bank account, avoiding the use of generalities, labels, or assumptions and actively practicing the skills of versatility will greatly enhance the coaching experience for all concerned.
Coaching is a value added productivity investment for all organizational employees and an activity not taken lightly.
Communication within the organization.
What you do speaks so loud that I can not hear what you say.
Investing is one of the most scarce resources of senior management -- their time – and is one positive indicator of commitment.
At the Management and Champions level the coaching issues generally center on the systems and processes necessary for successful Six Sigma implementation. Here are but a few example areas for coaching opportunities at that level.
Linkage to the Strategic Plan
Communications
Organizational issues
People selection
Change Management
Organizational Assessment and Feedback.
Keeping the process evergreen.
Career Development
Screening Projects
Sharing Success
Leadership Participation
Communications with customers and suppliers.
Building support within the entire organization.
Recognition and Rewards
Coaching is conviction driven and without compromise of one’s beliefs.
Improved RESULTS
Coaching is the art of helping the performer become a World Class Performer and to accept change when and as needed. Coaching is having the ability to respond consistently and predictably. Coaching is based on honest, trust and integrity.
Having the ability to understand another person is the heart of coaching; it is something each of us can do for another person. Helping others see themselves, to gain new insights, new skills, to gain maturity, and to learn the fine art of balancing ones life experiences is one of the greatest gifts gained by both coach and the performer.
The ultimate payoff for successful coaching is improved RESULTS. Improved results can only be objectively shown by measuring performance.
About the Author
Charles E. Wilson, Ph. D. is President/CEO of Lakota Training & Development. As well he owns and operates LTD Publishing and Six Sigma Doctor. WIlson is the author of several books, including "Six Sigma Deployment". He serves on TreQna Board of Directors, the Board of Directors for Brazoria County Dream Center, and has responsibility for knowledge development for TreQna University.
Dr. Wilson holds multiple degrees in Psychology. He is a motivational speaker, training facilitator, training developer, management coach, business improvement consultant, and author. Charlie has 36 years of experience in the business and coaching worlds.
Please visit http://treqnauniversity.org/default.aspx to learn more about effective and unique “blended learning” and “be able to do” skills approach for Six Sigma training.
Charles E. Wilson, Ph.D. Page 5 http://www.sixsigmadoctor.com
TreQna University www.treqnauniversity.org
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