Friday, November 20, 2009

Coaching: A Recipe to Maximize Performance

Most performance management systems lack or are light on the most important ingredient required to get the full potential people have to offer: Coaching.

While most of us are familiar with and have experienced “coaches” in the context of sports, fewer have experienced skilled coaching in a work context. Part of that is because we develop managers, not coaches. We emphasize technical skills and knowledge over what is commonly referred to as “soft skills:” communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.

Effective coaching requires three ingredients:

1.  Understanding the coaching process: Coaching is about leading people to answers rather than telling them answers. It’s about leading people to accept responsibility and take ownership of their own results.  By asking questions and facilitating dialogue about performance, a coach explores with employees what they are doing well, what they could be doing better, and how they are progressing on their goals.

2.  Setting measurable goals: Coaching is a more forward-looking process than the traditional performance evaluation. It relies on setting measurable goals and tracking progress towards those goals.  Goals should include both results-oriented organizational goals and employee development goals.

3. Consistent follow up: Regularly scheduled, follow-up sessions allow managers to make timely course corrections if employees get off track. They provide managers the opportunity to support employees towards the achievement of their goals, and to hold them accountable for results.  The most glaring drawback of traditional performance reviews is that they typically occur just once a year, sometimes every 6 months. Such infrequent assessments of performance hold little developmental value compared to monthly or twice-monthly coaching. Six or twelve months is also far too long to wait to measure progress, provide feedback, make adjustments to goals, and address any significant performance issues.

Because coaching requires skill, many organizations bring in experienced coaches to work with key managers. This coaching can, in turn, help those managers develop their own coaching skills so they are better equipped to coach employees.

Jim O’Shea is an organizational development specialist, business coach, facilitator, and consultant with more than 25 years of experience in business. His firm, Achievement Unlimited of CT, specializes in helping individuals and organizations achieve their goals using development processes tailored to the specific needs of clients.


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