Coaching for Leaders

Research on Coaching:
What do effective
leaders do during
coaching sessions?
● Researchers came up with 8
critical steps needed for an
effective coaching process,
which are derived from 47
different leadership
behaviors.
8 Step Process for
Effective Coaching
 01
Be Supportive
The Foundation Step
Be supportive
● Solid relationships are built on trust,
honesty, support, and concern for the
interests and needs of the employees.

● Effective mangers spent 50% of their

time during discussions expressing
support or doing supportive things.
Support Triangle
Felt
Eye Contact
Non-verbal
Positioning
Location

Tangible Expressed
Help Appreciation
Time Recognition of strengths
Training Recognition of contribution
Resources Acceptance
Supportive Leader Help
Behaviors
Empathy

Understanding

Encouragement / Flexibility

Positive feedback / Openness

Owning some responsibility

Recognition of employees needs

Benefits of Supportive
Behavior
● Builds a foundation for open an
exchange and a problem-solving
discussion.

● Minimizes threatening.

● Sets the stage to develop partnership

communication.
Some useful guidelines

● Create an interactive style of communication

with your team member and seek their input
and comments.
“ I want to discuss this and get your input…”

● Convey empathy and understanding regarding

the feeling and problems of your team member.
“ I can see that you’re upset that I pointed this
out”

● Accept some responsibility for conditions.

“I did drop the ball and didn’t make myself
clear.”
Obstacles to Support
● A negative history or relationship.

● Use of non-supportive or aggressive

statements and tactics.

● Over-emphasis on negative
consequences.
Remember
● Support and trust is a long-term
effort.

● Don’t overdo or it will appear

artificial. It must be authentic.

● Differentiate between being

supportive and being friendly.

● Support is an internal decision we

make about how we want to relate
to others.

● After making this decision our

words and actions follow, not vice a
versa.
 02
Define the topic
and the needs
Feedback
Define topics and needs
● Feedback is the breakfast of champions

● When a problem is well-defined, it is

usually half-solved

● It is a natural human tendency to

attribute success to our own efforts
and failure to causes outside of
ourselves.
Benefits
● Encourage your team member to
verbalize how he/she sees their own
actions.

● Gives them a chance to vent thoughts

and feelings.

● Provides the opportunity to align

expectations and needs.
Guidelines
● Take one concern at a time and stay
focused.
“I’m concerned about the way you are
handling the weekly report”

● Gather data from your team member and

discuss and explore both view-points

● summarize both perceptions.

“I’d like to hear some specifics about how you
are currently filing out the reports.”
Guidelines
● Clarify both leader’s and team member’s
needs and expectations.
“What are your expectations in this area?”

● Be supportive: don’t be in a hurry.

“OK., Let me see if we are together on this.”
Obstacles
● A manager who is too general.

● A manager who places blame rather

than solves problems.

● A manager who argues about

excuses.

● A team member who blames others.

● A team member who resists

feedback.

● A team member who feels

victimized.
Remember
● Focus on the WHAT.

● Go slow to go fast.

● Don’t make assumptions.

● People often see things differently,

and the objective of this step is to
achieve mutual understanding and
to express viewpoints.

● Make sure that you and your team

member have a clear understanding
of the specific concerns, problems
or opportunities that need
attention.
Learning by Doing
Roles

Observer
Leader Direct Report
Catalog time spent
talking for both the
Do what you would do Get into your role. Be
Leader and the Direct
naturally if you were in challenging if
Report. Record a few
this situation. necessary. Be realistic.
observations about the
interaction.
The Situation….

Organizational Issues
• One of your team members is incredibly
disorganized. This is affecting the quality of
work that the team can do, as this person loses
documents, misses meetings, and confuses
technical specifications for different projects.
• You see a lot of potential in this person, but
they need to be more organized. You would like
to talk to them about this situation and see if
there is some way to to improve the way they
work and organize.
• Have a coaching conversation with this person.
Focus on being supportive, defining the needs
of the team and a description of the challenge.
Time for feedback
● Coaching Time: (Coach vs. Coachee)

● What went well?

● What one thing should the manager

consider doing differently the next
time.
 03
Establish Impact
The Most Ignored
Establish Impact
● What’s in it for me?

● An assessment of how your team

member’s actions are affecting or
impacting their goals, interests, and
objectives.

● The creation of an internal motivation

for change.

● Example: “What are the costs and

benefits of the…”
Benefits
● Establishes the need and motivation
in the team member to change.

● Prepare the team member to discuss

the plan.
Guidelines
● Restate or summarize the problem or
situation.
“I really believe the reports have become
acritical issue.”

● Ask for his opinion about the impact that

the behavior is having.
“What are some of the effects you see of
having to wait so long to finalize the reports?”

● Let silence work for you.

● Be supportive.
“You’re right. It does affect your image.”
Obstacles
● Justification about the present
behavior.

● Ineffective actions that have

actually been rewarded or ignored
in the past.
Remember
● Look at the situation from all
perspectives.
● Create an internal motivation.
● Don’t assume that your team member
knows, accepts, or has considered all
the impacts of the present situation.
● It’s the most avoided and most
neglected of any of the 8 steps.
● It’s also the most important step in
terms of getting people to truly make
a change.
● The objective is to have your team
member make a good self-
assessment or value judgment about
the impact of their present actions to
encourage them in “moving”.
 04
Initiate a Plan
Action & Payoff
Initiate a plan
● If the employee is involved in making
the plan, they will be committed to
work the plan

● Make your plan SMART: Specific,

Measurable, Achievable, Realistic,
Timetable
Benefits
● Focuses your team member’s
thoughts on specific actions.

● Focuses on solutions rather than

excuses.

● Builds ownership for the needed

changes.
Guidelines
● Define and discuss the most effective
approach

● Outline objectives

● Explore alternatives & be creative

● Gain agreement

● Define who, what, where, and when.

● Go through and rehearse the

implementation steps as needed and make
sure that there is a clear timetable for each
step of the plan.

● Be supportive.
Obstacles
● Plans that are too general or too
complex.

● Plan not driven by the team

member, only by the manager.

● Excuses and resistance.

Remember
● Be realistic.
● Make it clear.
● Build ownership through
involvement.
● The more input from your team
member on the plan, the more likely
it is that plan will be accomplished.
● They should feel part of the plan
and will have ownership for results.
● As a result of working together, the
credibility and judgment of both the
team member and the leader are on
the line.
Learning by Doing
Roles

Observer
Leader Direct Report
Catalog time spent
Do what you would do Get into your role. Be talking for both the
naturally if you were in challenging if Leader and the Direct
this situation. necessary. Be realistic. Report. Record a few
observations about the
interaction.
The Situation….
Inability to delegate
• One of your team members is always willing to take
on any new projects that come up. While you are
grateful for the support, you believe that this person
is working too hard and seems to have trouble
delegating. The group she works with is talented,
although some lack experience. Still, you think she
should be able to delegate a lot of the work that she
is currently doing herself.
• You are afraid that if she keeps working at this rate,
she will burn out. You have already discussed this
situation with her and defined the challenge.
• Have a coaching conversation with this manager..
Your focus during this conversation is to establish
the impact of a change and co-create a plan of
action.
Time for feedback
● Coaching Time: (Coach vs. Coachee)

● What went well?

● What one thing should the manager

consider doing differently the next
time.