"In fact, the most common complaint I hear from direct reports about their leaders is that they do a poor job of providing coaching," writes Marshall Goldsmith in his article on humancapitalleague.com. He considers leaders to be lousy coaches when they are too busy to coach their people or when they are worried they could unnecessarily alienate them. Another problem arises when an employee is a knowledge worker who knows more than his superior. How could this be improved? The world-renowned senior executive coach advises leaders to meet with their subordinates individually approximately once per quarter and conduct coaching conversations using the following six questions.
1. "Where are we going?"
The manager should first summarize the current direction of the company in terms of its vision, goals and priorities. Then he should ask his subordinates where they think the company should go. The aim of this dialog is to familiarize employees with the company's vision in a broader sense.
2. "Where are you going?"
The following topic is the vision, objectives and priorities of individuals. Ask how employees see their direction in the company. The aim of this dialog is to link the leader's priorities with the priorities of both the company and the employees at the same time.
3. "What is going well?"
Here comes the recognition for a job well done. The manager should ask what employees see as successes of your part of the company and their own. It's a chance to learn some positive news you would otherwise have missed.
4. "What are key suggestions for improvement?"
This part of the conversation includes constructive recommendations on how to improve. The manager should really focus on the key suggestions. You can also ask your employees "If you were a coach, what recommendations would you have for yourself?"
5. "How can I help?"
Coaching stands and falls with the right questions. This is one of the best questions you can ask. Listen carefully to how employees answer this question.
6. "What suggestions do you have for me?"
This stage represents a change in the dynamics of the coaching process. A truly two-way dialog starts and the aim is to help each other. An employee who can coach his boss will be more willing to be coached.
A video in which Marshall Goldsmith talks about coaching conversations is available here.
-kk-