Daily Coaching for Effective Leadership

Spend 2-5 minutes each day with your employees in proactive discussion and you will be amazed at the time you save!

Ever feel frustrated that you are just not getting through to your employees? They demonstrate resistance to change and seem to be on a totally different page than you are? Here’s the solution:

Daily Coaching with these principles:

• Look for and acknowledge good behavior. Strive to find things to compliment your employee for a job well done.
• Connect before you convince! Make sure a relationship is under way before you start to persuade them into “your” direction.
• Ask, don’t tell!!! Too many managers think they are leading by telling their staff member what they want to be done or what the staff member should be doing. Everyone learns more when then come up with the solution themselves, not to mention, “buying in.” When you “tell” someone to do something, you’ve done all the thinking for him or her. When you “ask” they do the “brain drain” to come up with the answer, and, since it’s theirs, ”they like it!”

Try these questions:

• What’s important to you in your job?
• How could our department work better as a team?
• How could our department be more efficient/sales focused/proactive?
• What’s one thing I could do to improve our working relationship?
• What’s one thing I could do to improve the communication in our department?
• What are your thoughts on- our current initiative/incentive program/campaign…or most anything!
• If you could change anything about your job/or about your approach-what would it be?
• What are your goals and plans? How can I help you achieve them?

Most people are much tougher on themselves than others would be. Listen for good solid answers and commend the staff member for their ideas.

Always measure and follow up. “What gets measured gets done!” Set up a system to recap your employee’s goals. Meet with them daily and look for ways to commend their efforts. Use the vacation schedule and mark off each day’s coaching so you know you haven’t missed anyone.

Leaders earn the right to hold others accountable! If you are spending time each day focusing on what they did right, you have earned the right to critique when necessary. Trust and mutual respect has been established.

You’ll be amazed at the time you save. Instead of staff camping outside your door, on their schedule, you proactively visit with them on yours. Once they know they will have a little of your time each day, they relax until you come to them. To listen to another with total interest and no distractions is one of the best compliments you can give. It says you really care about the person.

Relationships blossom and results happen!