They say you can't teach old dogs new tricks. However, each of us-no matter what our age-has the capacity to learn a few new things to improve our business and personal performance. The way to go about teaching your employees new things is through coaching. Think about it. How do you retain employees, accomplish more work with less staff, and address performance issues? Coaching. This powerful tool will enable you to teach employees new ideas, concepts and skills.

The Leadership Challenge

Today workers are pushed to produce more in less time and research shows that they are less satisfied with their jobs versus a decade ago. So just what is causing this dissatisfaction? According to a survey released by the Conference Board, a New York-based research group, job satisfaction has declined among all types of workers, but the drop varies by age and income. The biggest decline in on-the-job happiness was among workers earning $25,000 to $35,000 and among workers between the ages of 35 to 44. The workers most satisfied with their jobs are those at least 65 years old, the survey found.

"The long-term drop in job satisfaction has been driven by rapid changes in technology, employers' push for productivity and shifting expectations among workers, said Lynn Franco," director of the Conference Board's Consumer Research Center. Franco went on to say, "As large numbers of baby boomers prepare to leave the work force, they will be increasingly replaced by younger workers, who tend to be as dissatisfied with their jobs, but have different attitudes and expectations about the role of work in their lives. This transition will present a new challenge for employers."

And, challenging it is when you consider that today's leaders also have less time and more issues to deal with themselves. So how do employers go about keeping and building better managers and leaders? With the biggest dissatisfaction being because of their boss' push for higher productivity employees need interactive participation and collaboration which can be gained from coaching. The problem for many bosses' is their time constraints and lack of understanding about how to motivate a younger workforce. That is why many companies are turning to outside coaches.

How does coaching work?

Professional coaching of employees involves active and collaborative participation by both the coach and the employee to achieve results through learning. Below are ten keys to good coaching:

1. Establish expectations that motivate. One of the primary responsibilities of managers is communicating the organization's vision, mission and goals to employees. When this foundation is not clearly in place, productivity decreases and organizational tension is elevated. Clear and consistent communication results in employees who feel connected to a purpose larger than themselves. Once these basic communication steps are in place then coaching becomes much easier for managers and employees alike.

2. One size does not fit all. Employees learn in very different ways. Some learn best through hands-on practice, some learn through reading technical manuals or self-study and others learn by solving problems with a group of colleagues. Level of experience also should be considered when you coach employees. Less experienced people are naturally going to need more attention than their senior colleagues. Coaching must be tailored to each individual with specific learning styles and backgrounds in mind. Whenever you have an opportunity to coach take a minute to adjust your message to fit the individual.

3. Coach with compassion. When faced with a situation where you feel compelled to give constructive feedback, consider the following: Does the situation really warrant giving feedback or is the behavior only a mild irritant? Is your attitude punishment or problem solving oriented? Answering these questions can move you towards positive coaching. How the coaching is delivered is as important as the actual content.

4. Retain valuable employees through coaching. Surveys repeatedly show that employees remain with organizations when: a) work is interesting and challenging, b) people are well informed about organizational goals, c) recognition is given for good performance and, d) opportunities exist for professional development. By employing effective coaching skills managers can ensure that all of these factors are present in the work environment. Managerial skills such as listening, observing, giving constructive feedback, providing recognition and teaching new skills are an integral part of organizations with low turnover. Effective coaching embodies these skills and reduces the revolving door phenomenon.

5. Watch out for quick solutions. Does this sound familiar? You are very busy. You don't have time to be educating inexperienced people. When they ask questions, you give a quick answer and send them on their way. Certainly this is reality for many managers in today's world. Granted, there are times when all people need is a quick answer, however there are other times when more effort is required. If you use the expedient approach for all situations you may cut yourself off from valuable information and create problems that will haunt you in the future. Keep in mind that providing support and encouragement may not take a lot of time. In cases where more time is needed consider it an investment in improved productivity.

6. Learn the main coaching skill. There are many skills involved in coaching; however, exploring options to problems is the main coaching skill. Exploring options to problems prevents you from giving quick and sometimes faulty solutions to problems. It helps you teach critical thinking, consequences of actions, creativity and cost benefit analysis.

7. Ask questions. Coaching involves asking questions. The intention is not to embarrass employees but to help them learn a problem solving process. Effective coaches ask open-ended questions such as: What does the data tell you? What are the key symptoms? What alternative solutions have you identified? Asking questions, as well as pointing out other resources, is an integral part of coaching. This approach may be more challenging than providing a ready-made solution but it results in autonomous and effective employees.

8. Don't give feedback in a vacuum. In today's business climate most managers are held accountable for both task accomplishment and directing the work of others. Managers frequently get rewarded for technical output more than for coaching, motivating and developing employees. Sometimes they don't speak to employees for weeks. To avoid this, set up regularly scheduled meetings with the people reporting to you. Get out and about the organization and develop an informal network. These steps will help you to be well informed coach and manager.

9. Focus on career development. Managers who take an interest in the careers of employees have highly motivated and productive teams. The studies in professional journals indicate that professional growth, especially for technical professionals, is of critical importance. But, again and again we hear, "When I stop growing it's time to look for a new job." The consequences of not addressing career issues can result in lower productivity and turnover. Ask people about their aspirations. Whenever possible, assign them work that fits with their career plan. The results will far outweigh the effort expended.

10. Grow your coaching skills. Most managers intellectually accept the value of coaching. How to coach is another matter. Reflect on the managers you worked for who were good at this important skill. What did they do that could be applied in your organization? Observe colleagues who are especially talented in this area. Consider designing a mini-survey for employees. Include three or four questions regarding: career plans, skills needed and the type of assignments that are most attractive. Have each of your direct reports complete this survey and then meet with each person. Ask what you can do to be helpful in meeting their professional goals. If you do only this, you will surpass most managers as a coach.

It is rare to find a manager in career trouble due to a lack of skill sets. However, many a managerial career has been derailed by poor attention to the human side of the job. Take time to coach, it will improve the productivity of your team and enhance your career. And, remember there are two important factors necessary for the coaching process to work: a) the manager must have the time to give to the employee and, b) the manager must know how to coach not coerce the employee.

For busy managers who are in need or who have employees in need of specific and ongoing attention, LLH Enterprises has been coaching employees in many situations for over 15 years. Consider the following quote from a satisfied client.

"One of Linda's talents is bringing people together to work as a team. She knows that at-risk managers can become productive top managers and has shown us how this can be done."

Stan Shockley
Regional Manager
Houston, Texas

Call Linda today to help you bring your people together as a stronger team (416-239-6103 or 972-239-6020).

Accounting for Change

Many companies fall into the problem of trying to run several change initiatives alongside their day-to-day business. For example, if you were trying to implement a new vision, along with several more projects that impact the vision, employees may be having a difficult time trying to understand the big picture and what they are supposed to do…since many are involved in running the business and serving on one or more project teams.

Sometimes a visual presentation can help. In this type of situation, try developing a second organizational chart and filling in the names of those accountable for results…because they are involved in running the business and changing the business. The best way to convey what is expected of an employee is to explain that he is expected to spend X% of his time running the business and X% in changing the business, which likely adds up to more than 100% of his time. This is where coaching can strengthen planning, delegating, and efficient use of time spent on projects.

People are the most important asset in any organization, and the key to utilizing this asset to its fullest potential lie first in understanding that potential. Our goal at LLH Enterprises is to give you the tools you need to expand your understanding of each individual. It's my hope that this information will be used to manage your people as diligently as other facets of organizations have been. Organizations that do this will be far ahead of the competition in the race to find, develop and retain the very best people possible…they will be better suited to win the war for talent.

Note: For a limited time LLH Enterprises is offering a FREE assessment package (one package per company) to show you how our assessment tools can provide accurate insight into a person's strengths and natural competencies to help you coach. The result is a three report package which quantitatively measures a person's ability in over 80 business-related Talent Imperatives (key attributes vital to success in a business environment).

These instruments are tools, and should be used to provide information which will aid you in making decisions regarding such issues as: hiring, promoting, leading, conflict resolution, training and development. Email me at lhanson@llhenterprises.com to get set up today to take this powerful FREE assessment package.

Trendspotting

Here Come the Women. According to Howard J. Fullerton Jr. and Mitra Toosi's book, "Labor Force Projections to 2010: Steady Growth and Changing Composition," the number of women in the U.S. labor force will have increased by almost 10 million, a growth rate almost one-third higher than that for men, by the year 2010. This means that even the traditionally male dominated industries like construction will be seeing more women in all areas of the company.

Tapping the Generation C Market. Just when you thought you'd heard the last of quirky names for demographic groups -- like Generation X, Generation Y, and Echo Boomers -- along comes Generation C. But Generation C is a little different. It has nothing to do with when you were born. Instead, it's defined by an activity: the people of Generation C are content generators.

At least that's the take of Trendwatching.com, a monthly publication that scans the globe for the latest and hottest trends. It coined the phrase Generation C in early 2004 and has been following the phenomenon ever since.

The people of Gen C are consumers who produce and share content. They mix their own music, edit their own videos, post their photography to the Internet, or publish a blog or a book. They are a big group, and one that's constantly growing. More than 53 million adults in the US have created online content, according to a recent report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Although Trendwatching.com doesn't specifically say so, it appears the difference between Gen C and information producers is the profit motive: Gen C is more interested in expressing themselves, getting their 15 minutes of fame, or sharing with friends or family than really making a buck. They post poetry to their web site for the fun of it, or put together a slideshow of photos to email to family members.

So what does the Gen C trend mean for companies? Technology companies are already tapping into this huge market. Fido offers mobile phones that can capture video. Apple includes free audio and video editing software on all their new computers.

What can companies do to cater to, or capitalize on, Generation C? When C people have to jump into activities they may not have a lot of experience with they'll need help. Innovative companies will find ways to provide direction, through coaching or by way of how-to guides for novices. Perhaps company websites will enable Gen C's to pick and choose what's right for them. This is another way of looking at behavior in the workplace and how to tap into it.

Superior Performers 

Raising the Bar versus Losing Altitude
Southwest Airlines has managed to make healthy profits through the worst slump in airline history by keeping it expenses low and employees and customers happy. Look at the following numbers, on Southwest Airlines, released in the January, 2005 issue of The Week magazine:

• 80% of the this year's fuel was locked in at below market prices last year.
  
• Only one airplane model is used in order to cut training and maintenance costs.
  
• Only 75 employees are required per aircraft versus the rest of the industry who uses more than 100.
  
• Pioneering labor-saving innovations, such as airport kiosks keep costs down.
  
• While Southwest has no traditional pensions it shares profits with its workers-providing them with an incentive to make customers happy.
  
• Southwest employees are paid generous salaries and the company puts money in each employee's retirement account.

Southwest carries more passengers than any other airline in the U.S. Following on its heels are JetBlue and Alaska Airlines which are also making profits. Why is it that the faltering big six U.S. airlines and Canada's Air Canada don't understand that while they are stripping meals, abandoning their least lucrative routes, getting pilots and attendants to accept pay cuts and work longer hours their performance continues to suffer. When you compare what the big airlines are doing with what the smaller airlines like Southwest are doing you can see that the smaller airlines are focused on performance. Their formula is attracting loyal customers with efficient service and low fares while keeping their costs low. No wonder they are profitable and stable-they keep raising the bar.

Linda Addresses HRPAO Conference

The Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario (HRPAO) hired Linda this past February to address its annual conference in Toronto. Linda delivered a well-received presentation entitled, "Earning Your Seat at the Table: HR's Contribution to the Business," in which she provided strategies and action plans to help managers become a more integral part of the senior management team, thus advancing their careers. Below are a few of the attendees' comments:

"Your session was fabulous and very relevant to me."

D. Maria Collins, CHRP
Director, Human Resources
InterTAN Canada Ltd.

"You were a very good presenter -- and very motivating!!"
Simone MacIsaac
Human Resources Manager
Hawthorn School for Girls

"Your presentation was excellent."
Kalli Papa
Human Resources Consultant Staffing
Etobicoke Civic Centre

To book Linda for your next conference or management meeting or to order a copy of Linda's book "Earning Your Seat at the Table," contact Linda at lhanson@llhenterprises.com.

Linda in Print  

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