What I’m Reading …

A Manager’s Guide to Coaching: Simple and Effective Ways to Get the Best Out of Your Employees by Brian Emerson and Anne Loehr

This book starts out with an interesting premise – “if you’re not growing, you are dying.” The authors note that “more than ever, employees are asking for developmental opportunities and managers are being told they need to coach their employees on a regular basis.” Most managers, however, do not know how to coach employees, and, as the authors say, “Developing oneself is challenge enough. Determining how to effectively develop others is a massive job.”

Coaching is generally needed when an employee has the skills to complete a task but is unable to do so based on some unknown factor. Typically three things hold employees back from completing tasks they are equipped to handle: 1. Skills/Abilities, 2. Themselves, and/or 3. Outside Factors.

Skills/Abilities – They lack the aptitude to complete the task.

Themselves – They lack the motivation or self-confidence to complete the task.

Outside Factors – They are unable to complete the task due to things outside their control (for example, an organization’s financial situation).

What is coaching? The authors of the book define a coach as “someone who helps another person reach higher levels of effectiveness by creating a dialogue that leads to awareness and action.” Coaches ask open-ended questions which allow the employee to search inside of themselves for the answers. Questions are short and to the point. They are advice-free and thought-provoking allowing the employee to focus on the future instead of the past. They go on to further state that “asking someone a bunch of random questions does not necessarily mean that you are coaching them.”

The book explains the WIN BIG Coaching Model:

• Wonder About Root Cause
• Investigate Wants
• Name Possible Solutions
• Build a Plan
• Insure Action
• Give Affirmation  

Or, another way they explain the model is through the six steps of discovery, visioning, problem solving, action, accountability, and validating.

Step 1 – Wondering involves discovering the root cause of a problem. It’s important not to fix the problem or even advise solutions.

Step 2 – Investigating wants involves envisioning the future or the perfect situation.

Step 3 – Naming solutions is the problem-solving piece of the puzzle. Remember – the coach should not solve the problem but rather help the employee think outside the box.

Step 4 – Building a plan marks the halfway step in the process. This is the step where you ask “What are you going to do,” “When will you do it,” and “How will you do that?”

Step 5 – Insuring action is your chance to set measurements for accountability. This is the part of the process where you assist with the employee’s continued development.

Step 6 – Giving affirmation is the final step of the coaching process and one that many people forget. It is the most important step of the process. It is very important that you take time to acknowledge their hard work and desire to grow.

The final two sections of the book are the most valuable part of this resource as they provide case studies, tools, and questions/answers for the coach.

– Karen Krzmarzick, MA, CAE, Executive Director, American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators