Log in to view the full article
How would you solve the following problem? Over the past few weeks one of your newer employees—let's call him Sam—has been taking some shortcuts with his floor installation. This creates costly bottlenecks, since the rest of the crew and the crew boss have to take time to fix some of his work. Also, Sam is occasionally late when reporting to work on the job site.
But here's the rub: Sam is a talented installer. So you figure Sam is cutting corners to stay on schedule at the expense of quality control. If you confront Sam on his methods, he may get angry and quit, since you know he has a short fuse. That's the last thing you need, because Sam has experience, and talented workers are hard to find in a tight labor market. You want him to change his methods slightly and be more prompt, but you don't want to lose him in the process.
Think it's time for a little coaching? Bingo! Coaching encourages employees to generate their own solutions to performance problems. Because it emphasizes collaboration rather than confrontation, coaching improves workplace effectiveness while avoiding the costly stress generated by disciplinary sessions.
"Being a good coach has a bottom-line impact on your business," says Erik J. Van Slyke, senior manager in the human capital advisory services consulting area at Deloitte and Touche in New York. "Organizations that establish more coaching in their developmental environment see higher productivity and greater return on their investments in human resources activities."
So what's the secret formula for a great coaching session? Let's see what leading workplace psychologists say.
Create a positive mind-set
While it's natural to be upset about the employee's problem and how it's harming your business, you'll lay the groundwork for more positive coaching by shifting your mental focus toward performance improvement. Van Slyke suggests thinking along these lines: "Sam is a good contributor who needs a little guidance. We are clear about the core problem and its impact. Now we will go in and have an effective conversation."
Get the facts straight
How many times has Sam been late? What were the dates and which projects were involved? What specific effects did tardiness and cutting corners have on your business? Write down the answers to those questions before your coaching session.
"An employee may feel defensive when you coach them on a performance issue," says Dr. Daniel Dana, president of the Dana Mediation Institute in Overland Park, Kan. A detailed presentation of the facts will show that you are concentrating on issues that impact the business rather than engaging in faultfinding.
Start on an "up" note
To bolster the employee's self-esteem, introduce the session with some sincere and specific praise. "Don't make the mistake of zeroing in on the problem right away," says William Byham, president of Development Dimensions International,Pittsburgh, Pa. "Sam will think you feel he is not making a contribution to the organization. Instead, communicate that Sam needs to improve a specific area."
Briefly describe the problem
State the issue at hand. Confront the employee with the problem in words that show its impact on your business. Van Slyke suggests an approach like this:"Sam, we had to redo part of the floor on our last job because of nailing mistakes on your part. That made us fall behind schedule on other jobs. And there have also been these four times you were late reporting to the job site."
Get the employee's views on what's causing the problem
Quickly involve your staff member in the dialog. Employee feedback should take up the bulk of the counseling session,because only the employee really knows the cause of the problem—and that must be discovered before you can turn things around.
Ask open-ended questions that do not"lead" the employee to an invalid response. For example, ask, "How do you see this situation?"
After Sam states one or more causes, continue to dig by repeating and summarizing what he says with more open ended questions. Vary the phrasing to avoid the appearance of brow beating and re-emphasize the collaborative nature of the coaching session. Using a reflective tone of voice, try statements like the following:
"So, you really think your coworkers aren't pulling their weight?"
"It seems you are saying that the problem is with all the set-up tasks you're required to do at the job sites? Is that right? Would there be any other reasons?"
Repeating and summarizing the words of employees can stimulate them to dig deeper and discover the real cause of problems. "You need to listen with a third ear, because what you hear is very often a combination of what people think you want to hear and what they are aware of at the moment," says W. Bruce Newman, vice president for field services of Dana Mediation Training Institute.
Once you have thoroughly mined the employee's thoughts, come to an agreement on the chief causes of the problem in words such as these: "Sam, it seems as though you need to improve your punctuality in arriving on the job site. Additionally, we need to make sure you are following our installation procedures, in particular the nailing intervals, more closely. Does this describe the situation accurately?"
Search for solutions
Now that you and Sam have isolated the causes of the problem, how can you solve it? Once again, the fountain of knowledge will be the employee. "If you take over the task of coming up with a solution, the employee does not own it and will not grow," says Byham.
"Remember the Chinese proverb: Give a person a fish and feed him a day; teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Coaching is not answering the question, ‘What should you do?’ but rather, ‘What do you think you should do?’”
Start with a simple open-ended question: “How would you suggest solving this problem?” or “What kind of solutions make sense to you in this situation?” or “What could we do to resolve this?” Most likely the employee will offer a couple of favorite solutions.
Make sure the employee is sold on the solution by repeating or rephrasing it in terms of the problem. Here’s an example: “So you feel that having some more people help you with job site preparation and cleanup will give you more time to work on installation? Is there anything else that should be done? Is there anything that I can do differently, or the crew can do differently, that will help you in getting your job done?”
Develop a written action plan
Coaching works best when there is accountability. By what dates will the employee complete specific milestones in the solution? “Conclude the coaching session with some action goals,” says Byham. “If you are coaching on new techniques for handling a given workplace situation, ask the employee, ‘When can you try this out? Can we get back together afterward to see how you did?’”
End on a “high note”
Just prior to leaving the session, express your appreciation for the employee’s contribution to your business. Thank the person for exhibiting enthusiasm during the session and express your confidence in the individual’s ability to reach the goals you have established.
Follow up
Monitor all performance milestones. Doing so will assure that your employee’s performance improves, and will lend credibility to future coaching sessions. Employees will take coaching only as seriously as does management.
“At specified calendar goals ask questions and listen,” says Fred Martels, president of People Solution Strategies, Chesterfield, Mo. “Run interference if you have to. Discover the avenues that will help your employees excel.”
The nine steps in this article provide a blueprint for success in zeroing in on the causes of problems and developing solutions that create effective employees. “Good coaching can improve business performance and keep your best employees from leaving,” says Martels. “It’s an extremely important part of being a good leader.”
Contractors Coach for Success
Frank Kroupa, part owner of R&R Hardwood Floors in Boise,Idaho, says that his company likes to be proactive by using anin-house apprenticeship program to align employees with thestandard operating procedures. "Once we hire a man, we sendhim through our program," Kroupa says. "Each week he tradesoff, and he's with a different crew boss. We have 10 crew bosses,so this allows him a lot of variety and also gives him a variety ofjobs, whether it be in installing or sanding and finishing.
"Each week, we have specific training or mini-lessons, andthings we share with each other to help us in our skills,"Kroupa says. "We also have monthly meetings where part ofthe meeting is devoted to things that have gone wrong, andhow we can prevent them from happening again."
Gary Horvath, owner of A.T.C. Hardwood Flooring inWestwood, N.J., runs a small operation of six to 12 workers,depending on the time of the year. He has guys on his crewsthat vary in age from their their early 20s to mid-50s. "When itcomes down to lectures and discussions, that all comes tome," Horvath says. "We do it verbally. We've got some writtenrules and regulations that are in progress. But mostly it's justword-of-mouth — 'Please do a good job' — which they do."
Brian Clark, owner of Heritage Hardwood Flooring inCalgary, Alberta, says his company uses word-of-mouth tocoach employees who are having problems. "Usually you don'thave a problem with people who have been with you for a longtime," Clark says. "It's usually a newer employee coming froma competitor, where they were able to carry on with a differentstandard. Or else they're just so new, they don't know what theexpectations are until they've been here for awhile.
"That is why we have our senior people keep an eye onthings, and they're not just supervising, they're actuallyworking on the floors themselves," Clark says. "And they're theones who are setting the standard we are looking for. So it'smore of a word-of-mouth than an actual goal or written plan."
Both Clark and Horvath say they hire only experiencedemployees so that they won't need much guidance on the jobsite. Horvath only hires men with 10 years' minimumexperience. He adds that most of his problems come fromemployees who don't show up for work due to sickness orpersonal reasons. "If you're sick, you're sick," Horvath says.
"If they have family emergencies, I have no problem as longas they call in on my own personal number, so I know how tojuggle the work schedule when it comes daytime."
Conversely, Kroupa does not hire men with experience,because he does not want to retrain them. He adds that menwith experience don't want to go through his company'sextensive apprenticeship program. Also, with his company'ssystem, everyone is promoted from within — nobody getspassed over by hiring someone with experience from outsidethe company, Kroupa adds.
Clark finds that most of his problems with employees comefrom personality clashes and oversized egos. "That's usuallywhere the biggest struggles come — between somebodywho's senior and somebody new who can't leave his ego atthe door," Clarks says. "That person has to realize that he is,regardless of his experience and reputation, somewhere else.
He's been given an opportunity to come to work for us, and heneeds to prove to us that he's who we need." — R.R.
Get More Information
Here are some more resources on coaching techniques: Listening to Conflict, by Erik J. Van Slyke. Finding constructive solutions to workplace disputes, by really listening to individuals. American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019.(1999). Price: $22.95.
Mediationworks.com Website offers free items including an instrument for measuring the financial cost of workplace conflict. See www.mediationworks.com