The NextGen leader - twice the coach in half the time

Almost every executive today has been through a coaching class. It is one of those workshops that you have to go to be “a good leader”. I have overseen coaching courses for more than 20 years and, just recently, I realised we have been wasting our time. You know how it goes… “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”, “How to Listen”, “The 5 Steps to an Effective Coaching Meeting”. Don’t forget to add “giving and receiving feedback”. The list of topics has been about 80-per-cent consistent over the years. So, after all that, how many of us are truly great coaches who consistently and positively drive performance and development in our people? Not many. And yet, research shows that good coaching still is the No 1 thing you can impact on productivity and engagement.
On top of that, what executive has time for one-hour formal coaching sessions at today’s blistering work pace? A 2010 study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity revealed that leaders at all levels are dealing with larger teams than five years ago and many companies expect the number of reporting employees to increase in the future. More than 35 per cent of managers in large companies already have 11 to 25 employees reporting to them, and 75 per cent of companies expect those numbers to rise or remain the same in the future. And you want me to be a good coach?
Well, I don’t expect you (and me) to be a good coach; I expect us all to be great coaches and in this article, I am going to detail just how to be twice the coach in half the time. The good news is that it actually isn’t very complex. The bad news is that you have to practice, practice, practice. Let’s get started by discussing the three new paradigms of coaching:
-Coach your people according to their needs
-View every interaction as an opportunity
-Stay solution- and future- focused

--Don’t coach all your people the same way
We all know this one but let’s remind ourselves what that really means. First of all, you still should plan specific times to connect with your direct reports. How often, when, where, and about what are the variables to consider. Experienced, fully competent staff require less time on day-to-day, regular work. Time with them might be less frequent and targeted at future-based, strategic issues. It also may be about stretch assignments or preparing them for the next level. New employees or those taking on new or unfamiliar roles/projects need more attention and time early on. So, know your people and give them want they need when they need it.

--Look at every interaction as a possible coaching moment
Most managers (me included) are extremely busy trying just to get our work done. Then we have our staff interrupting us by knocking on the door or stopping us in the hallway for help and advice. At one level we LOVE to solve others’ problems and, given our time constraints, it is also easier just to give an answer or advice. Right? And you can’t respond to every request they make with, “What do you think?” What we’re saying here is that you should shift from listening to answer, to listening out of curiosity and understanding. In their book “TouchPoints” Doug Conant, former Campbell’s Soup CEO and his co-author Mette Norgaard argue that the secret to coaching is to use your staff “interruptions” and other shorter points of contact as an opportunity to coach as well as promote the company’s values, purpose and agenda. They suggest a simple three-step process of Listen (to clearly understand), Frame (summarising your understanding of their problem or situation) and Advance (work with them to move forward and address the situation in line with the function and company direction). This could be five or 50 minutes but the point is to give 100-per-cent focus to your employee’s issue.

--Stay solution and future focused in your conversations
As an executive coach, it is my job to use my clients’ time wisely and help them discover and implement changes that will improve results for them. You should do the same for your staff. For the Advance phase of the TouchPoints concept shared above, it is important to focus conversations with your staff on solutions and the future. Shift your employees quickly from blame, explain and complain (past-based) to a dialogue focused on what CAN be done, what WILL work, what the desired FUTURE state is. Limit venting time and move your employees quickly into a mindset of solution and action. This action alone will save you substantial time AND deliver much more productive conversations.
Take the next 60 days to apply the above three practices with your staff and see what happens. The outcome should be higher focus and engagement of your staff, and possibly even more time for you.

James Engel is the Organisation Learning Practice Leader and an Erickson Certified Coach at the APM Group. He can be reached at [email protected].