COACHING AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE

Nondirective Approach

Being a good listener and sounding board

Stretch Goals

Help others set stretch goals Stretch goals - Require total effort but are realistic

Counseling Objectives, Means, and Employee problems

Objective: To facilitate understanding of behaviors and to obtain a willingness to change. Means: Two Methods: Directive-assuring, probing, and questioning Non Directive- listening and supporting Employee Problems stem from: Attitudes, defensiveness, personality clashes, and other emotional problems.

Coaching Objectives, Means, and Employee problems

Objective: To reinforce positive behaviors and correct negative behaviors, to gain positive work outcomes and enhance relationships. Means: Pass information, set standards, and provide insight, encouragement, direction, and guidance. Employee problems stem from: Lack of ability, information, or understanding and incompetence.

Helping Others Set Goals

Prepare, Clarify, Decide, Commit, Participate

Directive Methods

Probing, questioning, and discussing specific problems and possible solutions.

The Evolving Role of a Coach

See PWR POINT Slide 3

Ensure goals are SMART

Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound .

Types of Supportive Behaviors

Verbal - Statements that indicate commitment to and support of the employee Tangible - Offering help, resources, links to other people and information Active - Empathetic listening

Giving Feedback

-Ensures that individuals focus on meeting organizational goals and objectives. -Reinforces positive and effective actions and behaviors. -Provides corrective action of ineffective or problematic behaviors.

Effective Coaching Behaviors

-Face-to-face discussions of performance challenges and opportunities. -Display high levels of supportive behaviors, such as words or actions conveying concern or acceptance.

The task itself

-Feedback is directly built into the task -Project output is tangible evidence of the quality of the process

Self

-Honest, realistic appraisal of how we're doing relative to others' and our own expectations -Ensure self-evaluation is done as objectively as possible

Prepare

-Know the organization's goals and direction to ensure a match with the goals of the individual -Review the individual's past performance to ensure that goals are attainable and challenging

Challenges in Providing Feedback

-Managers are uncomfortable giving negative feedback and discussing performance weaknesses -Employees tend to have an inflated view of their performance -Feedback is sometimes seen as criticism rather than conducive to improvement -Many managers do not have enough time to provide feedback to greater numbers of employees

Sources of Feedback

-Others -The task itself -Self

Initiating Behaviors

-Providing feedback and analysis of issues and concerns -Clarifying leader expectations and requirements -Exploring impact and effects of employee's actions -Planning actions around solutions -Seeking commitment to the action plan -Clarifying consequences connected to future action and plans

The Importance and Benefits of Coaching

-Reduces employees' concerns their status in the organization -Enables workers to develop a sense of belonging -Endorses people's skills and abilities -Helps people overcome personal obstacles to their success -Improves team communications -Provides a structure for managing conflict -Helps reinforce team goals and commitments -Encourages others to coach -Helps improve workforce recruitment and retention

Others

-Superiors, peers, customers, friends, contacts, and parents -Self-awareness is relied upon to evaluate the feedback

Coaching Template

Stage 1: Expectations and Importance. Stage 2: Questioning and Listening Stage 3: Solution and Agreement

Leadership Behaviors for Coaching

Supportive Behaviors vs. Initiating Behaviors

Skills and Characteristics of Effective Coaches

-A desire to bring out the best in others' performance -Ability to give constructive and positive feedback -Honesty and trustworthiness -Good communication skills -A parallel style of thinking and acting -A personal level of caring

Coaching

-A means for managers to improve employees' work performance with guidance, insight, and encouragement. -Enhances learning through a continual process and frequent interaction. -A good way to conveys values and a vision. -Enables individualized goal setting and action steps for effective results.

Getting Feedback

-Builds our confidence by reinforcing our strengths -Directs us toward areas needing improvement. -Helps us understand our blind spots- weaknesses of which were unaware.

Decide

-Collaborate to decide attainable, desirable, and challenging goals -Put the goals in writing and make them public

Supportive Behaviors

-Collaboration regarding solutions to problems -Help and assistance through training and resources -Concern over an employee's needs -Empathy for the employee -Expressions of the value of the employee and his or her contribution to the work -Acceptance of responsibility -Providing time for the employee to air his or her feelings

Clarify

-Communicate how individuals' goals and objectives fit with the organizational objectives

Importance of Feedback in Organizations

-Compare actual performance with a given standard or expectation -Result of heightened competition and shifting requirements -Seasoned employees who provide feedback: -Experience the different aspects of the business -Become successful at teaching, coaching, and mentoring others -Reduces the strain of having to train new people continually -Feedback mechanisms allow employees to: -Share progress toward goals and relay current problems -Inform management about their perceptions of their jobs, co-workers, and the organization -Feedback to top executives ensures that the company's interests and ethical standards are maintained.

Challenges in Receiving Feedback

-Demonstrate an openness to hearing the information and benefiting from it -Try to understand the speaker's point of view -Try to be objective and not take things personally -Check your body language -Ask for specific examples that support the speaker's feedback -Summarize key points to demonstrate that you've understood the feedback

Challenges in Asking for Feedback

-Demonstrate you are open to continual change and learning -Assess why you want feedback before requesting it -Avoid requesting feedback too frequently -Ask for suggestions on how you can improve

Asking for Feedback

-Demonstrates our commitment to improve. -Demonstrates our dedication to doing things right. -Shows our commitment to continued service in an organization.

Commit

-Determine how to support, assist, and facilitate others in achieving their goals

Effective Coaching Behaviors

-Display moderate levels of Initiating behaviors: Words or actions that encourage problem solving or resolutions -Ask questions as a means of facilitating an employee's improvement -Challenge employees to improve -Focus on the needs of the individual -Prior to the coaching session -Plan, Prepare, Rehearse

Participate

-Schedule meetings to discuss progress, revise goals, and set higher or additional goals -Make goal setting an ongoing process

Characteristics of Effective Feedback

-Specific, non-personal, work-related -Documentable and descriptive -Frequent and timely with purpose -Constructive, in appropriate setting, interactive

Counseling

-Used to address personal or attitudinal problems, not related to an individual's ability -Involves listening skills, feedback skills, trustworthiness, and patience -Has two methods: Directive and Nondirective