So let’s look at a few specific areas where coaching can enable success and how displaying some of these skills and attributes can make this happen.

Leadership

What many people do not realize is the person that asks the questions controls the conversation. However the ability to ask a question that is helpful and enabling to others is even more powerful. Empowering Questioning is a key and very fundamental skill of coaching and all great leaders have the unique ability to form their questions that gets people’s attention, is informative and helps them contribute in a much more meaningful way.

Team Building

The essence of team work is engaging everybody. This happens most effectively if people truly listen to each other. This is not listening at a level where you only relate to what somebody says as it pertains to you. This is about really listening to what somebody is saying (and even sometimes not saying) as it pertains to them. When people do that, connections become much stronger because Intuitive Listening is selfless and makes it more about the other person. This builds collaboration.

Teaching

Truly great teachers have the uncanny knack of presenting information in a manner that gets people thinking. This ability to access somebody’s Curiosity allows them to challenge themselves, see things from other perspectives and very often identify the appropriate course of action. The real key to teaching is not necessarily the information imparted but rather the action that emerges as a result.

One could say that coaching has always been around. However what is different today is that more people are developing these skills proactively as a means of ensuring that they maximize their potential (and those around them), both personally and professionally.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Preparation

Notwithstanding the obvious in terms of punctuality, appearance and relevant collateral materials, this also has a lot to do with the psychological mindset of the salesperson going into meetings with potential customers. Consider approaching this process in a “coach” like manner. Yes you have to present what you sell but the emphasis needs to switch quickly to seeing this as an opportunity to help your potential client identify and get they want? What do you they need, what are their challenges and what would success look like? The key is to authentically coach a potential client that hopefully results in their purchasing your product or service, because they need it; prepare from the client’s perspective.

Execution

By focusing on what the customer wants, it places the emphasis on them and facilitates a discussion around their needs. Present what you have to offer succinctly, keep it simple and should they wish to go deeper, be prepared for that. Watch for body language and tone; these are great emotional cues for what a client might be thinking and feeling. For example, if you notice some restlessness move along quickly or better still, stop and ask what questions might they have or even what they think. Often we execute in a very logical manner but many clients process it emotionally. Execute from both a place of logic and emotion.

Delivery

The sale is never completed when you sign the contract or even get paid. The ultimate result comes from the product or service delivery when you have a fully satisfied customer. This is what enhances the probability of a repeat purchase and this becomes the selling process for that next buy. There is plenty of research to support that there is far less work involved in maintaining a customer versus acquiring a new one. However there is work nonetheless and failure to deliver can result in a loss forever. Deliver what you promise.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Added to this is the fact that more and more training is being conducted online with cost and time being the major drivers behind this. This makes sense up to a point but cheap and quick are not necessarily the best ways to learn. In some respects many might think it’s almost the opposite of the college system; too expensive and too long. So where does the answer lie? Inevitably, as with most situations, the answer lies somewhere in between.

Here are the 5 Key Tips for ensuring an optimum learning experience.

Varied Learning

Blended learning has become somewhat of a buzz word recently and is certainly a positive move in terms of utilizing traditional classroom with online / technology. But varied learning extends beyond this in terms of the importance of striking the balance with lecture, discussion, role play, activities, visuals, one on one coaching, all of which should be designed to ensure maximum engagement.

Competent Teaching

The teachers are the voice of the program and are still the anchors of any developmental experience. They must be knowledgeable, possess the effective communications skills and be able to flex to meet the needs of various learning styles. People are auditory, visual or kinesthetic and good trainers have the ability to mix up how they communicate to ensure all needs are met.

Technology

This can be used to very much enhance your presentation but can also take away from it. Like a good teacher it can also address the needs of various learning styles. However be sure it works, keep it simple and let the content speak for itself.

Practice

It is critically important that a new skill be followed by practice. This is as applicable with professional development as it is with sports. This could be some form of classroom activity, a peer work outside the class or a project. Make it something that ensures the applicability of what has been learned is being transferred back into their real world situation. Learning + Practice = Doing (and perfecting).

Accountability

Unless somebody holds us accountable to getting tasks completed, in most instances, it does not get done. Having people submit logs of completion, doing exams or presenting projects are needed to ensure people realize the importance of what they are learning and that tasks get completed. Consequently they have a much greater learning experience.

So as you plan to either deliver a training program or hire somebody into your organization, be sure to check that all of these are in place.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Of course you might be thinking that this is not realistic and rarely would you have a situation in place when these variables are “in sync”. In fact it might even be suggested that should this be the case then there is no need for coaching. Don’t forget coaching is not about fixing something that is broke. It’s about making a good situation even better; moving from functional to optimal. Research completed by Genos PTY supports this fact that much higher levels of employee engagement can be achieved when both an emotionally intelligent manager and motivated employee are present in the respective individuals. In turn employee engagement manifests itself in low turnover, high productivity, innovation, improved relations, etc, which are most typically the outcomes been sought through coaching support and development.

Similarly within the profession of coaching, it is probably fair to say that all good coaches demonstrate emotionally intelligent behavior; if they don’t, they should. At an intake session a considerable amount of the conversation delves into why a client is hiring a coach and what they hope to achieve, all of which speaks to their motivation.

So knowingly or otherwise, Emotional Intelligence and Motivation are clearly key ingredients for success in any effective coaching engagement.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Within businesses and organizations there are all sorts of processes in place to ensure we maximize efficiency. These can related to reward / recognition, technology, training, collaboration, relationships, loyalty, etc all of which will get you 80 – 90% of the way. Discretionary efficiency makes up the remaining 10 – 20%.

So what is discretionary efficiency? This is the “extra” an individual gives because the intrinsic motivators that are important and unique to them are in place and/or are being met. These are often different for most people so only a very unique understanding and reflection (such as one on one coaching) of these can help to address. In some instances nothing can be done about it. For example if you are an individual that responds to an empowering boss and he or she is more directive, you can’t change your boss. However you can learn to cope better. However in most cases something can, and therefore this discretionary efficiency exists when an individual freely and willingly goes that extra mile.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

In truth the best coaches are also teachers. They are blessed with an uncanny ability of presenting knowledge in a very receptive way because they are doing it with a sense of purpose for their client. One underlying theme that goes with all of this surrounds coaches being of service and recognizing the “appropriateness” of what is trying to be achieved. This can be best illustrated by following these guidelines:

Appropriate Information

Share information that is beneficial to the other person and not something that makes you sound smart. This can be defined very simply as something that helps to positively advance the client and what they are working on.

Appropriate Time

Sometimes a client may not be ready for certain information or receptive to its implications. Choose your timing so that the recipient sees it as a potential to helping rather than a distraction or adding to any overwhelm is critical.

Appropriate Manner

Sharing information so that it is not directing or imposes expectations is critical to the receptivity of information. Presenting as a suggestion via questioning or somebody else’s similar experience can be very effective. (For example, somebody I knew in a similar situation did x, how would you feel about that?)

Coaching and teaching can coexist very well and lead to a very positive and constructive learning environment. Those who can appropriately manage this blend end up being great coaches and of optimum service to their clients (and also great leaders).

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Once these surveys are undertaken and organizations wish to elevate their engagement score, three areas where significant developmental opportunities exist are:

Emotionally Intelligent Leaders

Do qualities such as being responsive, empowering, resilient, expansive, empathetic, authentic and present best describe people worth following? Emotionally intelligent leaders clearly understand that their approach is less about them and more about, through these qualities, supporting and coaching the people who make it happen. This very much compares to what Jim Collins in “Good to Great” described as Level 5 Leaders; those having Personal Humility and Professional Resolve.

Highly Motivated Employees

Employee motivation is influenced by a number of factors namely your job role, your boss, the team you associate with and the organization (and culture) you are part of. Based on these criteria, it is important to ensure that the motivational need of the individual compares favorably to what is available to them; there is a fit. By focusing on developing these areas, employees are provided with a greater sense of belonging and desire to make a more meaningful contribution.

Use of Coaching Skills

The very essence of coaching involves supporting other people’s success. The skills are rooted in connecting through listening, questioning, acknowledging and validating and genuinely supporting the other person. However there is also a clear focus on action but one that can be agreed upon, acted on and recognized when complete. Coaching is used to provide people with the resources, knowledge and skills to make positive decisions/actions that can advance the individual and their organization.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

The main reason is that effective execution of these simple concepts is counter intuitive to how we are brought up. Although well intentioned, the guidance provided by parents, teachers and bosses, tended to be more directing while coaching is much more facilitative. The secret and essence of “doing” good coaching is to be patient with the process and desired outcome.

If somebody comes to us with a question we feel that the appropriate response is to answer it. However what if you thought about questioning them (appropriately) a little more or gaining some clarification? Very often, in the honorable pursuit of helping somebody, we offer an answer that may not be right for them.

People who are good listeners also refrain from making the conversation about then. Again, a natural tendency is to hear what somebody says and relate it back to what this means for you. This is called subjective listening and while most might think it being empathetic, in reality you are shifting the focus of the conversation from them to you – not good!

Whether you are coaching clients or individuals within an organization, a directive approach will simply not work. That is why adapting a strategy where the individual feels listened to, is being questioned in a non judgmental way, is being acknowledged and validated, works far better. This is how you engage somebody, this is how you get them to accept responsibility and ultimately this is how you get them to act appropriately.

Coaching skills, once clearly understood require practice and more practice. These skills are behavioral based and can be mastered in a very authentic way.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

What about the “disengaged” employee? Are they influenced solely by how their manager behaves? Don’t they have their role to play in this as well? In addressing these questions it becomes apparent that the element that speaks to this missing link is Motivation.

According to Genos International, individual motivation factors exist in four different areas:

1. Role

This covers the day to day working elements of completing tasks essential to your job, contacting customers or vendors, challenging yourself, working within the rules and regulations, etc.

2. Management

This entails coping with different styles of management from the traditional more directive style to an empowering approach and everything else in between.

3. Team

This considers qualities such as working virtually, individual contribution, degrees of collaboration, and working with very different team members.

4. Organization

This focuses on factors such as pay, benefits and culture as well as clear levels of management and degrees of responsibility.

Because employees have varying perspectives of what these four areas might mean to them, it proves that motivation is very much an individual construct. Consequently a leader exhibiting a certain style may very much work for one person but not for another. Similarly what one person finds challenging, can be quite the “job from hell” for someone else. Motivational Fit has emerged as the term for the alignment between what an individual is motivated by and their actual experience at work.

In summary, leaders demonstrating high levels of Emotionally Intelligent behavior coupled with employees Motivational Fit has become the key link to optimizing and maintaining high levels of Employee Engagement.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

What in fact has happened is that a stimulus, whether a word or action, has caused a drain in energy for many in the room and they become emotionally disconnected.  This manifests itself in a mood shift where people are no longer listening, not wanting to contribute and certainly not receptive to taking action.

When this happens how do you appropriately address?  Within the Genos Emotional Intelligence model this management of other people’s emotions can be addressed through what is known as the Distraction / Disputation Technique.  In very simple terms you first of all create a distraction which takes peoples mind off what caused the mood shift in the first place.  Once this is achieved, they become more receptive to being challenged, gaining clarification and seeking alternative ways to view things.

Think about coaching somebody or dealing with an employee who is upset.  When you notice this, you may suggest some sort of distraction technique such as, say something funny, let’s take a break or even let them vent (in coaching terms you could simply acknowledge and validate).  Then when ready soon after, within the disputation phase, deal with the issue in an open, receptive and less emotional fashion.

Do not ignore the elephant in the room;  apply this technique and see the results for yourself.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.