CHAPTER TWO
As leaders, we
preach teamwork, but often excuse ourselves
from its practice—and even more often fail
to hold people in our organizations
accountable for demonstrating the behavior
associated with living this value
(Goldsmith, 1996). If everyone, including
senior executives, acknowledges this
challenge, why is it so difficult for
leaders to promote change among those whose
behavior they can most readily
influence—their direct reports?
One reason is that leaders, like most
people, want to be liked. Leaders are often
afraid that confronting people about poor
teamwork or other behavioral shortcomings
(as opposed to performance problems) will
cause them to be disliked. The paradox is,
leaders would be respected more, not less,
for delivering the bad news. Outside
consultants often provide behavioral
coaching to leaders, and leaders usually
appreciate the help. Surveys show that
people highly value honest feedback—whether
or not the feedback itself is positive.
The nature of the performance-review process
itself accounts for much of the problem.
Historically, when assessing others, most
managers were forced to play the role of
judge—and, potentially, executioner. The
consultant, by contrast, is usually seen as
an objective third party who is providing
analysis, suggestions, and feedback gathered
from multiple sources. A person receiving
bad news from a consultant is more likely to
separate the message from the messenger than
a person hearing the same news from the
manager. Fortunately,
leaders have at their disposal a valuable
aid already in place at many leading
companies—360° feedback. Carefully designed
processes that include 360° feedback can
allow a leader to practice consultative
behavioral coaching, as opposed to merely
exercising personal judgment. The results
can be profound—and not just for department
heads evaluating their front-line employees.
The executive coaching process can help any
manager whose work involves personal
interaction. In fact, senior management
teams at some of the world’s leading
companies—American Express, Avon, GE,
Netscape, Nortel, and Texaco—use 360°
feedback as part of an overall process to
help align corporate values and individual
behavior. Before You
Begin Although this
process can improve behavior, it will
definitely not solve all performance
problems. The behavioral coaching process
described in this chapter will focus only on
coaching for behavioral change, not on
strategic coaching, career coaching, or any
of the other types of coaching described in
this book. Before you start, ask yourself
whether any of the following conditions
prevail. If so, behavioral coaching may be a
waste of time.
-
The person you’re
coaching is not willing to make a
sincere effort to change. Behavioral
coaching will only work if the manager
you are coaching is willing to make the
needed commitment.
-
The person has been
written off by the company. Sometimes,
organizations are really just
documenting a case to get rid of
someone. If that’s the case, don’t
bother going through this process.
-
The person lacks the
intelligence or functional skills to do
the job. If a manager does not have the
capacity or experience required, don’t
expect behavioral coaching to help.
-
The organization has
the wrong mission. Behavioral coaching
is a “how to get there” process, not a
“where to go” process. If the
organization is headed in the wrong
direction, behavioral coaching will not
make it change course.
Getting Started
On the other hand, if
you’re dealing with people who have the will
and capacity to change their behavior, are
operating in an environment that gives them
a chance to change, and work for an
organization that is headed in the right
direction, this process will work; the
nature of the process itself assures its
success. The approach I recommend involves
eight steps:
-
Identify attributes
for the manager you are coaching. You
should not have to start from scratch. I
generally work with my clients to
develop custom leadership profiles, but
there are many useful inventories on the
market (from Accenture’s Global Leader
of the Future, Jim Kouzes and Barry
Posner, the Center for Creative
Leadership, and others) that can be a
big help. Once you’ve determined the
behavioral characteristics of a
successful manager in a given
position—such things as accessibility to
colleagues, recognition of others, and
listening—ask that manager if he or she
agrees that these are the right kinds of
behaviors. Securing agreement will boost
commitment to the process.
-
Determine who can
provide meaningful feedback. Key
stakeholders may include direct reports,
peers, customers, suppliers, or members
of the management team. Strive for a
balanced mix that does not stack the
deck for or against the manager, and
gain agreement that these are the
appropriate reviewers.
-
Collect feedback.
Assessment is often best handled in a
written, anonymous survey, compiled by
an outside party into a summary report
and given directly to the manager being
coached.
-
Analyze results. Talk
with the manager about the results of
his or her peers’ feedback. The manager
may choose not to disclose individual
stakeholders’ comments or numerical
scores. The point is simply to discuss
the manager’s key strengths and areas
for improvement.
-
Develop an action
plan. The most helpful—and
appreciated—outcome of any assessment is
specific advice. Developing
“alternatives to consider” (rather than
mandates) should not be difficult. If,
for example, you asked the manager to
suggest things you could do to be a
better listener, you would probably
receive a pretty good list, such as:
- Don’t interrupt people;
- Paraphrase what they say;
- Make eye contact;
- Pause five seconds before responding
to their remarks;
- Recognize that the problem isn’t
figuring out what to do; the problem is
doing it;
and
- Focus on one or two key behaviors and
develop a few action steps to improve
each.
-
Have the manager
respond to stakeholders. The manager
being reviewed should talk with each
member of the review team and collect
additional suggestions on how to
improve on the key areas targeted for
improvement.
-
Develop an ongoing
follow-up process. Within three or four
months conduct a two- to six-item
mini-survey with the original review
team. Respondents should be asked
whether the manager has become more or
less effective in the areas targeted for
improvement.
-
Review results and
start again. If the manager has taken
the process seriously, stakeholders
almost invariably report improvement.
Build on that success by repeating the
process quarterly for the next twelve to
eighteen months. This type of follow-up
will assure continued progress on
initial goals and uncover additional
areas for improvement. Stakeholders will
appreciate the follow-up—people don’t
mind filling out a focused, two-to
six-item mini-survey when they see
positive results. The manager will
benefit from ongoing, targeted feedback
to improve performance.
Moving Beyond the
Basics
You may want some
coaching yourself from a trusted colleague,
friend, or1 family member on how to approach
the task, but this is not a mysterious
process. It requires more discipline than
talent, more integrity and commitment than
behavioral science expertise. Simply by
sitting down with the manager and analyzing
perceptions of his or her colleagues, you
will be able to change your relationship
with that person. And the person will change
too. Managers who want to improve, talk to
people about ways to improve, solicit
feedback, and develop a rigorous follow-up
plan will almost always improve. (Certainly
they won’t get worse.) And when people
improve, their self-confidence goes up. They
keep doing what works, and they keep getting
better.
By becoming an effective
coach, you can become a more credible leader
and an active agent of change. You help
people develop an essential habit for
personal or organizational
success—follow-through. By delivering what
you promise—that is, measuring others on the
behaviors and attributes you say you
value—you cement the bonds of leadership
with your constituents. And by having others
follow through on their own progress toward
agreed-on goals, you can help create a more
responsive, positive, and cohesive
organization.
It may be difficult for
leaders to give and receive honest
feedback—and to make the time for genuine
dialogue. Behavioral coaching is simple, but
not easy. It is just one tool in a total
strategy of performance appraisal,
compensation, and promotion that can
reinforce positive behavioral change. But,
if you’re serious about your espoused
values, shouldn’t you ensure that the
managers in your organization demonstrate
the behaviors you promote?
Post your comments at
amin@aiminlines.co.th
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