Career advice, insights & tips for HR professionals
10 top tips for coaching your staff effectively 15/03/2010
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Coaching allows organisations to maximise the capability of staff and allows employees to realise their full potential. Developing the capability of key staff to perform in new roles or to take on larger responsibilities brings long term Benefits for the organisation as a whole. By asking the right questions, the coach’s task is to help the individuals discover the path that they need to take to achieve their goals. The individual is then able to work more effectively and drive towards more challenging goals with confidence.
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- 1. Be prepared for the coaching sessions
- 2. Decide - is it coaching or mentoring?
- 3. Listen, listen, listen
- 4. Demonstrate that coaching is a progression, not a penalty
- 5. Use the right questions to move forward
- 6. Understand that the coachee knows the answers already
- 7. Remember that confidentiality is essential
- 8. Break down big steps into lots of little steps
- 9. Understand there's no right or wrong
- 10. Ensure to set next steps
1. Be prepared for the coaching sessions
Prepare for the session by understanding what the organisation wants to gain from the sessions and what the member of staff wants to gain.
Often organisations are looking for improved performance in terms of return on investment for budget held by the member of staff, speed of delivery or increased quality.
At strategic level, a coach may be asked to help a director to set goals and long term business objectives.
Often organisations are looking for improved performance in terms of return on investment for budget held by the member of staff, speed of delivery or increased quality.
At strategic level, a coach may be asked to help a director to set goals and long term business objectives.
2. Decide - is it coaching or mentoring?
Coaches use questioning and listening techniques to bring out the full potential of the individual, whereas mentors act as advisors suggesting new paths for the individual to take.
To mentor effectively, you must possess an in-depth appreciation and knowledge of the subject on which you are advising.
Often the relational positions of mentor and individual being mentored are equivalent to that of teacher and pupil. In a coaching event, the positional relationship is much more on a par as the coach’s role is to create an environment for the individual to learn for themselves.
To mentor effectively, you must possess an in-depth appreciation and knowledge of the subject on which you are advising.
Often the relational positions of mentor and individual being mentored are equivalent to that of teacher and pupil. In a coaching event, the positional relationship is much more on a par as the coach’s role is to create an environment for the individual to learn for themselves.
3. Listen, listen, listen
One of the greatest skills a coach must possess is the ability to listen and not judge.
By utilising listening skills, more effective questions can be asked to home in on the situation at the core.
By utilising listening skills, more effective questions can be asked to home in on the situation at the core.
4. Demonstrate that coaching is a progression, not a penalty
Some staff may feel negatively towards coaching as they may have been placed with a coach due to performance issues.
They must quickly be made aware that a coach’s role is to allow the staff member to self-discover the core issues and arrive at an action plan to move past the barriers holding them back.
They must quickly be made aware that a coach’s role is to allow the staff member to self-discover the core issues and arrive at an action plan to move past the barriers holding them back.
5. Use the right questions to move forward
Quite often managers ask their staff why things have happened. ‘Why?’ is actually a confrontational word to use in questioning of staff, it is accusatory in nature and it puts the person who has been asked the question in a defensive state of mind. Automatically, a combative situation has appeared instead of a collaborative one.
The purpose of questioning is to allow options to be considered and a journey planned. Next time ask, ‘What circumstances made you do that’ or ‘How did you make that choice’, instead of ‘Why did this happen’.
The purpose of questioning is to allow options to be considered and a journey planned. Next time ask, ‘What circumstances made you do that’ or ‘How did you make that choice’, instead of ‘Why did this happen’.
6. Understand that the coachee knows the answers already
As a coach, your role is not to provide the answers, but to use questioning and discussion to allow the person to discover the answer for themselves. This has the benefit that the individual is more likely to use this new piece of knowledge than if they were just told it.
Also, if you are coaching someone outside of your own area of expertise, you're not well placed to impose your ideas when intrinsically you can't possess a full understanding of what that individual does within their role.
Also, if you are coaching someone outside of your own area of expertise, you're not well placed to impose your ideas when intrinsically you can't possess a full understanding of what that individual does within their role.
7. Remember that confidentiality is essential
What is said in the room stays in the room. You are coaching the individual, not their co-workers or their boss.
They have to be given the assurance that only information that they agree to can be discussed outside of the coaching event.
This allows for a much more frank discussion of the situations the individual is facing and what they could do to move passed them.
They have to be given the assurance that only information that they agree to can be discussed outside of the coaching event.
This allows for a much more frank discussion of the situations the individual is facing and what they could do to move passed them.
8. Break down big steps into lots of little steps
Would you expect to wake up one morning, decide to climb Mount Everest, fly to Nepal and start walking? For most people the answer would be no.
Everyone should have goals that they wish to achieve; some achieve their goals whilst others don’t. Often the people who don’t achieve their goals decide early on that the goal is unobtainable, not because it is unrealistic but it is too hard.
Breaking down the journey to the goal into smaller steps allows a realistic frame to be put on what can be achieved.
Everyone should have goals that they wish to achieve; some achieve their goals whilst others don’t. Often the people who don’t achieve their goals decide early on that the goal is unobtainable, not because it is unrealistic but it is too hard.
Breaking down the journey to the goal into smaller steps allows a realistic frame to be put on what can be achieved.
9. Understand there's no right or wrong
When acting as a coach, you may discuss various paths that an individual can take to get to their goal.
If the individual being coached decided to take a path that you know in your own mind is wrong, it's not your place or position to correct them. You may feel deep down that this is the wrong path, but do you really know all about the individual being coached?
There may be other information that you are not privy to, which means it's the correct path. Even if in the end it's not the right way, how would the individual learn unless they had the opportunity of self discovery?
If the individual being coached decided to take a path that you know in your own mind is wrong, it's not your place or position to correct them. You may feel deep down that this is the wrong path, but do you really know all about the individual being coached?
There may be other information that you are not privy to, which means it's the correct path. Even if in the end it's not the right way, how would the individual learn unless they had the opportunity of self discovery?
10. Ensure to set next steps
At the end of the session, you will need to set next steps. It may be that you are going to be involved throughout the life cycle of the project or programme in which case you would want to set some tasks for the individual to undertake.
These may take the form of reaching a stage in the project to be achieved or to be ready for the next session by carrying out some analysis or a piece of strategic thinking.
These may take the form of reaching a stage in the project to be achieved or to be ready for the next session by carrying out some analysis or a piece of strategic thinking.
Nick Thomas, associate, Maven Training
Nick is a business coach specialising in helping organisations develop through effective project, programme, risk and change management. He helps directors and managers to find the best solution to their business Challenges