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Copyright 1996 AXIS Performance Advisors, Inc.

Four Ways to Coach Employees

Have you ever had this happen to you? An employee comes into your office with a question, which you answer. Somehow you sense that the employee leaves a little deflated. Or you delegate a task to an employee who you assume can do the task, only to discover later that the employee was floundering. What went wrong? In both cases, you missed opportunities to coach your employees.

Most managers know they should coach their employees. Few actually know how to do so effectively. Instead their day is a string of fires to fight and interruptions from employees.

Sizing Up the Situation

Coaching is a subtle art. It's difficult to do because what you do depends on the situation. If done wrong, coaching can be disempowering and demotivating. So it's important to learn how to do it correctly. Whenever you need to coach an employee or team, you should ask yourself two questions:

• Do they know how to do the task (competence)?
• Do they have the power to do the task (authority)?

The matrix below shows the four possible scenarios as well as the actions for each:

Low Authority/High Competence Barrier busting: Advocate for the team's position	High Authority/High Competence Questioning: Ask questions to get the team to use their available knowledge and resources
Low Authority/Low Competence Involvement: Ask for input at relevant steps in the process	High Authority/Low Competence Training: Actively show the team how to do the task

Putting the Model to Work

Let's say you're observing a hiring committee discussing how to conduct an interview. You'd assume that they have the authority to do the task and wouldn't have been given the task if they didn't know how to do it. That places us in the upper right corner of the matrix (high competence/high authority).

As you observe their meeting, they are struggling with what questions to ask in the interviews. If you give them some specific suggestions, you're likely to take the wind out of their sails­like the deflated employee at the beginning of this article. Instead, you should ask them a question which might get them back on track. You might ask, "Would it help to design questions around each of your selection criteria?" or "What specifically are you looking for in a candidate?"

Questioning Tip: If your first few questions don't generate an appropriate response, make a suggestion but follow it up immediately with a question (e.g., "When I am trying to write selection criteria, I usually start with the job description. Do you think that might help focus your discussion?"

Through your questioning, you discover they do not know how to establish selection criteria. This drops them down to the lower right corner since they still have the authority but lack competence. Obviously, a good coach would step in to educate and train them.

Training Tip: Do more than just explain. Help them do the task the first time or two. Then let them try it on their own but review the end product before it goes out. Hand it off in little pieces to make sure they'll be successful.

Now imagine that while you are helping them develop criteria for the job, it becomes increasingly apparent that they are describing a new position. You think it's a great idea, but the team does not have the authority to create a new job. Human resources and others (perhaps a union) need to be involved. This places them in the upper left corner (high competence/low authority). They are competent (in that they know what they need in a candidate) but do not have the final say. At this point, an effective coach becomes a barrier buster, helping the team sell the idea to other stakeholders.

Barrier Busting Tip: Don't take the idea away from the employees. Take them with you to propose the idea. Then they will get direct feedback, pro or con.

Finally, you have gotten approval for a new position. It needs to have a compensation study done to place it in your pay grades. Normally that's done by someone in human resources, so the team is probably in the lower left corner, with little competence in doing salary studies and also low authority. What does a coach do now? Involve them in as much of the process as possible. First, explain how a compensation study is done. Then identify where the committee might be able to participate. For example, they could certainly help write the job description. They may also be able to suggest where to go to find similar positions.

Involving Tip: Take time to analyze where employees could participate in the process and challenge your assumptions. Often there are many more opportunities than it appears at first. Involving employees helps to educate them; it also ensures their understanding and support of the final decision.

This case study shows how the coach must rapidly adapt to the changing needs of employees. The committee was apparently given more authority than it was ready to handle, so the manager had to step in. Ideally, you'd work the matrix in the opposite direction, first involving them in the hiring process, providing training, and finally turning over authority for the task.

The successful coach constantly calibrates where employees are in the matrix, providing more or less directive support as appropriate. Coaching should always leave the employees in a more resourceful state­with higher self-esteem, confidence, and competence.

What's the pay-back for the manager? Fewer hassles. Over time, these more resourceful employees will solve their own problems and bring the manager recommendations instead of questions. So if you want a little more sanity in your life, become a better coach.