| The Attributes of a Good Coach |
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A good coach is positive, enthusiastic, supportive, trusting, focused, goal-oriented, knowledgeable, observant, respectful, patient, and clear. Let's look at how each characteristic comes into play in the workplace. You can download 8 Ultimate HR Tools for HR Managers HERE. A good coach is positive. Your job is not correcting mistakes, finding fault, and assessing blame. Instead, your function is achieving productivity goals by coaching your staff to peak performance. A good coach is enthusiastic. As a leader, you set the tone. Your attitude is catching. Project gloom and doom, and you'll get gloom and doom back from your staff. If you concoct reasons why things won't work out, your staff will never disappoint you—things won't work out. A good coach is supportive. Being supportive means a lot more than providing an encouraging word and a pat on the back. Your job as coach is to get workers what they need to do their jobs well, including tools, time, instruction, answers to questions, and protection from outside interference. To lead, you must serve, anticipating needs and preventing problems from happening. A good coach is focused. The temptation can be overwhelming. While you've got the employee in your office, discussing a current performance challenge, why not discuss the other problems you've been meaning to discuss for weeks? Effective communication is specific and focused. Deal in particulars. Keep the task manageable. You're far more likely to get action if that employee leaves your office focused on resolving the issue at hand. A good coach is goal-oriented. "Why does she want me to do that?" If you leave workers pondering that question after you've explained an assignment, you've only done half the job.Base your assignments on clear, definable goals. Tie specific tasks to those goals. Communicate those goals to the people who actually have to do the work. A good coach is knowledgeable. Do you know what you're talking about? If you don't, employees will recognize that fact-maybe even before you do. You'll command respect and loyalty because you know the job better than anybody else, not because you have the title and the office with the good view and the thick carpet. You'll be far more comfortable with questions when you have the answers. (When you don't have an answer, don't be afraid to say so—and then find the answer quickly). A good coach is observant. A few years back, Tom Peters made "management by walking around" a corporate litany. It's not good enough, Peters noted, to sit in your office, even if your "door is always open." You need to get out and mingle with the troops. Being observant means more than just keeping your eyes and ears open. You need to be aware of what isn't said as well as what is, picking up on body English and tone of voice. If you're paying attention, you won't have to wait for somebody to tell you about a problem. You'll see it coming—and may be able to head it off. You can download excellent powerpoint slides on HR Management and Human Capital Strategy HERE. A good coach is clear. If they didn't hear it right, maybe it's because you didn't say it right. Maybe you just thought you did. Here's the bottom line: if you're trying to communicate and the other person doesn't understand, take responsibility for making the connection. Above all, don't make matters worse by just repeating the same words louder or more slowly.
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