#26 - Coaching for best performance
Tuesday, June 16th 2009 @ 11:57 AM
Coaching is more than a buzz word! It is a critical success factor in the business world, so lets take a look at some key aspects of coaching....
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Coaching is a management behavior that sits at the opposite end of the spectrum to command and control - there are no quick fixes here so good coaching is a skill/art that requires a depth of understanding and plenty of practice if it is to deliver its astonishing potential.
A great coach will rarely provide or prescribe solutions - business need to consult a fresh mind, someone who brings no investment or position of his own, an outsider who is not involved with the organization or its culture. An independent coach can reflect ideas, evoke solutions and support their implementation in a way that few insiders could ever do.
Person's potential - a coach's mindset is to believe that people possess more capability, and therefore he must think in terms of their potential, not their current/past performance. Most appraisal systems are flawed for this reason because people are put in performance boxes which is hard for them to break out!
Person's awareness of themself - Building awareness, responsibility and self-belief is the goal of a coach. The coach's job is to open doors for the people so they can see what achievements are possible for them!
Can a manager be a coach!!??
The manager who holds cheque, the promotion keys and the axe have no place in a coaching sitaution as they only undermine the relationship.
The manager must be experienced in a supporting role and not seen as a threat
So what are the key challenges facing the manager:
- this demands the highest qualities of the manager because they need to adopt a fundamentally different approach with their staff.
- will be challenged by their staff as this new approach will be treated with suspicion and may also fear the additional responsibility
- finding the time because coaching is a continous effort.
A couple of things to bear in mind here....
- if time is the important factor here (e.g. you have a immediate crisis), doing the job yourself or telling someone else exactly what is needed is the best approach!
- If the quality of the work and/or maximizing the learning matters most then coaching is the most suitable approach.
