Management: 9 tips for coaching your team
20 August 2014
Read by 4601 persons
Being a manager and a coach for your team at the same time is not an impossible mission. Some already do it without using the term coaching in their daily management practices. Others can easily start doing it. Advice from Patrick Amar, author of "Manager Psychology for Better Success at Work".
1. Don't force yourself
If you think coaching your team is too complicated or (especially) if you don't want to, know how to surround yourself with a deputy who can act as a "transmission belt" between you and your team. If this person is more people-oriented, likes spending time with them, while you are more focused on tasks to be accomplished, this is the best solution.
2. Choose the right time
Taking time to listen and talk with your employees is essential if you want to help them progress. But not all situations are suitable. Metaphorically, when there's a fire, you don't gather your team to discuss consensually how to fight the fire (number of buckets, size of the human chain?), you put it out urgently by assuming your leadership role! And you review things afterwards.
3. Adopt an empathetic stance
A good starting point is empathy, that is, the ability to put yourself in the other person's shoes. This involves listening, questioning, and rephrasing. The employee thus feels that they are of interest, listened to, and understood. Be careful not to let your attitudes betray you. Saying "I'm listening" while continuing to busy yourself, receive calls, or check your emails, doesn't work.
4. "Forget yourself" a little
To effectively coach your employees, it's important to avoid projecting your own history, frustrations, desires, and fears onto them. Don't impose your way of working but instead help them find solutions for themselves.
5. Don't judge
Be careful how you view your employees. If the manager considers his employee an idiot, the latter is more likely to become one! This is what is called the "self-fulfilling prophecy." Indeed, if you think one of your employees is mediocre, you may not give them enough recognition, feedback, or material to develop. This lack of interest they will feel is very likely to discourage them and prevent them from progressing, and this is the beginning of a vicious cycle.
6. Give feedback
Feedback helps encourage and reinforce effective behaviors and discourage others. When your employee's work is well done, congratulating or even rewarding them will encourage them to persevere on the same path and not slack off, as we tend to think. Conversely, when the work is unsatisfactory, it is important to point this out as well and say that you are disappointed because you know they can do better.
7. Be fearless
Get rid of the misconception that to be respected, you absolutely must adopt a distant and directive management style. Without falling into harmful familiarity, you can be kind to your employees to help them give their best. By coaching your employees, you put them in a position to become all they can be, which is also in your interest.
8. Be exemplary
Adopt the precept "I do what I say, I say what I do" in all circumstances. The team can then take its manager as a role model. And be careful to remain consistent. Arbitrary decisions are very destabilizing. Indeed, a "weather vane" boss creates stress among their employees because the latter never know how to act with him.
9. Be flexible
To be relevant with each of your employees, know how to adapt to their way of working. With an autonomous person, you can solicit this autonomy through a participative management style. Conversely, with employees who need more supervision, you can be more directive, gradually encouraging their initiative. Also respect the way your interlocutor works. There's no point in rushing an employee who needs time to consider an issue by asking them to react impulsively. Conversely, with someone who likes to be concise and works quickly, it's wise not to interrupt them in their flow by overwhelming them with details, but it will be important to check the rigor of their work afterwards.
Florence Brunel.
Lentreprise.lexpress.fr
Posted online August 20, 2014.
1. Don't force yourself
If you think coaching your team is too complicated or (especially) if you don't want to, know how to surround yourself with a deputy who can act as a "transmission belt" between you and your team. If this person is more people-oriented, likes spending time with them, while you are more focused on tasks to be accomplished, this is the best solution.
2. Choose the right time
Taking time to listen and talk with your employees is essential if you want to help them progress. But not all situations are suitable. Metaphorically, when there's a fire, you don't gather your team to discuss consensually how to fight the fire (number of buckets, size of the human chain?), you put it out urgently by assuming your leadership role! And you review things afterwards.
3. Adopt an empathetic stance
A good starting point is empathy, that is, the ability to put yourself in the other person's shoes. This involves listening, questioning, and rephrasing. The employee thus feels that they are of interest, listened to, and understood. Be careful not to let your attitudes betray you. Saying "I'm listening" while continuing to busy yourself, receive calls, or check your emails, doesn't work.
4. "Forget yourself" a little
To effectively coach your employees, it's important to avoid projecting your own history, frustrations, desires, and fears onto them. Don't impose your way of working but instead help them find solutions for themselves.
5. Don't judge
Be careful how you view your employees. If the manager considers his employee an idiot, the latter is more likely to become one! This is what is called the "self-fulfilling prophecy." Indeed, if you think one of your employees is mediocre, you may not give them enough recognition, feedback, or material to develop. This lack of interest they will feel is very likely to discourage them and prevent them from progressing, and this is the beginning of a vicious cycle.
6. Give feedback
Feedback helps encourage and reinforce effective behaviors and discourage others. When your employee's work is well done, congratulating or even rewarding them will encourage them to persevere on the same path and not slack off, as we tend to think. Conversely, when the work is unsatisfactory, it is important to point this out as well and say that you are disappointed because you know they can do better.
7. Be fearless
Get rid of the misconception that to be respected, you absolutely must adopt a distant and directive management style. Without falling into harmful familiarity, you can be kind to your employees to help them give their best. By coaching your employees, you put them in a position to become all they can be, which is also in your interest.
8. Be exemplary
Adopt the precept "I do what I say, I say what I do" in all circumstances. The team can then take its manager as a role model. And be careful to remain consistent. Arbitrary decisions are very destabilizing. Indeed, a "weather vane" boss creates stress among their employees because the latter never know how to act with him.
9. Be flexible
To be relevant with each of your employees, know how to adapt to their way of working. With an autonomous person, you can solicit this autonomy through a participative management style. Conversely, with employees who need more supervision, you can be more directive, gradually encouraging their initiative. Also respect the way your interlocutor works. There's no point in rushing an employee who needs time to consider an issue by asking them to react impulsively. Conversely, with someone who likes to be concise and works quickly, it's wise not to interrupt them in their flow by overwhelming them with details, but it will be important to check the rigor of their work afterwards.
Florence Brunel.
Lentreprise.lexpress.fr
Posted online August 20, 2014.
