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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
Whom would it be useful for you to know? Facilitate the

introductions and follow up on the outcomes.
Action Coaching Model
Choose an individual whom you need to coach. (If you don’t have some-
one in particular, ask someone to coach you.)
1. Plan ahead. Make a commitment to coach.
What do you want to say to the individual? Make notes
on performance and suggestions for improvement.
2. Uncover the motivational tick factor. Discover the “why”
of work.
Think about what excites this person—money, power,
family, friends, hobbies. How can you respond to those
needs in a way that leads to improved performance?
3. Give feedback. Let the individual know how he or she is
doing.
Find one positive thing to say. Isolate the deficiencies.
Ask the individual, “Have you considered doing this?”
4. Get commitment. Gain agreement and establish a time frame.
Make certain you gain closure: What will be done, and
by when will it be done?
5. Follow up. Make certain you evaluate the outcome.
Look for opportunities to give feedback. Be vigilant for
signs of improvement. When you see them, give praise. If
the deadline passes with no improvement, schedule
another coaching session.

VINCE LOMBARDI—THE TEACHER AS COACH
There are times in a leader’s life when that leader is defined by what he or
she does or does not do in a particular moment. Looking back at successful
leaders, we sometimes assume that they were always good, always made the
right decision, or always said the right thing. One such moment came for
Vince Lombardi when he became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
Today the success of the Lombardi Packers is legend, and so we have to peer
into the history books to recall what a woeful team they were when Lom-
bardi became their coach in 1959—the year before, they had won only a sin-
gle game. 4