While the process of learning is clearly complex and dependent on many factors, in its most simplistic form, growth is a process that oscillates between reflection and action. If there is no reflection, any action taken will most likely be automatic. Similarly, if in the process of reflection, a person decides not to act differently, when something else is clearly required, then there will be no growth. “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.” Growth is dependent on a recognition that alternative actions are both needed and are possible for that individual to perform. The coach’s challenge may involve enabling the person being coached to reflect on why a different mind-set might be useful or to convince them they indeed have the capacity to behave in other ways.
The coaching cycle formalises this growth process. It commences with a diagnostic review of performance, which identifies the learning requirement. Through discussion, the leader actively encourages the coachee to reflect and decide what action or behaviour is required in future. This is the first step of a two-step process. A typical challenge here would be for the leader to guide individuals towards their own reflection and their own determination of future action, not to impose his own opinions, even when the coachee’s choice is not what he would do himself. Indeed, the coach must sometimes allow direct reports to make mistakes, although obviously not serious ones, in order that they can learn from them. However, there will be times when coachees make a success out of approaches their leaders would not necessarily find feasible. The direct report then goes back to the job and does his or her best to implement the required changes. The second step of the process takes place with the leader watching the game, monitoring how well the coachee is now performing. The challenge here would be for the leader to make the time required to observe what is now happening and whether agreed changes have been implemented. The cycle repeats itself when agreed action is reviewed, the coach engaging the coachee in reflecting on “What worked well”, “What didn’t work so well?” and “What now needs to be done differently?”. These three questions can usefully form the basis of every coaching review process.
This cycle is the inverse for the leader. While her direct report acts, she monitors and reflects. In the coaching session, while her direct report reflects, she acts, through the use of effective listening, feedback and questioning, to create a convincing argument as to how and why things could be done differently. Once again, the challenge would be, even if things have not gone so well, for the leader to avoid simply telling the direct report what to do.
In this article we are going to briefly address some of the coaching challenges through an idealized dialogue:
Coach: So, Sam, how are things going with your coaching? What is working well for you? What’s not going so well? What do you think you could be doing differently?
Sam: Some of my colleagues have noticed I have been out there watching the game much more than I used to, and have made positive comments. For myself, I often didn’t really know what some of my people were doing during their day and now I am more in touch with their contributions and what their challenges are. It has not only made our coaching sessions more useful, but also improved our general discussions. I have found they appreciate me being more in touch with the realities of their roles. But some of my colleagues have made fun of me and suggested that I am now even more of a micro-manager than I was before! So now I am not sure if I shouldn’t back off.
Coach: Given the positive sentiments you have just expressed, what are your thoughts?
Sam: I am thinking back to something you said, about being unable to coach people effectively unless you are aware of how they are playing the game. I think I am finding it a real challenge to identify where my people can grow. Either I am not really sure of what would be excellent performance or I think about what I would do and then I try to get them to do things my way. Mary, we work together, what do you think?
Mary: I think you have a good understanding of the difficulties we all face as leaders and coaches. As managers, far too many of us have spent much more time trying to please our bosses than being “where the takkie hits the tar” so to speak. It has been a huge challenge for me to drag myself away from doing things for our senior manager, even to the point of provoking some annoyance and criticism when I haven’t always attended all the meetings he expected me to or I have passed up on requests for information. But some of those meetings were really just a waste of my time and I could read the minutes if I needed to keep myself in the loop. And either he could get that information elsewhere or I cold delegate it to someone, which would offer them an opportunity to grow. I have also been finding it a challenge to become more involved with my team, but without continually telling them to do things differently. And like you, I have had to reflect deeply on what would actually constitute excellent performance and how standards could be improved. But I am getting better at it and you are too!
My only concern in terms of what I notice you doing, Sam, is that I have sometimes heard you complaining to people in front of others that they are not doing what was agreed in your coaching sessions or that you want them to do things your way, instead of discussing it in your coaching sessions with them.
Sam: I just got exactly that feedback from my team and from my manager! So it’s not that I need to do less monitoring, it’s how I do it that neds to change.
Coach: Any other feedback from your team?
Sam: Yes, my staff complained that I sometimes set up coaching sessions with them and then cancel if I have something else urgent to do. They said it makes them feel like they aren’t really that important. Mmm…on reflection, I have to do things a bit differently, don’t I? Getting this coaching right is quite a challenge!
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