Coaching and Feedback Mark Cannon What is Coaching

Coaching and Feedback Mark Cannon

What is Coaching? • Coaches enhance employee ability and performance by facilitating: – Learning – Informed choice – Internal commitment to growth

What are the most effective of methods of developing employees?

Factors That Drive Development

Korn/Ferry’s Lominger 360 Competency Ratings • Coaching (“developing direct reports and others”) rated lowest (3. 37/5. 00) of all 67 competencies • Feedback (“confronting direct reports”) rated (3. 40/5. 00) in the bottom 10%

Focusing on Your Experiences, Interests, and Current Challenges • The Change Process / Missed Developmental Opportunities – Too often, employees do not proactively work on improving their weaknesses. – They also miss opportunities to continue their growth and development. – Why don’t we see more continuous, successful growth and development? • Key Targets for Coaching and Development: – Where do you see the greatest opportunities for coaching and development in your organization? What knowledge, skills, abilities and performance would you like to see enhanced? What are some examples?

Almost every executive I meet is successful because of doing a lot of things right, and almost every executive I meet is successful in spite of some behavior that defies common sense. - Marshall Goldsmith

Typical Growth Pattern

Why are people not more successful at making constructive changes in their behavior?

Conditions for Growth and Development • Accurate perception of current performance – Where do I stand now? • Clear vision of desired end state – Where do I want to be? • Motivation to change – Why should I make the effort to change? • Means of making the change – How will I get there from here? • Ongoing assessment, support, and follow-up – How will we establish accountability and support the change process?

Key Coaching Skills • • Developmental Relationship Active Listening Questioning Assessment Feedback Goals Action Plans Ongoing Assessment, Support and Feedback

Coaching Styles Directive They help by instructing and advising; by sharing their knowledge, experience, and perspective; and giving feedback and corrective suggestions on what they’ve observed Facilitative They help by asking insightful questions and listening; by stimulating their subordinates to think, reflect, and explore; and by helping others observe themselves and learn from their own experiences. (Bacon & Spear, Adaptive Coaching)

Directive Versus Facilitative • What do you see as the costs and benefits of directive coaching and facilitative coaching? – When is a directive style as most useful? – When is a facilitative style as most useful? • Which style is more comfortable for you?

Directive Versus Facilitative • How do employees prefer to be coached? – Directive 35% – Facilitative 65% • Directive coaching can be particularly useful in establishing and clarifying performance expectations and helping employees see performance gaps • Facilitative coaching tends to help employees “own” performance problems and be more proactive in taking personal responsibility for their own development – 87% of employees said they prefer coaches who ask questions rather than “being told what to do. ”

Directive Versus Facilitative Benefits Directive • Clarifying expectations • Giving actionable feedback • Establishing accountability • Technical or factual learning • Addressing performance problems Facilitative • Building employee motivation and internal commitment • Encouraging ownership • Developing complex capabilities (leadership, judgment, etc. ) • Promoting deeper learning • Developing goals • Designing action plans

Developmental Coaching • Developmental Coaching—Supports continuing development in current role or in preparation for future roles – May require a shift in our frame of mind – The distinctive developmental coaching skills are active listening and asking powerful questions • A Developmental Frame of Mind – Focus on employee’s learning needs versus what you know – Play the role of facilitator versus expert or director – Transfer commitment and responsibility for development to the employee versus holding them yourself – Impact versus speed

What is Framing? • A frame is an a set of assumptions that guides our attention and effort. • We are often unaware of our frame and how it is impacting our effectiveness. • Reframing (adopting and applying a different set of assumptions) is often helpful in increasing our effectiveness.

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“GROW” Goal: What we want to achieve Reality: The circumstances we’re dealing with (or how we perceive them) Options: How we might move from our Reality to our Goal Way Forward: What action we want to take

Source: “You Already Know how to be Great, ” Alan Fine, 2010

Performance: Faith, Fire and Focus Faith: Belief in one’s ability to succeed Fire: Passion, energy, commitment Focus: Attention, concentration Source: “You Already Know how to be Great, ” Alan Fine, 2010

Key Coaching Skills and Desired Coaching Outcomes • • • COACHING OUTCOMES Accurate Perception of Current Performance Clear Vision of Desired End State Motivation to Change Means of Making Change Ongoing Assessment, Support, and Follow-up COACHING SKILLS Developmental Relationship Active Listening and Questioning Assessment and Feedback Goal Setting and Action Planning Ongoing Assessment, Support, and Feedback

Research Findings on Goal Setting • Challenging goals produce better performance • People may abandon goals if the goal becomes too hard • Specific challenging goals are better that “Do Your Best” goals • Participation on goal setting increases commitment and attainment of goals • Feedback and goals improve performance • Management support is critical

S. M. A. R. T. Goals • • • Specific goals Measurable goals Agreed upon Realistic Time specific