Why coaching is such an important talent development tool! Part 3
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GROW your coaching skills and develop your talent
As Arsène Wenger once said, ‘Young players need freedom of expression to develop as creative players… they should be encouraged to try skills without fear of failure.’
Having introduced a coaching approach to your team development activities you now want to use coaching in career development conversations. Using the famous GROW coaching model is perfect here. It gives you a useful structure for the conversation whilst keeping your team firmly in control of their careers.
Whether your team member wants to begin developing skills for another role in your team or organisation, or simply to broaden their current skill set and contribute more widely, the GROW model is a simple and easy coaching tool for managers to use.
Having established they are interested in further development at a recent 121 meeting and set up a specific time and place (private) to have that development conversation, your first step is to help them articulate the G!
Goal. What is it they want to achieve from this discussion? What career development are they looking for? Why is that attractive to them? What do they hope to gain? Are there other goals to achieve first? That’s often the case when someone’s overall goal is a promotion but they know they need to acquire more skills and knowledge first to become a credible candidate. Asking open questions like these will help them explore what they want to achieve and why and create clarity.
Reality. Where are they now, in terms of the goal? What have they already done? Are they starting from scratch or do they have some skill, knowledge or experience they want to develop to the next level? Are they really clear about where they are starting from, or can you see other issues that need to be addressed first? Use open questions to help people get a good understanding of their current position as some may lack confidence and think the goal is more difficult to achieve than is necessary, whilst others may be too confident and not appreciate that there are other smaller steps to take first!
Options. Now they have a clear goal and a realistic assessment of where they are, you can now help them identify options for achieving the goal. Like brainstorming, get all the options on the table. Which ones do they like the most? What are the pros and cons of each? Would they like any suggestions from you?
W for Will or What Next? Decision time! Which options does your team member prefer and why? What action will they take? What will be their criteria for success? How committed are they to implementing this decision, on a scale of 1-10? What might get in the way of success? What support do they need, from you or others? It should be their decision remember, not yours. Help them explore why they are choosing this option over others, what the pros and cons of their chosen course of action are and how they will handle any down-sides.
Finally, an action plan is required which they can share with you and others, as appropriate. It should have clear measures of success. Check if they want to have another coaching session to discuss progress and when. Follow-up is important for you and them, but your team member should drive the timing and agenda. Coaching should be non-directive and empower people to take action for themselves. As their manager, you are there to support and facilitate, not parent them.
TAKE AWAY
The GROW coaching model is well established and highly effective. Simple to use, it gives a great structure for managers to use to help them support their team’s development. Simply add in an open mind, good listening skills and a questioning style that helps others understand their situation fully and you’ve a recipe for success time after time. Good luck!