Training by example means being aware of your own tone, body language, communication skills, and willingness to dedicate the time necessary for both you and your team to succeed. By distracting that inner voice, the body could take control. It turns out that often the body has a very clear idea of what to do when internal dialogues are suppressed. Gallwey used the example of asking people to focus on how high they hit the tennis ball.
This activity has no relevance in and of itself, but simply focusing on it distracted the inner voice and allowed the capable body to take control. The person relaxed and his tennis improved immediately. The training process must be goal-oriented, with clear objectives and action steps agreed upon by the coach and the employee. It doesn't matter if training is used in sports, life or business, the good coach believes that people always have the answer to their own problems.
The coach is not an expert in the field, but rather focuses on helping the individual develop their own potential. A manager who understands the importance of coaching can help support this new employee by, paradoxically, providing him with more feedback. However, coaching and feedback shouldn't seem punishing, but should instead be incorporated as a regular (and welcome) part of the work culture. A good coach can empower your employees to grow for the long term, help them develop new skills, and foster a trusting relationship between coach and employee.
More than just teaching skills, coaching helps people to better understand themselves and the way they work. Good coaches believe that the individual always has the answer to their own problems, but they understand that they may need help to find the answer. So, in practice, what does employee coaching look like and when is it used? Coaching is most effective when you can focus on specific behaviors and competencies that can be improved over time. Finally, coaching sessions should be regularly scheduled and structured in a way that allows for constant progress.
Once, I was training a person on my team who was having problems because I perceived that another colleague was not willing to accept his comments. That's where the coaching management team comes into play to model behaviors related to collaboration, risk mitigation, horizontal and vertical communication, creating alliances, and rapidly changing priorities. This approach to coaching is the basis of BetterUp's whole person model, which combines essential skills with psychological resources that allow people to adapt to change and maintain performance. Coaches need to identify the phase a person is in to use the appropriate language to help them move to the next phase.
When managers take on the role of coaching their teams, they get much more than just improved performance. Training managers as coaches and not as commanders can help bridge that gap between leaders and their teams.
