Coaching employees requires both time and money, but there are no guarantees of results.
Whether you are choosing to coach your staff yourself or decide to hire a pricey professional, there are steps you can take to make it more of a success.
You may not have the time or budget to attend a coaching skills training programme so we hope that these tips will help you.
Choose a Clear and Concise Topic
There are so many bits of wisdom you want to share with your employees, but remember that they can only digest so much information at a time.
Too often, coaches make the mistake of choosing a topic that is too broad or complicated for the employees to grasp.
For example, you can’t help your employees communicate better during one coaching session, but you can probably teach them about nonverbal symbols and how to observe them to get a better understanding of how a person feels.
Choose a clear and concise topic to foster comprehension and lead the session to a success.
Gauge Your Team’s Interest
Another common pitfall that prevents effective coaching results is the unwillingness or lack of interest on behalf of the employees.
There are many reasons why they may not be motivated to learn:
Discuss Your Expectations
You may consider that your employees should be ready to implement a new procedure after one training with minimal supervision, but your staffers may not realise that’s your expectation at all.
It’s imperative to be on the same page and discuss your expectations for the coaching session together with your team.
They may tell you right off the bat what is realistic and unrealistic, and you can adjust expectations accordingly.
Set Small Goals
Some topics may be difficult and may require many sessions to truly implement.
However, as a leader, you should create a plan of action to reach certain milestones.
Break up the topic into micro-topics and set due dates for implementation throughout the process.
This will not allow your employees to give up on a goal that seems too far away, and be recognised for their hard work with small rewards, even if that’s verbal praise.
Check in Afterwards
It’s great if the coaching has been completed successfully, but it’s advantageous to have regular check in meetings days, weeks and months after to make sure everyone is on the same page.
This is a great time to observe your employees in action and provide timely feedback to help them improve and stay on track.
Thanks again
Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
Updated on: 28 September, 2018
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