To be an effective leader, there are certain steps you can take if you train others on the job. These 7 training steps are shown in the following model and will give you a good structure to become an effective coach and, as a result, a more effective manager. So let's look at the model below. The first thing to keep in mind, when looking at the 7 steps of the training model that I created earlier, is that the steps go in a spiral.
The steps of coaching can be traced along a spiral because progress, as we shall see, is not necessarily linear. The first step is to help the coachee identify the result they want to see. They can be creative by imagining what they would achieve in an ideal situation. This step is about aspiration and challenge.
A challenging result is more inspiring. Another way to make the result inspiring for the coachee is to have a positive framework. You want to focus on the positive aspects. For example, which result is more inspiring: “We want to make a product that doesn't break after first use” or “We want to make a product indestructible”? The first result is that it limits itself, and implies that the coachee is not confident in its ability to create a durable product.
Last but not least, the coach must own the result. As a manager, it can be very tempting for you to impose an outcome on employees. For example, if you think that the result is not ambitious enough, you may be tempted to annul it and impose your own aspiration instead. However, this attitude will be counterproductive because employees will feel obliged to accept the chosen result and will work to achieve it half-heartedly.
As a result, your motivation and performance will be lower. This is where you help the coachee assess the current situation. This is the step where the coachee needs to generate as many options or choices as possible to find solutions. Every course of action will present obstacles, but the key is to find ways to overcome them later on, rather than letting them stand in the way.
For example, ask, “What if money were unlimited?” , “What if we had time?” , etc. You can also ask them what a person they admire would do or what a superhero would do. For example, “What would Super X do in this situation? Once the coach has a wide range of options, he can map them out by placing them side by side. Avoid creating a list, since a list involves a hierarchy, while you want all the options to be the same from the start.
Next, the coach must list the pros and cons of each option, before finally choosing the most viable options. First of all, wait until the coaches have exhausted their list of options. Coaches must create an action plan. However, it's helpful to set a series of goals first.
The coach can start with an overall goal and, if it's too much, break it down into smaller goals. At this point, coaches are encouraged to draw up an action plan by breaking down their goals into smaller steps, on which they can act. This is when the coachee starts to act. As employees take action, they'll see how things are going.
Everything can go as planned or even better, or there may be unexpected failures or obstacles along the way. During the review phase, the coachee will monitor the situation, reflect on it, and review it as needed. As their coach, you'll facilitate this process. Have you noticed the arrows in the diagram, from point 7, “Review”, to the other six steps? The review step can affect all other steps.
Based on their observations, the employee may decide to return to one or more of the previous stages and change the focus. For example, they may decide that the current situation has changed and they need to re-evaluate it or that they have not taken into account some elements. They may decide to reevaluate an option that they had previously ruled out; they may modify their ideal outcome, and so on. This model is flexible and it is possible to go back and forth between steps.
So, for example, let's say that the result, the aspiration, of the team is to become the largest seller of organic coffee in Europe. After discussing where they are at the moment (the situation), they evaluate that their organic coffee is only selling well in Italy and Spain for the time being. One of the options chosen to improve its position throughout Europe is to address the German market. To have a 50-page site in German about our range of organic coffees by the end of this fiscal year.
The objective is SMART, since it is specific (the site must be in German on a range of specific products), measurable (50 pages), achievable (they consider that creating a site of this type is within their possibilities), relevant (for them it is important to conquer the German market) and limited in time (they want to have the site ready by the end of the current fiscal year). Let's just say that this goal is limited enough that they don't need to break it down into smaller goals. If they had a bigger goal, maybe they would have to break it down. For example, let's imagine that they would have said: “We want to launch a 1 million euro online marketing campaign to target German customers in the next two years.
Let's return to the goal of “creating a 50-page site in German about our range of organic coffees by the end of this fiscal year”. Now they need to plan the steps they need to take to achieve this goal. For example, finding and hiring a web designer (if they don't already have an in-house one); finding out exactly what content they want for the site, etc. Now they're ready to take action, so they assign a to-do list to each member of the team.
They demonstrate their responsibility by letting you know exactly what they will do, by when, and by planning follow-up meetings with you. You might be wondering if this same 7-step process is feasible for informal coaching. In an informal situation, a few training questions will most likely be enough to help the employee find a solution and take action. In addition, the steps can be adapted to suit an informal conversation.
In this case, it may not be necessary to insist much on the situation, except perhaps for things like whether they have all the data they need and where they can get it. As for the options, you can ask them a couple of questions and they might come up with ideas to add graphics or create a database, instead of a spreadsheet if there is a lot of data. However, there shouldn't be a lot of options. You may not need to cover the objectives, since it's clear that, in this case, the goal is to set up a spreadsheet at the end of the working day.
Likewise, the steps and actions can be simple. Therefore, for an informal conversation, you can adapt the steps on a case-by-case basis. If you think the situation is such that it cannot be resolved with a quick conversation, you can always schedule a meeting later to discuss. As for the review phase regarding informal coaching, ask a question like “How did it go?” (the next day or later the same day) should be enough.
The key is that getting used to this process takes practice. The more you do it, the more natural it will be for you. In addition, you can always adapt the process to suit individual situations. The process is not rigid and, as we mentioned, you can go back and forth between steps.
Symonds Research, 11 Hermitage Street, Crewkerne, Somerset TA18 8ES, United Kingdom. Unlike formal coaching (which takes place during assigned meetings and is formally followed up), informal coaching is carried out as part of daily work activities. Keep in mind that the training process is based on the assumption that training is more about asking than saying. In addition, this five-step training model is presented in a linear way to represent an entire training conversation.
This is a key step in any coaching conversation and requires the coach to ask insightful questions, listen actively, be comfortable with silence, and view the situation from multiple perspectives. Whether it's an impromptu workout moment or a formal training conversation, here are the five steps to effective training. However, asking open-ended follow-up and probing questions is critical to helping create a safe, accurate, and positive environment in which coaching participants open up, discover themselves, and work effectively with the coach. Having this framework and flow for a coaching session will help you stay focused and better manage your interaction with coaching.
Use these five steps to develop your coaching skills, develop your people, and achieve amazing business and personal results. Connect the comments to the purpose of the conversation, focus on the behavior and not on your own interpretation of the behavior, and emphasize the impact of the behavior and how it helps or prevents the coaching participant from achieving the desired business and personal outcomes. .
