Can your coaching save, or perhaps more appropriately, fix people? It depends. I believe all managers (well, maybe not all) want to ensure their people are successful. They try, no matter how well they can actually do it, to help their team. Right or wrong, the intention is there. But what about the receiver of the coaching… the team member. Do they or can they do something with it? A manager and leader can only control so much of that reality.
There is an opportunity of some kind. Maybe it is something to correct or something to amplify. There is a coaching moment between the manager and team member. What happens? We do have to pay attention to the quality of the message and its delivery to the individual. No question. It must have “what, why, how and to what extent”. It must be shared in a manner that the individual relates to can easily understand.
Part four is about the ability of a team member to use the coaching direction…Brar and Ali.
Headline: Can they or do they change?
Brar has a great outlook on life. He has a never-ending smile on his face. You have been working with him since his start with you 6 months ago. He loves the direction, training and the coaching you have been giving him. While is attitude is perceived as good to great, his numbers are not. You give instruction and despite his willingness and openness, he just does not improve. In one way, you love having this type of person. In another, the lack of sales performance weighs heavily on you, your team and the business.
Ali is a challenging team member. She is very experienced and does not hold back in letting you know that. She is conditionally open to anyone’s coaching. She is of the mindset ‘she knows it all’ and any other insight may be casually accepted and not implemented. Unless it is her idea or inspiration, any other incoming data is subject to “whatever” or “not really”. The reality is her numbers are average, at best. She can produce higher results, when it suits her. Otherwise she is average and you wonder if she ever really listens.
The good news is you are actively coaching your team. The bad news is they not improving and for two different reasons.
OK, to be fair, we as managers and leaders are not perfect in our coaching. We may not have the right angle or behavior or improvement plan. In many occasions, we (sorry, wait for it) make it up as we go along and think this is best for the team member and the business. And then we come to find out – it isn’t. I had a manager give me direction regarding a skill that they themselves were, well…they sucked at it and now they were telling me how to do it better. “Better than what exactly…considering it came from you?” I get that. Now, what if the coaching direction is sound; it makes sense and is the right thing to do and the team member…well, doesn’t improve? Where does our analysis take us?
Brar. He is not improving and this is after you have trained, checked understanding, coached and observed him on the floor (all mandatory before you can reach select conclusions). He is just not performing to the sales objectives and targets. This could be a ‘bandwidth’ issue. Have you ever been around someone who had a job that they just would never be able to do the job, no matter how much time and energy you put into them? I get it, I like him and have a lot of empathy. To a point and then I have to be able to make a decision that may mean you move somewhere else in the organization or not (goodbye).
Ali. She just knows it better, faster and cooler than anyone else…despite the outcome. And that is the main issue. Her way is not working. At least, it is not working consistently and, again, based on your training, coaching and observation, she is not performing to expectation. I am OK with an attitude as long as the expected behaviors are being met. If not, a choice will have to be made…by her. Her way is not working and she must try something else. Will she change? If not, well, what are you prepared to do? How far are you willing to go? Same as Brar.
I have hypothetically painted two negative scenarios. One, they don’t get and may not at all. Another gets it, just doesn’t want to play. One is bandwidth or the lack of ability to do something with the manager’s coaching and the other is a conditioned and deliberate inability to accept the manager’s coaching. The plus side would be a change in ability by Brar and a change in openness by Ali. Out of your control. They decide that. You can only control what you control. You control your management and leadership reaction to their mindset reality. Whew.
Cheers