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Leader as Coach: 4 Tips for Better Results
March 16, 2007
By Eric Patten and Kerry Patterson
A number of years ago, we were working with an engineering manager from a large manufacturing company who had suffered the pain on the receiving end of harsh and obscure leadership feedback—with his direct reports looking on. He was a brilliant engineer who was having a hard time adapting to his new management role and his HR manager thought a 360 "intervention" would cure all his ills.
It didn't, and things didn't get better. That's when we were brought in.
Over the years, we've observed a number of leadership coaching opportunities such as this one go awry. Those providing the coaching start off with the best of intentions, but then end up in painful situations—and poor results quickly follow. In this case, the HR manager had no idea that sitting the leader down and then reporting his feedback data to him in full view of his direct reports would cause such pain and embarrassment for everyone.
In contrast, when the feedback comes in the form of legitimate coaching—tactfully providing specific advice that is clear and actionable—people value the counsel, act on it, and improve their abilities. Well-coached people can become re-energized, relationships can be improved, and in-fighting can change to cooperation. The question is: how do you turn poor coaching into great coaching? Here are four strategies that we've learned over the years.
Contract to Coach. Begin by defining and clarifying the coaching relationship up front. Consider the following questions: Is there a specific purpose or topic to the coaching? What kind of relationship are you going to establish? Is this a one-way relationship, where a senior leader coaches a junior leader, or is this a two-way coaching relationship where peers can speak openly and honestly about any topic?
Contract to Observe. As part of the coaching contract, you also need to create chances to watch the other person in action. Otherwise you end up acting like a basketball coach who can see only the scoreboard. In the halftime discussion, she is limited to making banal comments such as, "You're going to have to find a way to score more points." Right. That part they get. What the team needs is behavioral advice—how do they need to act? What behaviors do they need to put into play?
Similarly, leaders who look at profitability numbers or quality figures and then walk up to their direct reports and tell them that they need to hit better numbers aren't helping either. Instead of offering specific advice on what to do, they’re pointing out what people need to achieve—serving as little more than a painful reminder of the blindingly obvious. This often happens because leaders see printouts more often than they see people in action.
Observation opportunities can include sitting in on team meetings, watching problem-solving interactions closely, and taking special care to observe how the person treats or works with you under times of stress.
As part of this contract, make sure you identify when and how you are going to provide the coaching. Immediate feedback, after observing the person perform in a meeting for example, can be very helpful. It's also good to set up regular bi-monthly, monthly, or quarterly formal coaching sessions.
Share Behaviors. Have you ever had someone give you feedback like, "You need to take more initiative," or "Your team won’t follow you because you’re too domineering"? Three-sixty surveys are notorious for providing this kind of vague, conclusion-based feedback. They measure leadership competencies like "innovative ability" or "results orientation," but are so far removed from anything actionable that they are not the least bit helpful. What does it mean to be "results focused" or "innovative"? How are you being "domineering"?
A coach's job is to give feedback on the specific behaviors that are stopping this person from getting ahead and getting results.
To get to behaviors, you often have to translate conclusions into actions. You have to take traditional 360 feedback or common complaints and ask, "How is this person domineering? What does it look like when he or she is being domineering?" A behavior is something like, "During that meeting, when Suzie tried to speak, you spoke over her and everyone went quiet until you were done." That’s the observation component.
Make It Safe. In the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, we talk about how you can make it safe for others to hear what you have to say. If the counsel you're offering is sensitive or awkward, you might feel compelled to water down the message—either leaving out the hard-hitting part or suggesting that it’s no big deal. This doesn’t help and it's not necessary if you establish the right climate.
As long as others believe that you're sharing feedback because you want to help them, then it’s safe to express your honest observations. That is, when people believe in your intent, you can talk about almost any content. So when it looks like the other person is feeling unsafe (he or she's becoming defensive or silently watchful), step out of the content of what you're saying and make it safe for the other person by clarifying your intent. Others need to know that you care about what they care about, that you respect them as people, and that you have their best interests at heart. And, when you do this, you need to be utterly sincere.
Also, the way we present feedback can make it feel unsafe. For instance, when you lead with conclusions, a person is more likely to get their hackles up and react negatively. Start by sharing your behavioral observations. Help them understand how others could have drawn negative conclusions by observing these same behaviors. Close by asking whether your observations seem accurate: "I think these could be the behaviors that caused your low innovation score. Am I off base here? What do you think?" Make it clear that you are open to other interpretations. Finally, encourage others to test the validity of the information you share throughout the conversation, "Do you see it differently?" This will help them feel safe and able to speak openly and honestly about highly sensitive subjects.
Eric Patten is a senior consultant for VitalSmarts. At VitalSmarts, he is developing a series of products to enhance Crucial Conversations Training, a powerful tool for improving organizational effectiveness, building teams, and enriching relationships. Kerry Patterson coauthored the New York Times bestsellers Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations, and he is an acclaimed keynote speaker and consultant. He is also the cofounder of VitalSmarts and is a member of the board of directors.
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