SPEAKERS &
CONSULTANTS
Barbara A. Mintzer
Keynote Speaker on:
Change, Management, Team Building,
Motivation, Work/Life Balance
The Manager as Coach:
In an era of unprecedented change, business leaders are facing the challenge
of ensuring quality customer service and cost effectiveness at the same
time . While these two concepts are not necessarily incompatible, they are
not easy to achieve. How then do we provide excellent customer service with
leaner budgets and fewer people doing more work? How do we get our
employees to "buy-in" to the goals and objectives we want them to achieve?
One way is through the management style known as "coaching." While less
formal and less structured than traditional management, this hands-on,
one-of -the-team style of management provides a climate of trust that is
conducive to motivating employees. There are 5 key qualities to effective
coaching:
1. Loyalty: Employees today do not feel much loyalty from management.
They have seen family and friends go through layoffs, they do not feel
secure in their own positions, and it is imperative that management show
loyalty to employees for a coaching relationship to work. While companies
may no longer be able to guarantee "forever" employment, coaches can show
loyalty to their employees in a number of ways:
a) Honest communication ... give timely and reliable information to
your employees ... always
important, and especially so if an organization is going through
change.
b) Allow employees to express how they feel without fear of punishment
or retribution ... a
must if you want to build trust and loyalty with your staff.
c) Never ask employees to do something that goes against company
ethics or values.
d) Encourage employees to grow and develop their potential, and support
them in their
endeavors
e) Treat each employee as a unique individual.
2. Empathetic Listening: One of the most under-valued of all
management skills is the ability to listen. A coach often spends more time
listening than managing. When an employee needs to be heard, the coach:
a) Finds a private spot (a neutral place like the cafeteria off-hours
if employee is likely to feel intimidated in the coach's office) and makes
time available to listen.
b) Holds all calls unless urgent and lets employee know that there will
be absolutely no interruptions ... employee has all the coach's time for (x)
amount of minutes. We spend time with things we value, and this
non-interrupted time is a strong signal to employee that he/she is important
and valued.
c) Sits down and leans forward in an "I am interested " position and
focuses in on what the employee is saying, sometimes taking notes if
appropriate.
d) Asks open-ended questions to draw employee out, and pays close
attention to what is said.
Employee will feel understood when his/her needs and concerns can be
accurately verbalized by the coach.
e) Lets employee know that the coach is in his/her corner and willing to
help. "How can we work through this" is an excellent phrase for showing
empathy and concern.
3. Skills Stretching: To run a team that is competitive, creative and
innovative, the coach should create an environment where employees are given
an opportunity to develop new skills .
The greatest satisfaction employees will have in the workplace will be to be
challenged in their work and grow in new skill development. The coach
should carefully evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and confidence levels
of each employee, and move individuals into areas where their skills can be
expanded and their interests can be developed. Classes and seminars can be
effective tools in achieving skills-stretching. However, sometimes all it
takes to develop potential is added
responsibility and encouragement all along the way .
4. Vision Making : In today's workplace, coaches must be visionaries.
They must be able to move their employees through today's changes into
tomorrow's opportunities. They must be able to formulate and articulate a
vision the employees can buy into and embrace. The ability to get people
excited about something that is in the future , that they cannot as yet see,
is no small task. However, it is the vehicle to keep empolyees motivated
and wanting to give you all they have to see your vision become reality .
The 15-minute vision meeting is a wonderful strategy for getting buy-in and
accountability from your staff . The power in this strategy is the
consistency in which it is practiced. The key here is that nothing changes
... the 15-minute vision meeting is done at the same time, the same day, the
same room, each week.
For example, let us say you meet with your staff every Friday at 9:00 a.m.
You always meet in the same room, each person always takes the same seat, it
always runs from 9:00 to 9:15, the vision statement is always displayed in
the same place, and you always ask the same two questions:
1. What did you do this week that brought us closer to our vision?
2. What obstacle did you encounter that prevented you from doing
something to bring us closer to our vision?
That is it! Those questions never change. It takes about three months, but
if you follow this
15-minute vision meeting as I have outlined it, your staff will
automatically start to develop a "vision meeting" mentality . They will know
on Wednesday that if they haven't done anything to bring you closer to your
vision, they had better do something by Friday. You will get innovation and
creativity from your staff like you never expected ... and from the people
you never thought you would get it from . Formulate a vision for your
company or department; articulate it with enthusiasm and passion to your
staff; and make them accountable for results. You will be amazed at what
will transpire.
5. Role Modeling: Coaches are role models whether they know it or
not. The staff's view of the coach can affect his/her attitude towards the
entire organization. How each staff member feels about the coach can have a
profound effect on how productive he/she is. Coaches can be excellent role
models by:
a) Providing a "level playing field." The coach does not show
favoritism, and each employee is judged equally on his/her work performance.
b) Giving employees constant and consistent feedback on their
performance.
c) Showing appreciation for employees. When coaches give employees
approval, praise and recognition, they respond by becoming more committed to
the vision and doing what it takes to make that vision a reality.
d) Taking pride in themselves and their own work and emulating the
behavior that they would require of their employees.
Coaching is not easy. But the reward is great ... a cohesive, alive
"excited about the future" team
working together towards a shared vision . It is this type of team that will
keep a company competitive and on top in this rapidly changing workplace.
Copyright 1998 by Barbara A. Mintzer (All rights reserved.)
Maximizing People Potential