5 more ways to improve employee coaching skills

If you constantly work to improve your employee coaching skills you will have something great happen.you will have to coach less. Why? Well because when you do coach it will be more effective. So, how do you improve your employee coaching skills? The following are 5 great tips to use to improve your employee coaching skills:

1. Ask questions, get them thinking. You have to recognize that you are coaching your employees to help them improve performance. So, to do this you have to get them thinking. Coaching, in great measure, involves asking questions. You need to be careful about how you ask your questions though. The idea is not to embarrass the employee, or make them feel dumb for not seeing something that seems obvious, rather the reason behind asking questions is to help them learn a problem solving process. So, to improve your coaching skills, recognize what kind of questions to ask: Effective coaches ask open-ended questions such as: What does the data tell you? What are the key problems? What other solutions have you found? Sometimes it may seem a lot easier just to solve the problem yourself, or give someone a ready made solution, but the truth is, this is only a bandage for the problem, not a cure, so think long term.

2. Regular check-ups. Employee coaching should be much like seeing the doctor, you should go in for regular check-ups even if there is not a problem, and you should certainly coach when there is a problem. Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with coaching in today's business climate is that while most managers are held accountable for both task accomplishment and directing the work of others, most only get rewarded for technical output, rather than for coaching, motivating and developing employees. So, sometimes this gets ignored. Often a manager will see that things are going fine, and so they don't speak to employees for weeks (other than casual greetings etc.). Don't let this happen to you. Set up regularly scheduled meetings with the people reporting to you. Make sure you are aware of things before they become problems, and the only way to do this is get out there and talk to your employees regularly.

3. Get interested. Managers who take an interest in the careers of employees have highly motivated and productive teams. When someone cares about you, you are twice as likely to work hard to please them, as well as to show pride in yourself. Get to know your employees, know their goals, what they struggle with, and what their intentions are. You can help them meet their goals, learn new things, and push themselves. We have all heard the saying, "When I stop growing it's time to look for a new job." This is a serious problem. Training and educating employees is expensive, so you should work hard to retain the ones you have. The consequences of not addressing career issues can result in lower productivity and turnover. So, ask people about their aspirations, then give them the type of work that helps them follow their career plan.

4. Think of your coaches, learn from others. One of the best ways to improve your employee coaching skills is to think of a manager you had who really excelled in the coaching area. Then ask yourself: Why were they so effective? What did they do that could be applied in your organization? If you have not had coaches that were especially effective, look at any of your colleagues who are especially talented in this area. Talk to them about what they do, and how they do it, as well as how you could implement it.

5. Ask the employees. One of the best ways to improve your employees is to ask them what they like, and what is effective, as well as what you are doing that is not working. Consider designing a mini-survey for employees. Include three or four questions regarding: career plans, re-training that is needed and the type of assignments that are most attractive to them. After you collect and review each survey, take a few minutes to meet with each person. Ask what you can do to be helpful in meeting their professional goals. If this is the only thing you do to improve your coaching, chances are you will surpass most managers as a coach.