The coach of a college athletic team asks each of the returning players to stop by his office for a combined evaluation and
goal-setting session. As each player arrives, the coach hands him a three-page, typewritten report containing an evaluation
of the player's performance, calibrated in accordance with NCAA and conference guidelines. "Next year we need to win more
games," the manager says, "and you need to improve in the following areas. ... I won't be able to attend many of our practices,
but I do plan on making it to most of our games. Feel free to contact me any time you're running into difficulty achieving
these goals. OK?" Sound ridiculous? Maybe so, but in the world of business, this example tends to represent reality far more than most of us
would like. Performance coaching (athletic or otherwise) is a difficult, time-consuming and highly rewarding profession. Suffice
it to say, there is a whole lot that goes into becoming an effective coach. For our purposes, let's tackle two fundamental
issues: when to coach and how to coach.
When to coach
To be an effective coach, you have to "be there." Managers battle an ever-increasing barrage of time-management and priority-setting
challenges. But when it comes to coaching, there is simply no substitute for direct observation. You can't send a surrogate
to "run your practices" or "attend your games" and expect to be nearly as effective as if you were there yourself.
Almost any interaction, verbal or electronic, can provide coaching opportunities. Coaching can be as informal as a hallway
conversation based on a chance observation or as formal as a mid-year review based on documented input from multiple stakeholders.
Effective coaches take any chance they get to provide employees with focused performance feedback.
How to coach
As important as knowing when to coach is knowing how to coach. The athletic coach has to deal with players with varying backgrounds,
experiences and skill levels. All have strengths and weaknesses, and they don't all react the same way to specific coaching
techniques. It is up to the coach to find a way to help each player maximize individual performance within the context of
the team. Business is no different.
Consider the following recipe for coaching communication (the OFTEN model). As part of an overall performance management strategy,
this simple model helps managers stay on track, provide value and increase the likelihood that desired behaviors will actually
occur. Here are the key elements:
O stands for "open." Managers should open each coaching session by setting an appropriate tone, which usually means making sure the environment
is conducive to learning. Take the time to create a sense of safety. In some cases, it might even be appropriate to ask your
employee if this is a good time for feedback. If the recipient of your coaching feels threatened, there is little chance that
your efforts will hit their mark.
