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Selecting, Building, and Developing Your Work Team 117

Coaching
Coaching is a powerful, flexible approach to elicit your employee’s self-assess-
ment, which, when combined with the manager’s feedback, results in mutual
understanding, commitment to mutually accepted goals, and a specific plan
of action for achieving the goals.
Coaching encourages continuous improvement and reinforces solid work
performance. It can also be a terrific tool for improving specific areas. Because
coaching skills open communications and ensure ongoing feedback, employ-
ees generally value the approach. The open flow of communication reduces
the tension of more formal performance reviews because there are no sur-
prises. Employees know where they stand on a daily basis. Coaching is one of
the most useful tools in building the helping relationships and empowering
behaviors that improve job performance. From the many models for coach-
ing that we have seen used in organizations, we have regularly utilized and
have taught others the following six-step process. Its strengths are simplicity,
ease of use, and consistently positive results.

The Coaching Process
1. Establish climate. Mutually identify specific or discrete performance
objectives to meet, and define the performance to be discussed.
2. Attain the employee’s self-assessment. The employee should discuss his
or her performance with the manager including the following:
■ What have I done that I feel has contributed to the achievement of my
own, or department, performance goals and/or standards?
■ What, if anything, have I done that I could change or do differently to
achieve my performance goals and/or standards?
■ If I would change anything, how would I go about addressing my per-
formance goals and/or standards differently?
■ How can my manager best help me?
3. Provide feedback. Supplement, correct, or credit performance cited in
the employee’s self-assessment. Reach a mutual understanding of any
differences.
4. Confirm agreement of necessary performance changes. Explore
alternatives to support changes, and redefine or restate expected
performance levels.
5. Establish an action plan. With the employee, plan the developmental
activities to help him or her reach the objectives.