10 POINT CHECKLIST TO COACHING GUIDE

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10 Step Coaching Guide Whitepaper

1. Assess the person’s demonstrated talent or leadership ability

Success Profiles  categorizes demonstrated leadership ability as A, B, C, or D.

An A player is a leader who is successful at what they are doing, have been successful in the past, and very likely to be successful even if suddenly placed in a more demanding job.  They are skilled, dependable, consistent, energetic, and expansive.  By expansive, we mean they teach and inspire others to also be successful. By transferring their talents, they become a true force multiplier for your organization.

The B Leader is also successful but not as over-the-top as the A player.  They may take some grooming before being ready for the next step.  They may not be quite as consistent as the A leader, or as imaginative.  They may need a little more supervision, but there is nothing wrong with their ability or their dedication and they are likely to be successful in all but the most demanding situations.

The C Leader has significant issues in some areas of performance, but can, and often overcomes them, especially in easier situations.  With more direct supervision, they can be completely successful in smaller jobs, or have good moments even in difficult situations, although preferably that would not be a long term solution for the organization.

The D Leader is a leader who only shows glimpses of leadership ability, even with constant supervision.  They are usually only a successful leader when their leader is essentially doing his job for him by constantly feeding him ideas, alternatives, and guiding his performance on a short leash.  This leader can be successful in an easy job.  They are highly likely to fail in a difficult job and at all times are a significant source of concern for the senior leader.

2. Are there skill deficiencies?  Is it realistic for the person to master them in the time frame?

What business situation are you in?  Is there a timeframe where different results than what you are already producing need to be generated?  Can the leader continue at the same rate (likely)?  Can they change (less likely)?  Are they close to the desired performance?  Will the time/resources necessary to improve their performance be a good return on the investment?  Are there alternative employees ready to do the job?

3. Is there an experience or maturity deficiency?

How long has the leader been in the job? Are they still learning what is going on, or have they had time to figure out how things work, and what they are showing is what you should expect in the future?  Are they willing to learn the lessons of the environment of the organization and apply them, or are they unwilling to do what it takes to produce the outcome expected of them despite understanding the situation?

4.  Are there behavioral style deficiencies?

Is this a speaking job for a reading person?  Do they believe in clockwork precision in a consensus building environment?  Do they want to get buy-in from everyone in a life-or-death or extremely time-sensitive operation?  Can they talk to people face-to-face?  Does their preferred style match the environemnt?  Can they tailor their style to match the situation and environment?

5.  Is it their genuine discretionary effort, is it their attitude?

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink”.    Can they read and respond to the situation appropriately?  Do they listenn and adjust when given feedback?  Are they putting in the necessary time to succeed?

6.  Is it the complexity of the assignment/leadership role?

How long have they worked in the organization?  Is the pace or volume of work different than they are used to accomplishing?  Do they have experince with hte level of intensity they are in? Are they willing to learn?

7.  Do they lack resources? (people, money, tools, equipment)

Is there any evidence the job that is being asked of them has ever been satisfactorily done? With fewer resources? More? The same?  Why are they being asked to do something new? Is there a reason? How important is the reason? What new skills might it take to accomplish the changed performance that is now expected?

8.  Are the people appointed below them effective?  Are they tolerating poor performance or disruptive behavior?

How do other leaders or other employees see their people? Why? If it is not positive, what is the reason?  Is the leader avoiding a fierce conversation with the employee/s?  Does the leader support their actions with analysis and hard metrics, when appropriate?  Can they balance personal preferences and soft metrics with the organization’s needs and hard metrics?  Do they have experience with difficult employees?  Do they seek advice and use available resources to help them?

9.  Are the leaders above them effective at coaching them?

How long have they been leaders?  How do you view them as leaders?   Are you letting them stay in place and compromising performance for the rest of the organization?  How do they see this leader? As an investment for the organization or as a placeholder?  Is that right or is it fair?

10.  Finally, is the business model viable?

What are the hard metrics telling you?  What is your market share? Is anyone making money? How?  This is a good time to tell yourself the truth about the organization and its business before you reward/blame people.  How do you expect this organization to function in order to help you meet your goals? How confident are you that this leader should understand that? Why?