Unit 1-Becoming an Effective Coach

7/27/2019 Unit 1-Becoming an Effective Coach

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Unit Outline

Unit 1: Becoming an Effective Coach

Lesson 1: Understanding Coaching

1. What is coaching?

2. How is coaching beneficial to employees?

3. What distinguishes coaching from managing?

Lesson 2: Identifying Aversions to Coaching

1. Why do some managers avoid coaching their employees?

* Reluctance to confront problems

* Fear of offending employees

* Fear of failure

* Lack of time

Lesson 3: Recognizing a Good Coach

1. What are the characteristics of a good coach?

2. What actions do good coaches take?

* Build relationships with employees

* Establish credibility

* Create and communicate expectations

* Prepare for success

* Provide feedback

* Lead by example

* Motivate employees and enhance morale

Lesson 4: Establishing a Coaching Foundation

1. How can I build relationships with my employees?

2. How can I establish my credibility?

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3. How should I communicate my expectations?

Lesson 5: Planning Your Coaching Strategy

1. What actions will help me plan for success?

2. How should I offer feedback to my employees?

3. How can I lead by example?

4. What can I do to motivate my employees and build their morale?

Unit Content

Lesson 1: Understanding Coaching

What is coaching?

Coaching is the continuous effort to help employees maximize their abilities through personalizedcounseling and advice. The coaching process not only trains employees to become familiar withbusiness procedures and expectations, but also motivates them to reach both individual and companygoals.

As a coach, you are responsible for evaluating your employees' skills, performance, and goals. Thisinformation then enables you to create appropriate objectives, set distinct expectations, and develop aplan to help your employees succeed.

How is coaching beneficial to employees?

Coaching is beneficial to employees because it encourages them to discover their worth and potential.Through proper coaching sessions, employees build confidence, improve their work habits, and increasetheir productivity.

What distinguishes coaching from managing?

There is a significant difference between the act of coaching and the process of managing. Managingrelies on defined criteria to measure tangible milestones. It is the manager's responsibility to control setprocedures, plans, and assets. Coaching, however, molds an employee's attitude, behavior, and skills. Asa coach, you must motivate and counsel your employees to help them identify and realize their fullpotential.

Lesson 2: Identifying Aversions to Coaching

Why do some managers avoid coaching their employees?

Some employees miss out on the opportunity to improve their skills and productivity because theirmanagers avoid the coaching process. In many cases, managers do not understand the importance ofcoaching and their responsibilities as role models. There are four main reasons why managers avoidcoaching:

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z Reluctance to confrontz Fear of offendingz Fear of failurez Lack of time

Reluctance to confront

Many managers fear confrontation because the results are difficult to predict. Their inexperience causesthem to be reluctant to confront an employee with a problem. These managers fear the possibility ofsoliciting a negative reaction from their employees.

Fear of offending

Some managers fear that their employees will take criticism personally. Unfortunately, if not handleddelicately, coaching can make people feel threatened and offended.

Fear of failure

Many managers shy away from coaching because they fear they will be ineffective. However, ifmanagers do not attempt to coach their employees, no improvements can be made.

Lack of time

As companies increase growth and reduce the number of employees, managers have limited time forcoaching. It is much easier to put off coaching and focus on less sensitive tasks.

Lesson 3: Recognizing a Good Coach

What are the characteristics of a good coach?

Coaching takes time and energy to be successful. As a coach, you must capitalize on your personalexperiences and qualities to relate to your employees' needs. The following are characteristics you needto be an effective coach:

z Supportive to gain respect and trust from your employeesz Patient to reduce conflict with your employeesz Attentive to avoid overlooking problemsz Goal-oriented to clearly define tasks for your employeesz Enthusiastic to pass on your energy to your employeesz Knowledgeable to solve problems effectivelyz Flexible to adapt to changing situationsz Excellent listener to determine the needs of your employeesz Team player to remember the importance of every person in an organizationz Receptive to feedback to gauge your effectiveness and understand what needs to change

What actions do good coaches take?

Good coaches create an environment that encourages learning. As a coach, you must display the correctvalues, attitude, and commitment to win your employees' trust and strengthen their willingness to learn.The following are actions good coaches take to produce a healthy learning environment:

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z Build relationships with employeesz Establish credibilityz Create and communicate expectationsz Prepare for successz Provide feedbackz Lead by examplez Motivate employees and enhance morale

Build relationships with employees

The coaching process is more than instructing and advising employees. As a coach you must developpersonal relationships with individuals to better understand each employee's needs and goals.

Establish credibility

Credibility is the cornerstone of coaching. Employees will not accept you as a coach until you haveearned your credibility by demonstrating your honesty, loyalty, and competence.

Create and communicate expectations

As a coach, you must keep your employees on the right path to success. To do so, meet with youremployees to jointly create a list of expectations that will help them reach their individual and teamgoals. By working together, you can avoid the possibility of miscommunication.

Prepare for success

It is your job as a coach to evaluate your employees and their goals. Once you understand their strengthsand weaknesses, you can then create the most effective plan to help your employees succeed.

Provide feedback

A good coach must evaluate an employee's performance and provide direct, clear, and helpful feedback.Keep your recommendations positive and constructive by providing information that will helpemployees improve their performance.

Lead by example

As a coach, you must follow the same principles you teach your employees. Use your position ofauthority to promote honesty, consistency, and dedication on a daily basis.

Motivate employees and enhance morale

Employees can lose sight of their objectives if they feel overwhelmed. It is your responsibility as acoach to use motivational techniques to keep your employees focused on reaching their goals. Properlymotivating employees enhances your company's morale.

Lesson 4: Establishing a Coaching Foundation

How can I build relationships with my employees?

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To establish a relationship, you must first secure your employees' confidence. Let your employees knowthat you are a caring, concerned, and accessible resource. Once they accept you as a fair and supportiveconfidant, a foundation of trust will be formed. This trusting relationship will lead to a more intimateexchange of information that will give you the background information you need to properly coach eachindividual.

How can I establish my credibility?

Establishing your credibility is not a one-step process. You must continuously prove your dedication tosuccess. Tell your employees where you stand on various issues. Show them that you understand thebusiness and can competently solve their problems. Demonstrate your enthusiasm. Employees willrespond to your enthusiasm if they believe your actions are genuine.

How should I communicate my expectations?

In order to reach goals, employees must perform the right duties. It is your job as a coach to keep youremployees focused and on the right track to success. To do so, meet with your employees and jointlydevelop a list of activities and expectations they need to accomplish to reach a defined goal. The

potential for disagreements will decrease because the employees helped create the list of activities andunderstand what is expected of them.

Lesson 5: Planning Your Coaching Strategy

What actions will help me plan for success?

Success depends on proper planning. As a coach, you must plan for success by clarifying goals,analyzing available resources, and developing procedures to guide your employees through their actions.An effective plan takes time and consideration to produce. To increase the plan's chances for success,give your employees a sense of ownership by incorporating them in the planning process.

How should I offer feedback to my employees?

The rate at which employees learn varies from person to person. You should never assume an employeealready knows how to do something. To properly coach your employees, you must first determine howfamiliar each person is with the established procedures. To do so, you may simply ask your employeesquestions about the job, request that they tell you where they need help, or monitor their actions to seewhat they do right and where they need assistance.

Once you are familiar with your employees and their levels of experience, you may offerrecommendations for improvement in either a group setting or one-on-one appointments. While it isacceptable, and often encouraging, to provide positive feedback publicly, you should discuss negativeperformance in private to avoid embarrassing your employees.

How can I lead by example?

Effective coaching requires you to lead by example every day. Use your position of authority to displayyour honesty, dedication, positive attitude, and ability to fulfill commitments. Your employees willcompare what you tell them to do with what you actually do.

What can I do to motivate my employees and build their morale?

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It is your job as a coach to develop an environment that encourages and motivates employees. To do so,establish defined goals and support your employees as they strive to reach the goals. You should alsooffer personalized guidance and instruction to help your employees use good habits that will improvetheir productivity.

Implementing a reward system can also create a motivational atmosphere. Rewards that recognizequality work, performance, and teamwork help employees maintain their focus and enhance their

commitment to produce the desired results.

To build employee morale, follow these tips:

z Show a personal interest in individual employee developmentz Provide opportunities for personal growth and advancement within the companyz Create a team atmosphere that promotes employee input

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Unit 1-Becoming an Effective Coach

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