Why Coaching is Such an Important Talent Development Tool! Part 2

Posted by Amanda Whiteford

Coaching to improve performance

You’ve have a talented team member whose performance seems to have dipped lately and you are not sure why. Having decided a coaching approach would be best way to support them and get them back on track you now need a structure to help you, and them, through the conversation. Use the following 6 steps to help get them back on track.

Set up the meeting and let your team member know what it is you want to discuss, so there are no surprises and they too can prepare. For example, you might say “I thought it would be good to take some time to discuss how that meeting went the other day, what worked well and what would have made it even more effective.”

Begin the meeting by asking them how well they think their role, project (or meeting in the example above) is progressing. Use the www.ebi approach – ‘what works well, even better if..’ – to get their perspective and explore what might be hindering their performance. Ask open questions about things you’ve observed and ask for their perspective on what happened and why. Your aim at this stage is for your team member to realise for themselves where and how they could improve their performance and the benefits it would bring them and the team. Only then should you discuss your concerns, outlining what you’ve noticed. Ensure your feedback is about behaviours and outcomes, not their personality. You may need to prompt them with some further questions and ideas if they are not forthcoming. We will address this is in a future blog.

Now help them think differently by asking them to view a situation or aspects of their performance from other viewpoints. For example, “How do you think the sales team viewed that outcome? What is it likely to mean for them?” In this way, they begin to see the impact of their actions for themselves and can explore the likely impact of alternative approaches. By engaging them in solution mode, you are facilitating their development and helping them to see development opportunities or needs they may not have previously recognised. Only at the end, when they’ve no more ideas, should you suggest your own.

Having looked at the situation fully, ask them to revisit each option or solution and explore the pros and cons, including any you suggested. What options most appeal to them and why? Which do they think are the most feasible for them to action? If done properly, you will find that whatever options they choose will be acceptable to you.

Action planning – having reviewed the situation in full, what are they now willing to do to improve their performance? Ask them to choose some options and develop an action plan that is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed) which they feel excited about and which they can own. Agree a follow-up meeting to review this action plan and discuss what, if any, support they need from you to implement it.

Finally, at that follow-up meeting use the www.ebi framework above to see how well their action plan played out and how it has developed their skills, understanding, and performance in the process.

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