DELIVERING A COMPELLING  COACHING CONVERSATION

Setting the stage for a coaching conversation

Public speaking is difficult.  Many people envision an audience filled with listeners who may object to the message.  Now imagine a focused conversation with a single person who you know you will see every day after and who you know will hate the message, because the message is they have to change.

There may be a wide perception gap between the leader and the employee about the need to change or a significant misinterpretation about the feedback itself, or there may just not be a true motivation to make a change.  The compelling coaching conversation must overcome these obstacles.

4 major elements of a coaching conversation

1. Diagnose performance
2. Prescribe solution
3. Deliver Feedback

1. The science of providing feedback (getting the prescription right)
2. The art of providing feedback (getting the listener to hear the intended message, take ownership of the message, and change their performance

EMBRACE THE FIERCE CONVERSATION

1.  Reflect to when someone you respected had a tough conversation with you.  What if they had never had that conversation with you?  What if you had never made the compelling change (that resulted in your success)?  Tolerating low-performing people does them a disservice.

Framing the conversation with the ABC and DEF frame of reference

Art and Science of the compelling coaching conversation

1. Frame the conversation – trapped soldiers fight to the death.
   1. Design the conversation to develop self-awareness
   2. Set the stage for self-regulation

Example: Give the listener an example of something they do well (A, B, and C), contrast it with an area of performance that doesn’t meet expectations (D, E, and F).  Get consensus that the results of the better performance are advantageous to both parties and that their improved performance would result in improved outcomes for them, you and your customers.  Outline a plan of action to accomplish.  Identify weak points in the employee’s abilities, workplace, organization that may keep the employee from taking every single one of the identified steps.  Build a plan to properly address all of them, build an action plan for when to accomplish them, who is responsible, when they should occur.  Make sure the resources and consensus are there to accomplish them.  Document the agreement and follow up at regular intervals.

1.  Show that you care.  Be more concerned with what the listener hears than with what you have to say.
   1. Schedule a follow-up.  Get the listener to verbalize the message in their own words if the message is complex or especially disagreeable.  Agree on what it means.
   2. Find the balance between instigating action and making the listener defensive.

Recognize, accept and empathize with the 5 stages of grief

1. The 5 stages of grief people experience after receiving difficult feedback
   1. Denial
   2. Anger
   3. Depression
   4. Bargaining
   5. Acceptance
   6. Understand the challenges
      1. The message: properly framed
      2. The timing: consider receptivity and convenience
      3. Degree of coachability

 

The 10 elements that determine a person’s level of coachability

1. Do they respect you
2. Have they bought into the quantitative assessment of their performance and agree the the feedback
3. Do they agree with the qualitative assessment regarding the upside benefits of improving and the downside consequences of not improving
4. Are they willing to prioritize the improvement initiatives at the top of their to-do list
5. Are they willing to devote significant time every day to improvement initiatives
6. Are they willing to creat a written plan with a specific timeline and hard target milestones
7. Are they willing to consistently measure their performance
8. Are they willing to meet often with their coach for feedback and progress checks
9. Are they willing to go public with their challenges and progress?
10. Are they willing to seek additional feedback and/or coaching from others  regarding your initiatives?

 

Use The Talent Management “Eye Chart” report to show measured results of their demonstrated performance as seen by others all around them.

The question sequence for the Talent Management “Eye Chart”

• What is the Degree of Difficulty of the role?
• What is the demonstrated leadership ability (talent –A B C D)
• What is the leader’s percentile ranking
• What is the leader’s qualifier score
• What are the challenging obstacles and barriers experience in the department /role?
• What is the leader’s relative odds of success
• What is the leadership alignment(Under, overleveraged, or just right)
• What is the overall performance level?

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Validate with hard metrics that are vital to the organization and used to measure success

• Identify and quantify the measures which define success or failure for your business.  Consider weighting.

Measure performance

• Excelling/Succeeding/Struggling/Failing

Directionally correct coaching zones (overleveraged and underleveraged leaders)

• Proper alignment Zone (3:1 likely to succeed)
• Misalignment Zone I (50/50)
• Misalignment Zone II (3:1 likely to fail)

If a leader is out of alignment, especially if overleveraged and struggling or failing, use the Leadership Development Template  to develop the appropriate coaching plan and intervention.

 

The 5 levels of Coaching Intervention

Level I :  Consider coaching for leadership effectiveness style or professional development for skilss

Level II:   consider obstacle or barrier removal with challenges within or outside the manager’s control

Level III: consider a less complex assignment, department or reduced span of control

Level  IV:  Consider a lower/reduced position of responsibility (consider moving out of a management position).

Ask following questions:

How long has the person been in the role?

• Were they genuinely ready for the assignment? What is their percentile ranking?
• Are there any leadership attributes that are taking away from their effectiveness?
• If recently appointed, was the assignment a “turnaround”?
• If yes, provide more time and resources needed to overcome the challenges
• If in the role for a “tenured” period of time (2+ years), consider if the person will be successful in turning around the performance in a “reasonable” period of time.

Level V:  If there is no longer a role for the person, consider moving out of the organization entirely as a last resort.  It could be that there is no longer work for them at this time or it could be that they are not a fit with the culture of the organization.

            Intervention at Levels I-IV should be successful if the person is a good fit for the organization and is qualified for the role.  Consider the impact to a person’s ego and its effect on the organization before removing or demoting employees.

 Finally, at the end of the diagnosis, ask the final qualifying question:

Based on this leader’s demonstrated ability level (talent and experience) and based on the results they are achieving, would you hire or appoint this person for the role again?  If yes, help them be successful.  If no, intervene with a decision to remove them from the position.  Knowingly leaving an overleveraged person in a role where they are failing and expecting a turnaround in performance is negligent leadership.

  The simplified  coaching plan guide; a 10 Point checklist

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

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

3.      Is there an experience or maturity deficiency?

4.      Are there behavioral style deficiencies?

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

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

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

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

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

10.  Finally, is the business model  viable?

The most important part of being an effective coach is the ART and Science of providing the feedback to bring out the best performance in others.