Performance Coaching and Discipline Without Punishment Performance Coaching

Performance Coaching and Discipline Without Punishment

Performance Coaching • Athletic coaches must coach constantly • Performance coaching focuses on effective job behaviors and activities • Performance coaching is positive and emphasizes what people are doing right

Performance Coaching • The goals of performance coaching: – To encourage people and teams – To show people and teams how to build on their strengths – To heighten people’s and teams’ self-esteem and self-confidence – To enhance cooperation and participation within and among departments – To stop and correct inappropriate behavior

– To build trust between management and team members – To reduce fear and increase risk taking and innovation (security nurtures creativity)

– To align individual and team goals to organizational goals – To get people to realize that their self interests and the organization’s interests are inextricably bound together – To establish consequences for continued inappropriate behavior

Performance Coaching • All units in an organization should conduct performance coaching – Department managers for their departments (several managers if the department is large) – Higher management for department managers

The Multiple Roles Of Performance Coaching • • Developmental Evaluative Defensive Indoctrinational

Coaching Avoidance • Most managers would rather avoid the anger, anxiety, and discomfort involved • Timing of performance coaching sessions should be based on associate’s, not manager’s, needs and timing

Coaching Meetings • Quarterly departmental goal-setting and strategy sessions – If not more often in a highy competitive business • Quarterly individual performance coaching and performance agreement sessions – Frequent, daily if possible, feedback

Conducting Performance Coaching Sessions • Managers must know enough about a job to understand how it should be done • Managers must observe on-the-job behavior (it’s like watching game tapes)

Reactions To Coaching Sessions • People often react defensively to what are perceived to be negative comments • Don’t use the sandwich approach – Criticism-praise-criticism • Criticism causes people to become defensive: – Transfer blame to others (“not my fault”)

Many People Are Defensive – Ambivalent about improvement needs – See coaching as a threat to self-esteem (especially highly ego-centered talent or creative people) • Often people see it as a threat to independence • Often people are in outright denial

Games People Play – Most common rationalization games: • “Yeah, but” • “I’ll try” – Trying doesn’t cut it, doing what you’re supposed to cuts it • “It’s good that you’re trying hard, but what exactly are going to do to solve the problem. Tell me in steps 1, 2 and 3. ”

Improvement Memos – If an associate exceeds expectations, write a memo to upper management – If an associate is not meeting standards, have him or her write an improvement or performance agreement outline • Keep management informed

Performance Coaching • Yearly performance evaluation or review sessions: – Once-a-year reviews at salary review times are worthless and counterproductive – Coaches who reviewed players once a year would be lose all their games and their jobs

• Quarterly departmental goal-setting sessions: – Department’s mission, objectives, and strategies are narrowed down to key activities – Department discusses and jointly agrees on objectives, strategies, and activities – Participation in setting objectives leads to a department’s commitment

• Brief, frequent (daily if possible) feedback sessions: – People need continual encouragement and reinforcement of the good things they do • Need “atta boys” – Must be open and honest – “What can I do to help? ”

Feedback • Phrases to use: – “I know you want to improve, and if it’s OK with you, I have a few suggestions. ” – I know you like to do a good job. Here are some things for you to think about that might help you do it a little better. ”

• “Be tough on standards, not on people” - tom peters • When giving feedback, give positive feedback first, then discuss opportunities for improvement

Who Conducts Performance Coaching Sessions: • All managers, all team members • Associates need feedback more than contact with top managers • They need it weekly

Unleash Associates’ Motivation To Improve: • Management hires, coaches, and communicates values and objectives • If there is a problems, it is usually management’s – “There are no bad soldiers, only bad generals” Napoleon

Establishing Consequences • Consequences laid out in advance. If people do A, B will happen. It’s their choice. • Coaching is encouragement, support – yes; but it doesn’t work unless there are meaningful, understood consequences – If you hold on to ineffective people too long, you’re being unfair to your organization and, more importantly, to effective performers

Discipline Without Punishment • Performance problems can usually be divided into three categories: – Attendance – Performance – Conduct

• Traditional discipline systems: – Step 1 - Verbal reprimand – Step 2 - Written warning – Step 3 - Suspension without pay/ probation/final warning – Step 4 -Termination

• Discipline Without Punishment – Level 1 - Oral reminder – Level 2 - Written reminder – Level 3 - Decision-making leave (paid) – Level 4 - Termination

• In Discipline Without Punishment, it’s up to associates to change on their own – There has been enough discussion, they know the consequences – Paid leave puts the onus on them – Managers should view DWP as a technique for saving people. Each step is an opportunity to correct a problem. – Termination is a failure

Be a Coach • Who watches game films every day and gives feedback one-on-one every day – Not once a year • Who’s motivation is to teach the team how to win – Teach to win, not to avoid a loss – Without playing himself/herself