Page 207 - The extraordinary leader

184 • The Extraordinary Leader

positive appraisal at that time, but if it were to happen right now I could not
do that. Let me explain why, and let’s figure out a way to fix it before then.”
She would explain her concerns about this person’s performance and proceed
with a joint problem-solving discussion of how to fix the issue.
Feedback on performance issues needs to be timely and in close approxi-
mation to when the problem behavior occurred. Good athletic coaches pro-
vide ample feedback. They stand on the sidelines and yell, give halftime talks,
or call time-outs and give people clear, specific feedback.

Interpersonal Skills—Another Pole That Raises the Tent

What Could Be More Powerful Than a Good Speech? When think-
ing about how a person communicates powerfully, most people concentrate
on how a message is delivered. It was interesting to learn that one of the
strongest competency companions for communicating powerfully is involving
others. In other words, those who were viewed as powerful communicators
asked people for their input, encouraged alternative approaches and new ideas
from others, and made sure that others were in agreement. Leaders rated low
in their ability to communicate tended to concentrate only on getting their
message delivered. They gave their speech from their prepared presentation
but failed to ask for input from the audience on whether they agreed and how
they viewed the issue.
What Is the Key to Getting Managers to Develop Their Direct
Reports? In a recent conference of employee development experts from sev-
eral different companies, we asked the question, “What is the key to getting
managers to develop their direct reports?” Some of the recommended actions
were:

● Teach managers how to coach others.
● Do behavioral modeling skills training on how to have a
developmental discussion.
● Publish clear development pathways.
● Make the performance appraisal and improvement process more
developmental and less judgmental.
● Provide people with a model to help them understand how career
development works.
● Reward managers for employee development.