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Coaching for improvement matters

There’s a difference between a manager and a leader. Managers command where leaders inspire and lead their employees by example, while working alongside them for the best possible outcome.

Coaching methods vary depending on whether you’re a leader or a manager. When you’re a leader and coach your employees, you’re not just instructing them on processes and procedures, but encouraging and inspiring them to do their best for the betterment of the company.

When you instruct your employees, it creates a sense that they must come to you to make decisions and ask the best way to handle a situation. When you coach your staff, then you’re putting the power in their hands, creating individuals who can make their own decisions without second guessing themselves.

Key takeaways:

• Coaching for improvement makes the team stronger.
• Don’t wait! Coach when you see opportunities present themselves.
• Reinforce your trust of your employees.
• Be prepared to listen to your employees.

Coach when you see a pattern forming

Performance issues are going to arise in any workplace. As a leader, it’s your job to address the situation to make sure your employees on the right path. The most important thing is to coach before the issue becomes a habit.

If you let an issue go for too long, your employees are going to feel that there’s nothing wrong with the way they’re working. They may even think the incorrect way of doing a task is the right way since they haven’t received any feedback. The issue may be as simple as your employee not understanding the purpose of their task.

Show confidence and partner with them

Being confident when coaching doesn’t mean having confidence in yourself. It means you have confidence in your employees. You know they’re good at what they do, and they’re more than capable of handling the task at hand.

Show this confidence when you sit down with them. This isn’t a session where you point out their faults but bolster their confidence to do the job properly and more efficiently.

Don’t guess at why the issue exists, ask questions and involve them in solving the issue. Avoid asking questions with yes or no answers. Guide them and ask questions that get them talking and giving thoughtful answers.

Your greatest asset as a leader is to partner with your employees to find a resolution. The best part of getting them involved is you can gauge how well they understand the issue and the correct way to move forward.

Create a goal and make it SMART. Identify the specific goal, create smaller goals to get to the desired result, make sure these goals are achievable and realistic, and create a clearly defined timeline with check-ins to see how things are progressing.

When the goal is reached, consider rewarding your employee for a job well done!

Coaching can make an employee feel like they’re not doing their job well. You don’t want your staff to leave a coaching session doubting everything they do, so bolster them while you correct behaviors. Point out the good along with what needs improving so they feel strengthened and empowered when they leave the coaching.

Your greatest strength is your ability to listen

Active listening is underrated in the workforce, but if you want to be a strong leader who empowers your team and gets results, start working on your listening skills. Employees flourish when they feel listened to, and it helps you get to the root of issues.

By hearing what your employees are saying, you can often recognize underlying issues they’re not saying outright. Addressing the root cause will make employees trust you and feel inspired by you.

When you’re actively listening, you come to know your team better. They feel they can trust you, and you may even have your own views challenged by better, more diverse ones.

It’s not uncommon for the traditional performance review to leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, including leaders. At CrewHu, we’ve revolutionized the way performance reviews are handled to help create highly engaged employees. The key element is immediate feedback on tasks employees have completed and a rewards system to encourage them along. See how our way of measuring performance can create a stronger team.