Coaching Your Employees Can Be Fun

Coaching Your Employees Can Be Fun
What is coaching? Coaching is a more enjoyable way to
interact with your employees. Like a coach of a sport's
team, you want to encourage your team, ensure they know how
to play, know the rules of the role, clarify any
misconceptions, and be there to listen and support them as
they grow in their job knowledge.

You are the manager and that includes coaching your staff.
Your primary focus is to set standards and guide your
employees to higher performance levels. It's about
reframing how you see your role as a manager from demanding
to coaching performance levels.

Coaching an employee includes knowing their skills, depth
of job knowledge and the basic gifts or talent they bring
to the table.

How do you do all of the above while under pressure to meet
the demands of the business? In a downsizing, streamlining
business world, managers also have other functional
responsibilities beside managing employees. With all this
responsibility, you just want your employees to perform and
do what they are supposed to do. Maybe you feel that you
are hand holding them and you can't afford to do that.
Coaching is not hand holding. Rather it is setting clear
standards and making sure each team member is doing their
best work. You have to spend time with your team in
order to maximize the potential of your players.

Even more significant, how do you do this when you never
learned how to manage? Not knowing how to manage, coaching
can be a bit intimidating in the beginning. Like a
beginner, start slowly and make small changes to how you
interact with your team. Don't expect to be a great
manager overnight. Rather focus on one step at a time.
Here are some ideas that can help you move forward:

How often do you recognize or praise them for doing good
work. If you see someone doing something that warrants
recognition, do you stop and let him or her how you
appreciate his or her work?

Since people are different, take the time to find out how
you can best help them perform better....by asking them.

Take one employee each week and watch their
performance.....how do they do their job, where do they
need some help, how do they interact with other members.
It can be overwhelming to watch everyone at the same time.
One person at a time can be interesting.....like putting
together the puzzle pieces.

Watch how your manager handles you.....are you getting what
you need to develop your management skills. If not, read
or take classes to become better at this role.

As each team member is different, so are managers different
in their styles of management. Coaching is fundamental in
the development of your management skills.

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Pat Brill is the author of the blog "Managing Employees"
http://www.ManagingEmployees.net . You can reach her at
pat@TheInfoCrowd.com.