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Becoming a Better Coach: Beyond the Basics

E x c e r p t e d f r o m

Performance Management:

Measure and Improve the Effectiveness of Your Employees

Harvard Business School Press Boston, Massachusetts

ISBN-10: 1-4221-0744-2 ISBN-13: 978-1-4221-0744-7

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Becoming a Better Coach

Key Topics Covered in This Chapter

• Delegating coaching responsibilities

• Three conditions that improve coaching results

• Common mistakes made by coaches—and the remedies

• The challenge of team coaching

Beyond the Basics

Kn o w i n g t h e why and what of coaching is enoughto get started, but is insufficient to make you excel asa coach. And becoming an excellent coach can truly enhance your career in management.

Like many interpersonal activities, good coaching is often the product of personal qualities and interpersonal skills, neither of which can be taught in any book, this one included. Nevertheless, you can learn some things that will improve your coaching experiences. One lesson is knowing when not to coach; some situations are better re- solved through other means. Then, too, some coaching can be del- egated, saving you lots of time and perhaps improving results. Delegating is one of a manager’s most important tools, and coach- ing, like some other managerial chores, can sometimes be delegated to competent subordinates. This chapter will help you identify situ- ations in which delegation makes sense.

You can also improve your coaching by creating a climate in which success is more likely. A hostile climate is obviously not con- ducive to the two-way participation required for effective coaching. In these pages, you’ll learn of three conditions that support coaching effectiveness. The chapter ends with a number of dos and don’ts ob- served by every good coach.

Conserve Time and Energy

Coaching consumes every manager’s most valuable and limited re- source: time. All managers are pressed for time: for budgeting, plan-

ning, hiring and firing, meetings, and the countless other things that crowd their daily calendars. As a result, most managers underinvest in coaching. And when they do coach, being pressed for time, they either do the coaching themselves, figuring that this is the quickest way to deal with the problem, or they micromanage, telling their employees exactly what to do and how to do it—in other words, being “bossy.” Both behaviors are demotivating to employees.

You must be very judicious in the amount of time you allocate to coaching. Coaching is important, but so are many other things.

Know When to Coach and When Not to Coach

You can make the most of your time by recognizing that some situa- tions benefit more from coaching than do others. For example, Rolf had a problem writing reports; they were extremely wordy, lacked the headings and bullet points that make for faster reading, and never contained an executive summary. His boss, Karl, was eager to help Rolf for two very good reasons: first, Karl had to read those reports, and second, Rolf would not realize his career potential without im- provement in that area. But Karl knew that Rolf wasn’t even aware of the problem. Thus, coaching him might be a waste of time—time Karl could spend on something with a higher payoff potential. He decided that the best course of action was to make Rolf aware of the problem and give him an opportunity to take care of it on his own.

Delegate When Possible

As a manager, you have learned to delegate responsibility for many tasks, freeing up time you can allocate to issues that are more impor- tant. Delegation has another benefit: it gives the delegated people opportunities to take on more responsibility and develop their skills.

Some coaching situations may be candidates for delegation when someone else is able to do the job and perhaps do the job bet- ter than you. Consider Rolf ’s report-writing problems.

“Rolf,” said Karl,“you did a very good job with those reliability tests. If you hadn’t found those problems, we might have approved the current

Becoming a Better Coach 3

design and sent it on to manufacturing.That would have been a costly mistake. So thanks for that.”

After a brief conversation about Rolf’s testing method and his find- ings, Karl brought up the report.“You managed to get all the important information into this report,” he said, holding up the document.“But can I give you some friendly advice?”

“Sure, what is it?” Rolf asked. “Make your reports more reader-friendly. Some of the people who

read these things are simply looking for a summary—and they won’t find it here—which means that they won’t read anything you’ve writ- ten. Others are content to skim for key points and conclusions.And then there are a few techno-nerds, like me, who want all the details. Re- port writing that meets these different needs in a single document is an art. Unfortunately, it’s not an art they taught either of us in engineering school.”

“I know what you mean,” Rolf responded.“I’m never sure how I should report my findings.As a result, it usually takes me more time to write the report than run the actual tests.And if people aren’t reading them, what’s the point?”

“Exactly,” said Karl.“So, would you like some help on this?” “Yes, I’d welcome it.” “Good,” Karl affirmed.“For starters, I’ll have you work with

Sophia, a staff technical writer. Sophia isn’t an engineer, but she speaks our language, and she has helped other people improve their writing. I’ve already talked to her about this and given her a copy of your re- port. By the time she’s through with you, Rolf, you’ll be a prime candi- date for the Pulitzer Prize in the report-writing category.”

“I can’t wait,” Rolf laughed.“By the way, what’s the cash reward these days for a Pulitzer Prize?”

Notice how the boss in this situation began with a compliment, then gained his subordinate’s interest in a plan of improvement. But in this case, the boss didn’t suggest developing an action plan or a time when they might work together. Instead, he effectively dele- gated the coaching task to someone else—and to someone who had more to contribute than he.

4 Performance Management

How many opportunities do you have to delegate coaching to other qualified and willing parties? In some cases, your human re- source department may be able to help with tutorial programs and contracted trainers. Remember also that you are giving the people to whom you delegate coaching tasks an opportunity to sharpen their skills—skills they will need as they advance in their careers. Thus, delegation has three benefits:

1. It conserves your time and energy.

2. It provides personal development for one of your subordi- nates—the designated coach.

3. It helps the coachee become more proficient.

As a final note, never forget this rule of effective delegation: the person delegated must assume responsibility for the outcome. Thus, if Sophia accepts the task of coaching Rolf, she must assume re- sponsibility for Rolf ’s report-writing progress. Accept the chore, ac- cept responsibility for the outcome. Otherwise, the outcome is likely to be disappointing.

Create the Right Climate

Another thing you can do to become a better coach is to pay atten- tion to the psychosocial climate in which coaching takes place. The results of coaching generally improve when executives, managers, and supervisors create a climate conducive to learning. That climate is characterized by these intangible but important features:

• Mutual trust

• Accountability for results

• Motivation to learn and improve

Let’s consider each of these characteristics in detail.

Becoming a Better Coach 5

Mutual Trust

Have you ever helped a child learn to ride a bicycle? It is a scary ex- perience for a child. The youngster is trying to balance an unfamil- iar piece of equipment and make it move forward at the same time. An added fear is knowing that losing control or balance will send him or her crashing to the hard pavement. Reassurances such as “It’s easy once you get the hang of it” or “I know this is scary; I had to do this myself when I was your age” may be helpful to the child. But what matters most is the voice of someone the child trusts saying, “Don’t worry; I’ll catch you if you begin to fall.” The confidence that stems from that reassuring statement will divert the child’s at- tention from fear to the skill he or she hopes to master.

Whether you are helping a child learn to ride a bicycle or help- ing a subordinate learn a winning approach to closing a sale, trust matters. Trust has several sources:

• Demonstrated concern for the other person’s well-being and suc- cess. People trust those who have their best interests in mind. A good manager earns that trust by showing empathy for subordi- nates. When asking someone to work late on a project, the good boss will also ask, “Would this upset any plans you’ve made with your family or friends?” Alternatively, he or she may say, “I know that this is an imposition—you have other things to do after five o’clock.” Trust is also established when a boss demonstrates a genuine interest in a subordinate’s career success. “I really trust my boss,” Sheila told Max. “She’s done a lot of things to help me move ahead, even though my move to corporate R&D will cre- ate a headache for her.” This type of trust is not the product of a single high-minded act, but is characterized by a pattern of help- ing worthy subordinates expand their horizons and careers. It must be built over time through consultation, useful coaching, and providing opportunities for the person to move ahead.

• Expertise in the matter at hand. For example, the person you are coaching with sales techniques will trust you if you have a reputation as a successful salesperson.

6 Performance Management

• Being as good as your word. Trust is built through repeated demonstrations that you are worthy of trust. So, whenever you say, “Here’s the plan: I’ll do X and you will do Y,” be sure to hold up your end of the bargain. And do it every time.

• Not disclosing information held in confidence. Discussions with an employee about a performance problem may inadver- tently dredge up personal information that the employee would not want shared. Always respect his or her desire for confiden- tiality. And by all means, do not pry into the personal lives of your subordinates. If a problem outside work is the source of performance problems, this legitimately concerns you—though indirectly. But instead of prying, create an opportunity for the person to volunteer the information.

Build trust, and your coaching experiences will be more productive.

Accountability for Results

A person who isn’t held accountable for results will not take coach- ing seriously. Thus, the salesperson who doesn’t see a connection between performance and a paycheck won’t take the boss’s sales coaching seriously. The person may politely listen and nod, “Yes, I understand what you mean,” but his or her behavior is unlikely to change. Consequently, the outcome of this individual’s sales work will not change.

If you have a formal coaching plan, that plan should make ac- countability explicit. “I agree to help you develop your selling skills, and you agree to learn and apply them to produce higher sales.” Whenever feasible, express this accountability in measurable quanti- ties: for example, the number of sales contacts made each day, or the time required to process an insurance application. Improvements made in some tasks are less easily quantified, such as the conciseness and readability of a technical report or the quality of a presentation to the company sales force. Even so, a sharp manager can rate the be- fore- and after-coaching quality of these types of tasks.

Becoming a Better Coach 7

Motivation to Learn and Improve

Smart parents know that the best time to help their children master a new skill—be it riding a bicycle or tying their shoes—is when chil- dren are truly motivated to learn. Either because of peer pressure or because of genuine interest in mastering things that older children do, there comes a time when a child is both physically ready and mentally eager to learn particular skills. Attempts to teach a young- ster these new skills before then usually fail. The workplace situation is very similar: coaching coupled with a motivation to learn is a powerful combination. Absent that motivation, coaching efforts are much less effective.

You are probably already familiar with the workplace motiva- tions that encourage people to learn and improve:

• Mastering an important skill will open the door to advancement.

• An employee sees that improved productivity is reflected in her paycheck.

• A person knows that his job is in danger unless he learns to do a particular task better.

• Peer pressure encourages everyone to do his or her best.

• An employee has reached the point where she is eager to learn something new or move on to a more challenging job.

These are the situations in which your coaching will be most effec- tive and most appreciated.

Mutual trust, accountability for results, motivation to learn and im- prove—create a climate in which these qualities are present, and your coaching, and most of your other managerial activities, will surely be more effective. Are any of these qualities absent from your current coaching relationships?

8 Performance Management

Avoid These Common Mistakes

Few managers are great coaches. This observation should surprise no one, since so few managers are given any formal instruction in, or other guidance on, coaching methods—either in school or by their own bosses or companies. That lack of training leads to several common mistakes:

1. Talking too much. Some managers talk and direct too much and listen too little. Because coaching is a collaborative activity, the coachees must have an opportunity to talk about their work, where they are having problems, how they feel about their abilities, and so forth. A coach learns none of this when dominating the conversation.

Remedy: Resist the urge to talk, to tell, to direct in the early phase of coaching. When you do talk, ask probing questions like “What is holding you back?” or “How do you usually handle this task?” Alternatively, direct the conversation into an area where more information is needed for diagnosis, for ex- ample, “If you don’t feel that you have enough time to develop these reports each month, tell me how you’re using your time.”

2. Failing to listen. Getting the employee talking won’t do much good if you fail to listen. Listening helps us understand. Many people appear to be listening. They maintain eye contact and keep their mouths shut. But they aren’t really processing what they hear or looking for the emotions behind the other person’s words. Instead, they are mentally forming their next speech.

Remedy: Put all other thoughts out of your head as the other person speaks. Concentrate on what that person is telling you.

3. Losing control of your emotions. “Damn it, Kowalski,” the boss fumed as he pounded his fist on the desk, “how many times do I have to show you how to do this?” Tantrums undermine coaching. They destroy trust and create either fear or hostility

Becoming a Better Coach 9

in the subordinate. The only emotions that matter in coaching are those that support the coachee and make him or her more receptive to learning and improvement.

Remedy: Check your emotions at the door. If you are having a bad day or if you are upset by something, postpone your coaching session to another day.

4. Directing the subordinate toward something he or she will resist without emotional preparation. Chances are that you will en- courage your subordinate to try something new or to reach for something higher, such as giving a presentation in front of an important client or group of senior managers. Encouraging people to stretch is a good thing. If the person lacks confidence or is somehow emotionally unprepared for that step, however, your encouragement will be a wasted effort.

Remedy: You don’t have to be a psychologist to be a coach, but sometimes you must practice some psychology to be successful. This goes back to what we said earlier about goals. You should understand the people who work for you—their personal aspi- rations, capabilities, and even their fears. If you truly understand your employees, then you can prepare them for the things you want them to do. If, for example, lack of self-confidence is an impediment to progress, deal with that fundamental problem before you coach the person on making a group presentation.

In amateur tennis and many other games, you are likely to win if you simply avoid making mistakes. The same holds true in the game of coaching. Avoid the mistakes described above, and your coaching ef- forts will probably bear fruit. (See “Be a Good Role Model.”)

The Challenge of Team Coaching

If your company is like others, many tasks are being handled through teams. Some teams are formed around routine business processes. A

10 Performance Management

bank, for example, may form a team to handle sizable commercial loan applications. That team may include a sales-oriented loan offi- cer, a credit analyst, and clerical personnel trained in producing loan documents. A team like this is usually permanent. Its members jointly plan their production levels and work schedules and may even have responsibility for retaining or rejecting people from the team. Other teams are formed around temporary or infrequent tasks, such as the development of a new product or planning the company’s move to a new office building. This type of team brings together cross-functional skills and disbands once its work is done.

Whether the teams are permanent or temporary, the traditional boss-subordinate rules are suspended within teams—the reason is that you cannot obtain the benefits of a team and still have a tradi- tional boss. A team has a leader, but the team leader is not the boss. He or she does not have the usual authority over others and may even be outranked by certain members of the team. Nevertheless, the team leader retains coaching responsibilities.

In his book on team-based work, J. Richard Hackman explains that good coaching helps teams in three ways: first, by enhancing the level of effort that individual members apply to their work; second, by assuring that the work done is appropriate; and third, by helping members make the most of their talents.1 Good team leaders find

Becoming a Better Coach 11

Be a Good Role Model Remarkably, the ultimate weapon in coaching may be your own on-the-job behavior. Your subordinates are watching you. They observe how you delegate tasks, how you communicate with the group, how you handle your time, and your personal ap- proach to continual learning and improvement. And some sub- ordinates pattern their own behavior on yours. So, if you want to be a great coach, be a great manager and colleague. Set stan- dards of behavior and performance you would want your sub- ordinates to adopt.

coaching opportunities in the course of everyday business. Their coaching can help members with many routine activities: making better presentations, scheduling their work, dealing with intrateam conflict, obtaining external resources, setting up a budget, and even working effectively in a team environment.

Coaching opportunities are especially prevalent within teams because so many of the skills members eventually need are skills they must learn as their projects unfold. For example, an engineer re- cruited because of her technical capabilities may suddenly find that she must prepare and present a businesslike progress report to the sponsor and senior management. This type of presentation is outside her set of skills and experiences. She must develop presentation skills quickly—and coaching by the leader is often the best solution.

If you are a team leader, you can use coaching to help your col- leagues accomplish the following tasks:

• Get back on track when they are having performance problems

• Maximize individual strengths (e.g., build on analytical skills)

• Overcome personal obstacles (e.g., reduce a fear of dealing di- rectly with a difficult team member)

• Achieve new skills and competencies (e.g., learn how to make a better stand-up presentation)

• Prepare for new responsibilities (e.g., take charge of an ad hoc task force)

• Manage themselves more effectively (e.g., improved time management)

As in nonteam environments, good coaching within a team en- hances job satisfaction and motivation. It may also improve your working relationship with other team members, making your job as team leader much easier and more successful. Just remember that ef- fective coaching requires mutual agreement. The other person must want to do better and must welcome your help.

12 Performance Management

Summing Up

• Be very judicious in the amount of time you allocate to coach- ing. In some instances, you can delegate particular coaching jobs to others.

• Pay attention to the psychosocial climate in which coaching takes place. The results of coaching generally improve when executives, managers, and supervisors create a climate charac- terized by mutual trust, accountability for results, and the moti- vation to learn and improve.

• Avoid common mistakes, and your coaching will improve. Common mistakes include talking too much, failing to listen, losing control of your emotions, and failing to emotionally prepare the coachee for what you want him or her to do.

• Team leaders are not traditional bosses, but they can—and often must—coach their teammates.

• Like everything else, coaching skills improve with practice. So, take every opportunity to practice.

Becoming a Better Coach 13

Chapter 5

1. J. Richard Hackman, Leading Teams (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002), 205.

Notes

Harvard Business Essentials

The New Manager’s Guide and Mentor

The Harvard Business Essentials series is designed to provide com- prehensive advice, personal coaching, background information, and guidance on the most relevant topics in business. Drawing on rich content from Harvard Business School Publishing and other sources, these concise guides are carefully crafted to provide a highly practi- cal resource for readers with all levels of experience, and will prove especially valuable for the new manager. To assure quality and accu- racy, each volume is closely reviewed by a specialized content adviser from a world-class business school. Whether you are a new manager seeking to expand your skills or a seasoned professional looking to broaden your knowledge base, these solution-oriented books put re- liable answers at your fingertips.

Books in the Series:

Business Communication Coaching and Mentoring

Creating Teams with an Edge Crisis Management Decision Making

Entrepreneur’s Toolkit Finance for Managers

Hiring and Keeping the Best People Manager’s Toolkit

Managing Change and Transition Managing Creativity and Innovation

Managing Employee Performance Managing Projects Large and Small

Marketer’s Toolkit Negotiation

Power, Influence, and Persuasion Strategy

Time Management

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