5 Practical Coaching and Feedback Tips for Leaders
Written by: Iliana Rocha, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I may be biased, but – coaching your employees is one of the best ways to grow them. Telling your team what to do will likely give you results. But coaching helps your team build capabilities, and the sense of commitment increases as employees feel they are coming up with solutions for the organization. I know from experience that building a coaching habit does not come easily, but it is so rewarding to observe the benefits.
The next time one of your employees comes to you with a more complex problem, try doing the following:
1. Understand what the problem is and make sure that you get to the root cause and not just a symptom. Make sure your team member isn’t avoiding the real issue. Keep asking questions until you identify the root cause and define it as something that is within your employee’s control. There is no point in discussing things you can’t control – nothing you do will change that particular situation.
2. Understand what options your team member has already considered. They have likely thought about a way to handle the situation.
3. Now is the time to evaluate additional approaches, and you get an opportunity to add your own suggestions here! Brainstorm and generate some additional things your employee should consider as a viable next step.
4. Eventually, you need to narrow in on what the employee will actually do. And in this step is when the temptation to make recommendations will be the greatest. Don’t! Let them determine their own path and select their preferred course of action.
5. You may think you are done, but you are not. You have to ensure that your team member has a plan and a plan to stick to the plan. Have them define by when they want to complete the activities, what the immediate first step is, how they will know they are successful (or not). That is, make sure there is a plan in place to execute on the idea. You may even want them to let you know what the outcome is, so agree on how and when the employee will tell you what they have achieved and the results.
All that being said, not every interaction with your employees will be a coaching opportunity. There is still a time for you to set expectations and provide effective feedback. I’ll tackle this from the perspective of negative feedback because that is what every new leader dreads. Once you have that down, the rest will be a walk in the park!
Below I’ve listed 5 tips on how to prepare for and deliver feedback. Though I have been giving feedback for a long time, I still follow these steps when preparing for a difficult conversation. It allows you to think through what you are discussing and how you present the information for maximum benefit. Especially when providing negative feedback, you must be prepared and remain composed. Don’t forget – this is likely very difficult for your team member, as they may feel like they have failed at something.
1. Make sure you go into the discussion with the right mindset: An action is not synonymous with who the person is. Therefore, a small misstep does not make them a bad employee.
2. Start the discussion with the facts: What are your observations? Avoid starting sentences with “you have done X, Y, Z.” Instead, state, “I have observed X, Y, Z behavior.” If there is data that you can use, all the better!
3. Break down the impact of the facts: Explain to your employee the undesired consequences of the particular event. How did it impact you? How might others have perceived it?
4. Provide your own interpretation: State what you believe has happened and what the root causes might be. Give the employee an opportunity to comment, though manage this part with caution to avoid them getting defensive and closed off.
5. State what your expectations are: You need to be clear as to what you want them to do to rectify the situation, as well as how you expect them to behave in the future. Ask them what support they need to be able to do this. Make sure it is clear you are there to help and guide them.
I hope this helps you flex your leadership muscles a little better!
Iliana Rocha, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine
Iliana Rocha is a senior business leader with extensive consulting and coaching experience in all things business. Iliana has been working hand-in-hand with businesses in optimizing their strategy and operations and is now President & Lead Coach at Clubnet Solutions Inc. Her focus is on working with entrepreneurs and small business owners on scaling and transforming their businesses profitably. She is in the process of publishing her first book: Level Up! Low Hanging Fruit to Instantly Improve Your Small Business. Iliana holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Ryerson University, a post-graduate certificate in Strategic Relationship Management from George Brown College, and a Bachelor of Commerce and Finance, with a Major in Economics from the University of Toronto. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a certified Agile Coach (ICP-ACC). She is in the process of receiving an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certification as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC).
