This is for the person who is leading others in a workplace. You may be in a position of power or a position of influence. You know the coaching process will support and bring out the best in the people in your place of business, yet there are some common blocks that can stop the best of us from having coaching conversations.
What are some common coaching blocks that can get in the way of our sticking to a coaching focus in our everyday situations? Here are three blocks that can stop you sticking your neck out.
Let's start with micromanaging and how we go straight to our first reaction.
1. Watch the First Reaction
When you are used to providing solutions, it is easier to defer to our first reaction of offering answers or advice. We can initially react by giving the answers rather than coaching when you face time challenges and change resistance reasons. The micro managing technique overrides your coaching skills of listening, questioning and goal setting and you revert to telling with words like, "this is how we always do it" and "just get it done".What to do
Choose the situations where you can coach to bring about creative and critical thought to encourage ownership and accountability. Micro managing may get you your result but the long term aim is for the employee to accept ownership of their role and the solutions needed for the challenges and obstacles in their job. Decide, plan, prepare which projects, jobs and tasks can be solved through collaboration, through giving space and opportunity for the person to research. Look for opportunities to question, listen and get to agreed goal setting.
Next is to have the courage to take the performance appraisal process to the next level.
2. Coaching and the performance appraisal process.
The annual performance appraisal time and the ever changing forms can create a view that the performance appraisal is a superficial process, it can get confusing and we just tick the boxes and move on. The more it is seen as playing the game with no clear commitment, it is imposed and false the less likely your coaching will be accepted positive experience.
What to do
The performance appraisal process will gain significance when you value the coaching conversation and when it is integral to the process. Don't expect any changes if you accept the performance appraisal session as just a tick in the box. Your coaching conversation is another opportunity for incremental gain to build capability and confidence, and when seen by both participants as a priority in the performance appraisal process it leads to employee self-determination, lasting change and goal achievement.
When using the excuse of lack of time and lack of preparation for coaching conversation.
3. Coaching is time consuming
When you are busy you can perceive the coaching conversation as a time waster. The coaching conversation is a two way communication and time is a sensitive subject and relative to how each person sees it. When you don't see instant benefits you can tend to give up, this can be for one or both of you. Past experiences will influence your opinion to whether coaching is for you. When you look at it as a long term habit forming positive bias, you see it as an investment.
Coaching conversations do consume time, you decide whether it is a waste or an investment.
What to do
Begin with small, frequent coaching sessions with purpose and a clear achievable result. When you see this is working you are creating the perception that a coaching conversation is worthwhile. You can follow a model, like GROW, to help you with coaching fundamentals and your preparation.
There is no block big enough to hold you back from having a coaching conversation to bring out the best in your staff. When you stick your neck out, you make progress and your coaching focus will become just a part of what you do!
Unlock your best future
My words are centred in the desire and intention to help people bring about their best and connect to their best future.
http://isucceed.info
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