Seven Elements of Effective Coaching

There's been a much larger-than-anticipated response to the Coaching For Managers eGuide (available to you in the right sidebar). So, we're figuring that this is a topic that's genuinely helpful.

I'm in the midst of finishing the wording for a contract with a new coaching client. Since my mind wanders a bit when hunkering down with details, here are some coaching thoughts that emerged during the periodical mental breaks. In my experience, these hold true for both internal and external coaches:

Seven Coaching Tips To Consider

1. Take time to accurately diagnose the situation. Begin coaching conversation using open-ended questions, then sit back and let the client hear what (s)he is saying in response. Clients often become  start to recognize behavioral patterns through their own answers to good questions.

2. Ask the unexpected question. How often have you experienced that feeling of being stuck with no apparent options to escape a situation? This bumps up the stress level. The secret here is for the coach to create brainstorming questions that will generate alternatives to the current situation.

3. Get really, really clear about goals. We've all experienced goal-setting of some sort. However, for a goal to be really useful it needs to be meaningful to the individual. Dedicate significant time to working with clients to refine their goals and sign off on them. (I have them physically sign a document. It increases a sense of accountability).

4. Initiate options. New coaches sometimes rush through this and quickly offer advice. (Hey, it's a lot easier to say, "Do this." Of course, the coach has just taken ownership of the solution).

Effective coaches take time to ask questions that allow the client/employee to come up with some new options that will lead to action and new behavior. Only when options come from the client will you get real commitment to change. The loudest statement a coach can make is by quietly asking a question, then remaining silent.

5. Help evaluate options. Work with the client/employee to develop a set of criteria to evaluate the different options. What investment (energy, money, time,) is needed to put a specific option into practice?

6. Design an action plan. Gee, how mundane, eh? Spending time identifying how a goal will be reached will pay off big time if any glitches are experienced. All you have to do is backtrack and see where things went off track. Also: The plan needs to have a "Here's how you'll know you're successful" element. Coaches help people celebrate; make sure you know when to hold the party.

7. Encourage momentum. Sometime cheerleader, sometime nag; we all need someone to keep us on track. Use phone calls, emails, water cooler conversations, whatever it takes. Remember, it's about moving toward a goal or some kind of change. And you'll enjoy being part of the celebration."

What are you doing that's helping your clients or employees?

Comments

[Mary Jo Asmus]

Steve, great list! May I ever so gently add one thing? It's the one that I tend to forget most often, and the one that managers often forget too.

There needs to be a discussion of the barriers to whatever action the client or employee has committed to. The question might be something like, "What would prevent you from doing that?".

99% of the time, the answer I get back is "nothing", which is really cool. In which case, the question helps to cement commitment and prevent any backsliding due to unforeseen barriers. A manager who is coaching may discover that the employee has a barrier that could use some assistance from within the organization that they can help with.

[Mile High Pixie]

What I've learned from leading communication workshops and dealing with the interns in my office is to ask them two questions: "What have you done so far to remedy this?" and "What are you going to do about this?" The first question allows the person to help me troubleshoot the problem, and the second question forces them, if only for a second, to solve their own problem. Their responses to those two questions--which get asked only after a lot of other question asking and lots of listening--helps me come up with suggestions and a plan of action for that person.

[RickSmithAuthor]

It is critical to also discuss what they plan to give up. Whenever adding new goals (and then action plans), you need to make room for new activities and mindset - this requires coaching others to let things go. Growing in a professional setting is as much about letting go as it is about adding.

Rick Smith

[Steve Roesler]

MJ,

Well, I posted a response via email according to the "new Typepad feature"; now, I find out that it didn't work and I've got all these comments hanging out here that I thought had been acknowledged. Argh.

No need to be gentle: it's a darned good question and liable to lead to another eGuide!

[Steve Roesler]

MHP,

You're getting dangerous:-)

Those two questions have always seemed to me to be the key to good managing and coaching: teaching people to take responsibility on finding solutions to issues that they own. And, of course, if they need some help--as we all do--you've got the info to provide support.

Nice going.

[Steve Roesler]

Rick,

I'm in with the "giving up" question.

Don't you find that clients often show surprise when you ask it?!

[Chris Young]

Great things to keep in mind when coaching, Steve. I've featured your post in my weekly Rainmaker 'Fab Five' blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2009/10/the-rainmaker-fab-five-blog-picks-of-the-week-3.html) to help them improve their coaching skills.

Thanks Steve!