Be a Better Coach in 2011!
What is your new year’s resolution? How about starting out the new year by being a better coach! Being a good “coach” and providing positive feedback, as well as directing unacceptable behavior, really works to improve the effectiveness and performance of your employees. The side benefits are better morale in the workplace and happier, more satisfied customers!
What does it take to be a better coach? It takes time to observe your employees with customers, it takes understanding of the importance of recognition to employees, and it takes the discipline to start with the positive and then redirect and provide specific feedback.
Please give us your feedback…if you would like to comment on any portion of this newsletter, or our website, please contact us!
Click here to read the article published by Fixed Operations Magazine in June of 2009, as it provides some additional insight into changing employees’ behavior through coaching.
Ideas for the Thinking Manager
by Dennis Jespen, Facilitator, Consultant & Coach
My son recently did some neighborhood canvassing for a local school ballot proposition. He told me he was amazed at the difference in the cleanliness and upkeep from home to home. He felt that it really sent a message about how some people clearly cared for the appearance and cleanliness of their house and yard more than others. I suspect that if you had asked any of the residents if they cared about their property, they’d have said, “Yes!” But some obviously didn’t devote much of their time to caring for the property.
Research conducted by the Gallup Organization says that a person joins a company, but leaves a manager. And while there are many reasons a person leaves a job, the number one reason is, “My manager didn’t care about me.” Undoubtedly, the manager would claim to care, but the employee didn’t feel it in the manager’s actions. In fact, it’s the manager’s inaction—failure to engage the individual—that creates the impression of non-caring.
Consider this: while it’s true that creating a work community, a group environment in which individuals can thrive is critical, the most powerful management interactions are one-to-one. In reality, our most effective, influential management is with individuals, not groups.
The best managers I work with are highly effective in working one-on-one with the individuals in their workgroup. They take time to engage each person, one at a time. Other managers claim that they just don’t have time for this. They’re too busy managing deals, or inventory, preparing ads, putting out fires, or pushing paper. Like the residents who claim their property is important to them, but don’t take time to care for it, some managers claim that “our people are our most valuable asset,” but don’t make time for them. In fact, they do have time (we all have 24 hours in every day!), but they choose to spend it in other activities. A manager’s caring is communicated through engaging each individual. And that means investing time.
You can help each individual on your team grow and be more productive. In these lean times, you need to increase productivity—increase the net results you get from each person. A sales person who sold 12 units per month last year should be doing 13 or 14 this year. The same is true for service advisors, technicians, and anyone whose production is measurable (whose isn’t?). Ten sales people selling 15 units each per month, is a far more profitable sales department than 15 sales people selling 10 each. Apply that logic across the organization, and think of the difference it would make.
How do you bring out the best of a person’s talent? What engages a person? In their book, “First Break All The Rules”, Gallup says that each person wants to know what’s expected of him/her. They want to know the manager cares. They want frequent recognition. They want to know their opinion is valued. And more. How do you individualize expectations? It’s more than just a job description. How do you individualize recognition? These all need to happen on an individual level.
So, now the sales pitch: how does a manager engage an employee, and communicate caring about that individual’s success? The answer isn’t mysterious or magical—it lies in learning how to be a good coach. Coaching provides the recognition, increases job satisfaction, and changes the employees’ behavior toward customers. We can bring structured activities and tools that can be learned and applied to help you to be a better manager and a better coach. Coaching is part of a management process that makes sense. We can help, so contact us at 866-526-6156.