In this cast, we complete our discussion of the Revised Manager Tools Coaching Model.

  [Play in Popup]

This cast describes the Manager Tools Revised Coaching Model.

Coaching is the least often used tool among the Management Trinity.  There are some good reasons for it.  One on Ones are the most powerful, and once managers start O3s they never want to let them go.  Feedback happens next, but it's hard for many of us, and so we stumble.  Many of us are afraid of introducing conflict, and fear increased turnover (even though of course the opposite is the case.)  And if we can't get through feedback, it's unlikely we're going to embrace the coaching.  Feedback takes seconds, but coaching takes months, right?

But there's another reason, one that we address with this cast.  Despite the fact that the original model works well, it was too complicated for too many managers.  We know this because so few of us were using it.  That's a shame, because it's not that hard.  But, as we've said before, we're realists here at Manager Tools and Career Tools.  Horstman's 9th Law: Embrace Reality.  This cast simplifies the Manager Tools Coaching Model from seven steps to four, and makes this important concept much more accessible.

  [Play in Popup]

This cast concludes our discussion on how to coach one of our directs on how to run our staff meeting which we have delegated to them.

  [Play in Popup]

This cast describes how to coach one of our directs on how to run our staff meeting which we have delegated to them.

In a recent cast, we combined succession planning, meeting management, and delegation. We suggested that rather than seeing performance development, delegation, meeting management and succession planning as separate burdens we had, we recommended combining them all. Delegating responsibilities IS part of succession planning. Meeting management is a necessary managerial skill. Challenging our directs to do more IS performance development.

But what if we want to delegate our staff meeting to someone who has solid potential for growth, but who doesn't know how to manage? We delegate anyway, and we coach them on running meetings. Here's how.

  [Play in Popup]

On today's cast, we complete our discussion on coaching directs on interpersonal skills.

Of course, if you haven't listened to last week's cast, you may want to start there. ;-)

  [Play in Popup]

This cast tells you how to begin a process of coaching a direct on interpersonal skills.

Soft Skills!

How many times have you heard, "hired for technical skills, fired for (lack of) people skills"? It may be common wisdom (an oxymoron if there ever was one), but it's still true. The path to greater success in most organizations, big and small, is more quickly achieved by improving one's relationships and communication skills than it is by learning more technical knowledge.

This cast describes the role of Coaching in the Management Trinity, and makes a KEY recommendation regarding development of directs and performance management.

One of the greatest parts of being a manager is coaching your directs ... even if, we'd guess, you don't do it nearly often enough. But you know if you're one of our thousands of regular listeners that with the coaching model, we recommend you coach every member of your team ALWAYS. The reason we recommend this is that most managers think that coaching means TRAINING, which it doesn't. For the hundredth time: any manager, with the Manager Tools Coaching Model, can coach ALL of their directs at ALL times, for the most part DURING their weekly One on Ones.

Last week, in our detailed review of the Late Stage Coaching Model, we covered steps 1 and 2 (Feedback and Systemic Feedback) of the six steps. Today we review the last 4 steps.

As a reminder, the 6 steps of the Late Stage Coaching Model are:

1. Feedback - Key point here is one of FREQUENCY versus significance. Good adjusting feedback is relaxed, it's professional, it's simple, it's respectful. But it is also DELIVERED.
   

Last week, we covered at a high-level the Late Stage Coaching model, or the process you go through when having to fire someone. As we noted then, and we'll say again now, this process isn't really a "how to fire someone", but rather, how to develop someone. In most cases, if you follow this model, you NEVER get to the step where you have to fire someone. Now, isn't that an experience we'd all like to avoid?

This week, we review the model in a bit more detail, with some detailed examples to better illustrate the process.