Coaching For Success - By Alie Gaffan, CHT, Director Training & Development., Pacifica Hotel Company

Who Coached You?

Think about those people in your life that really helped shape who you are today. Who are the people who inspired you or possible pushed you a little harder because they knew you could do better?

Ask yourself: What made them a good coach? In what ways were you inspired, encouraged and challenged by them? What was the single most important lesson that you were taught?

Inspire Your Team

It's important to ensure from the very start that you share the same vision that your team does. That means you have to define your vision, and have your team be part of developing that vision. Define what success means for you and your team and identify ways to measure that success. And, keep your team in the loop of your progress in reaching success.

Develop SMART goals.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely

A Harvard survey followed 100 students for 30 years. The study found that the 3% of graduates who had specific goals were worth more than the other 97% combined.

Encourage Your Team

One activity I use in my seminars that you can use with your team members is to split a class into pairs, A's and B's. Have partners face each other. Partner A makes eye contact with Partner B for 2 minutes, telling B how they think B positively contributes to the team. Partner B is instructed to take the praise and not break eye contact until the time is called. After two minutes, the roles are switched so that both partners have an opportunity to hear some good feedback.

It's important to constantly give positive feedback to your team members. Take time to recognize great work. Help your team members fail forward. Give them real-time constructive feedback and maintain an open door policy. Ask yourself: What do you do to encourage your team?

Set Expectations & Ground Rules

It is important to set your expectations and ground rules. Provide clear and concise instructions. Check for understanding by asking questions and listen carefully to the answers.

Each team members 'buys in' for a different reason. You need to know each person's personality style, their likes and dislikes. Be patient and aware of your own attitude and how it might affect others. Be observant and provide on-the-spot coaching.

In a class situation, one way to observe how people on your team teach others is to have two volunteers come to the front of the class, one with lace-up shoes. The volunteer with no laces has to then 'teach' the other volunteer to tie their shoes as if they have never done it before. If the 'teacher' has trouble, they can request assistance from the rest of the group.

Challenge Your Team

Before you challenge a team member, make sure you double check to make sure you are challenging them correctly, i.e. check it out before you call it out. Address performance and behavioral issue carefully. And, make time for coaching moments when you are ready to challenge.

The best way to look at challenges and issues that arise is to look at them as hurdles to jump. Ask yourself what you can do as the coach to help team members clear those hurdles.

Your coaching moments should include the following steps:

--Describe the behavior clearly
--Wait for a response
--State your expectations
--Ask for a specific solution
--Agree together on the solution
--If possible, practice with the team member

Ask yourself what are your biggest coaching challenges. In my seminars with trainers, I have them identify their biggest challenges and then role-play that coaching moment with another trainer and ask for feedback.

Here are some questions to ask yourselves:

Do your team members feel free to ask you questions when they don't understand something?

Do each of your team members know exactly what is expected of them in their daily tasks to be successful?

Have you noticed great work in each of your team members in some way today?

Have you clearly communicated your vision of success to your team members positively without put-downs or criticism?

Have you jumped in too quickly to challenge someone before checking your attitude?

Do you set aside one-on-one time with your team members on a regular basis?

Have you been making time for coaching moments?

Have you created small wins for your team?

Tips for Great Coaching

--Lead by example
--Be consistent and thorough
--Start and finish your day off right
--Inspire, encourage, challenge
--Keep track of your coaching moments
--Occasionally conduct a quick reality check

We all have an incredible opportunity to really inspire and lead our team members to success. Are you up for the challenge? It may be one of the most important things you every do at work...maybe in life.

Here's some food for thought, a quote from Abe Lemons, one of the most successful head basketball coaches in Oklahoma history:

'One day of practice is like one day of clean living. It doesn't do you any good.'

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