In order to make small fixes before little workplace issues become big problems, coaching employees is crucial. It also helps employees become more invested in their work, work more independently and take ownership of their work. Here are three things to keep in mind to coach employees more effectively:
Your goal: their empowerment. You should work to make your employees experts at their roles in the company, not drones who need constant direction. That’s what an article at WinTheCustomer.com advises. Employees will eventually become frustrated if they’re not allowed to take ownership of their everyday tasks.
Be specific. Coaching an employee is not a time to chat about many different things at the same time. Managers should be ready to cite specific examples of the areas in which they wish to focus and clarify what they think could be possible, states a blog entry at ReadyToManage.com. “Probably the most critical step in the coaching discussion is getting the employee to appreciate what the main focus of the discussion should be,” it states. Seeking feedback from the employee is also important.
It’s not an employee review. Remember that coaching is more about developing employees’ potential than reviewing their work performance. Coaching is timed to occur as close as possible to an observed interaction or project completion, so observations are presented when the example is still fresh. “Done in the right way, coaching is perceived as a roadmap for success and a benefit. Done incorrectly and employees may feel berated, unappreciated, even punished,” says an article by Katherine Graham-Leviss at Entrepreneur.com. In summary: Coaching is an opportunity for employees to grow.
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