10 Guidelines for Coaching

When you need to act as a coach to your employees, keep in mind that coaching requires some variation from managing. A manager puts out fires, attends meetings, writes policies and budgets, sets goals, analyzes statistics, hires and fires, schedules and basically acts out of positional authority. A coach, on the other hand, provides guidance, motivates, listens, reinforces, empowers, nurtures, trains, reports and in general, develops employees. Here are 10 guidelines to help you become an effective coach:

1. Coach as soon as possible once a need for coaching has been identified.
2. Coach an employee privately if at all possible.
3. Announce your intentions.
4. Relate your feelings about the employee's behavior using "I" messages versus "you" messages.
5. Focus on only one or two aspects of the employee's performance.
6. Focus on specific job-related behaviors.
7. Explain how the job, customer and company are affected by behavior.
8. State specifically what to do differently and set a date to discuss the results of changed behavior.
9. Give the employee time to absorb the message and ask questions.
10. Thank the employee and make sure they know they are valued.

-- From: "Motivation and Recognition of Consumer Affairs Employees," which can be purchased through the SOCAP International Resource Center Bookstore.

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