I’ve been fortunate enough to be exposed to some of the world’s foremost authorities on coaching others for business success. I’ve been able to see firsthand the results effective coaching has in organizations from all over the world. Despite this, when I think back to my first management position at a world-renown advertising agency, I realize that I wasn’t as effective coach and leader as I should have been. At the time, I was young, inexperienced, and most importantly, without any advice from senior leadership on how to be a great leader. My promotion to a manager was based on being technically skilled at the job. I had many shortcomings leading and coaching others for success and I know now my leadership deficiency likely caused some problems with my co-workers and team. If I could go back in time, I would do some things differently.
Just a few weeks ago, I recognized one of those major deficiencies while standing in the checkout line at a home improvement store. The store wasn’t too busy, but I was eager to give my money away and get home to my project list. I watched the three people in line ahead of me with great anticipation. The woman at the front of the line was purchasing various plants and other outdoor home improvement goods. The first problem occurred when the bar codes on the plants didn’t scan correctly. Then, the cash register system started malfunctioning. The checker, who must have been a relatively new employee, quickly became frazzled. Because he didn’t know how to solve the problem on his own, he called for his manager. The manager, looking saintly and important, strolled over to the register and gently nudged the checker out of the way. He pushed a few keys on the register to fix the issue and everything was as good as new. The manager then quietly exited without saying a word. The checker gave a polite thank you and the manager, without turning around, gave a wave of acknowledgment. The checker finished with the first customer and moved to the next man in line. He experienced the same problem with this customer. Sure enough, the register started malfunctioning, and the checker had to call his manager to solve the problem. This time when the manager strolled back, he pushed a few buttons, turned the key on and off, and said “that should solve it.” I watched the manager closely as he went on his merry way. He seemed satisfied with the speed of his performance.
A couple of hours later, I was back at the home improvement store to purchase a few items that I forgot earlier in the day. I happened to return to the same checkout line and checker and so I asked the checker if his boss had shown him how to troubleshoot the register. He laughed and said “I was told to call my manager over if I have a problem, and it is his job to solve problems how he best sees fit.”
The gap of coaching in this organization became clear. When the manager failed to share his basic knowledge of the register and help the checker troubleshoot problems when they arose, he created dependency. The checker was not empowered to learn, nor did he want to solve any problem on his own. It was painful to realize that I used to be that kind of manager. It was clear that it created trouble for me and my entire team. Whenever something went wrong, I would swoop in to save the day. I used my knowledge and problem solving skills to become an expert and increase my reputation as a “go-to” person. However, I missed many coaching opportunities to share my knowledge with my team. After a while, I was just solving problem; not leading the team and coaching its members to excellence.
I have noticed that the best coaches in the workplace do more than just help or fix problems. They constantly provide guidance, look for opportunities to collaborate, and offer timely advice and assistance for developing others. When a coach looks to enhance growth and performance, promotes individual responsibility, and encourages accountability, you see true magic take place. The great thing about coaching is anyone can learn to do it.
One tip I would recommend to managers and leaders is to get to know your people. Take an interest and have a personal stake in their development. Find ways to encourage learning and communicate your desires to your people on a regular basis. For additional tips check our blog on a regular basis or give us a call to speak with us in person.
“What comes first, coaching or the need to coach?” This is a very interesting question and one that has been asked before in CMOE’s Coaching Skills Workshops. If this question is one you’ve found yourself asking as well, I hope to be able to answer it for you in this second part of the blog. If you have not yet read Part 1 of this discussion, please click here.
According to CMOE’s definition, coaching is not done strictly on a need basis. While coaching is effective for addressing problems and challenges, CMOE feels coaching is more effective and should primarily be used for preventing such problems and challenges. So, rather than view coaching as merely a corrective action, consider it more as a pre-emptive strike. If leaders spend time influencing, developing, and assisting their employees on a regular basis, problems and challenges are less likely to arise. Additionally, if leaders are conducting coaching sessions on a regular basis, a constructive relationship will be established, efficient communication processes developed, and employees will know what to expect from such discussions. Thus, if a problem does arise, the coaching conversation is likely to be easier for the leader to conduct, easier for the employee to participate in, and a more straightforward and positive experience for all.
So which comes first? In most situations, the need for coaching will present itself and require coaching before a leader takes action. In the ideal situation, coaching comes first and is repeated on a regular basis. If you find yourself in a situation where the need for coaching comes first, I would like to challenge you to ask yourself why you waited for the need to arise and what is holding you back from taking a pre-emptive strike by coaching to influence, develop, and assist your direct reports. If you don’t have the answers or tools to change your behavior for the better, I would encourage you to read up on the subject. To ensure you are spending your reading time on something that will yield results, I recommend CMOE’s book, The Coach; the first research based book on the topic of coaching in the business environment. In the meantime, please post comments and keep your eyes peeled for Part 3 of this blog, which will review four types of coaching opportunities and further address the question, “Which Comes First, Coaching or the Need for Coaching?”
The Senior Leadership Team is the crux to successful strategy execution within any organization. A great team can take a flawed strategy and turn it into something really exciting, but a dysfunctional team can wreak havoc on the best strategy in the world. In CMOE’s 30 years of experience in helping organizations around the world, we have seen that a quality leadership team is the catalyst that drives change and propels the organization through difficult or seemingly impossible obstacles.
A senior leadership team that is in sync can and will adjust to changing market conditions, competition threats and can navigate the organization through a sea of uncertainty. In fact, effective strategy execution requires active and courageous leadership at many levels (they instill a “can do” spirit through courageous coaching, feedback and accountability). Talented leaders will create an environment that makes it easier to achieve innovations, improve productivity, and fuel superior value proposition for customers. The key to this is:
• information flow
• information about customers
• opportunities
• innovative ideas
• competitor moves
• operational problems
The leadership team has to sponsor vertical and horizontal information flow across functional silos. A successful vertical information flow allows everyone in the organization to understand, contribute, and hold each other accountable for completing tasks required to accomplishing the strategy. Leading horizontal collaboration and connectivity unleashes motivation and growth ideas as well as cost, quality, and process concepts to truly keep your organization on top of the heap and differentiate you from your competitors.
The senior leadership team has to work in unison to have successful strategy formulation and execution. Unfortunately, many senior groups are made up of high-performing individuals who haven’t learned how to be a high-performing team.
In order to add value to the organization and create long-term sustained growth, senior teams must have the following:
1. A deep level of trust and openness when ideas and data are being exchanged.
2. Willingness to collaborate and network within the team.
3. A seniorlead group who is willing to examine how it solves problems and makes decisions.
4. A group who supports the organization’s core rules and procedures.
5. Members who actively support the team consensus on key issues and do not undermine the group’s decisions.
6. Members who are comfortable with conflict and differences.
7. A willingness to give and receive feedback from each other.
8. Flexibility and sensitivity around the needs, personalities and thinking styles of the various members; members must understand and appreciate the unique nature of each member.
Achieving success with any strategy is a significant achievement.
Just a few weeks ago, I recognized one of those major deficiencies while standing in the checkout line at a home improvement store. The store wasn’t too busy, but I was eager to give my money away and get home to my project list. I watched the three people in line ahead of me with great anticipation. The woman at the front of the line was purchasing various plants and other outdoor home improvement goods. The first problem occurred when the bar codes on the plants didn’t scan correctly. Then, the cash register system started malfunctioning. The checker, who must have been a relatively new employee, quickly became frazzled. Because he didn’t know how to solve the problem on his own, he called for his manager. The manager, looking saintly and important, strolled over to the register and gently nudged the checker out of the way. He pushed a few keys on the register to fix the issue and everything was as good as new. The manager then quietly exited without saying a word. The checker gave a polite thank you and the manager, without turning around, gave a wave of acknowledgment. The checker finished with the first customer and moved to the next man in line. He experienced the same problem with this customer. Sure enough, the register started malfunctioning, and the checker had to call his manager to solve the problem. This time when the manager strolled back, he pushed a few buttons, turned the key on and off, and said “that should solve it.” I watched the manager closely as he went on his merry way. He seemed satisfied with the speed of his performance.
“What comes first, 
