"Growing Your People Monthly" Newsletter

June 2009

Greetings!

This year is half over - remember back in January when you started on your plan for developing your people? Now is a great time to ask yourself how that is going. Maybe you've made headway in some areas but are running up against some hurdles in other areas. One great place to start is to examine how your strategy is setting you and your organization up to be successful in developing your people. Read on for Part I of your Leadership Development Game Plan and be sure to stay tuned for Part II next month.

Be Well,
Yvonne Kinney-Hockert
National Speaker, Business Consultant & Coach
Consulting Solutions, LLC.

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What Is Your Game Plan? Part I

"In theory there is no difference between theory
and practice. In practice there is." - Yogi Berra

Effective coaching is a combination of theory and practice - the right people, the right game plan, and successful execution. Every leader wants to be an effective coach for their team - to train, challenge, and help them move forward. For some situations, however, the employees may benefit from more in-depth assessments and specific coaching to achieve goals. What does it mean as a manager to "coach" your team? When is it beneficial to enlist services from an outside coach?

The manager as coach...

Managers certainly have a court-side seat when it comes to coaching employees in terms of the company game plan or individual performance plans. As part of what leaders provide in terms of their employees, coaching can cover areas such as: helping employees excel at the basics, identifying areas for professional growth, and helping employees understand the company goals and their roles within the larger strategic plan and performance management.

Managers as coaches must observe carefully, offer clear and effective feedback, and take advantage of opportunities to coach their people into new situations. And as leaders, they are also role models of how they expect their team to "show up" as a team member. In this respect, leaders and managers need to make resources available to employees so they may take advantage of the development and advancement opportunities. However, not all managers are cut out to be coaches, or sometimes situations call for an outside perspective.

The external coach...

While both internal and external coaching success relies on confidence and trust, it's important to understand the distinction between a manager's coaching and that of an external coach. One of the key benefits of utilizing external coaches is their ability to establish a unique rapport with employees. With the outside unbiased perspective, employees are more at ease and have a tendency to share information and concerns about their skills, knowledge and future that they may not feel they can be as candid about with their manager. There are many reasons employees are afraid to challenge and say things out loud - they worry their input sounds silly, they don't want to appear unskilled because they feel they should already know the answers, or they fear repercussions real or perceived/implied.

Managers may also unintentionally hinder the process because they assume they fully understand the situation due to their managerial role, thus thwarting open communication. Employees are concerned that managers may make a mental note or "take inventory" of comments and things shared, even though they don't intend to, and that these observations become part of some decision making in the future.

The most progressive and proactive organizations recognize the importance of both internal and external coaching, and realize that both provide key elements to the overall development of your team. Watch for next month's newsletter, when we'll review important components of managerial coaching and how you and your team can improve the experience.

Your Call To Action. . .