Gallup research suggests that employees have changed. People are looking to move away from traditional management and towards performance development. [1]
As you can see in the table below, in the past, people were more focused on a paycheck, but now they are looking for purpose. Employees in the past were more just looking to be satisfied with their progress, but now are seeking development. In the past, they referred to their manager as “My Boss” and now would prefer to say “My Coach”.
| The Past | Our Future |
| My Paycheck | My Purpose |
| My Satisfaction | My Development |
| My Boss | My Coach |
| My Annual Review | My Ongoing Conversations |
| My Weaknesses | My Strengths |
| My Job | My Life |
Source: Jim Clifton and Jim Harter, It’s the Manager, Moving From Boss to Coach (Gallup Press, 2019).
How does managing as a Coach differ from being a Boss? Gallup research indicates that the annual review is better if replaced with more ongoing conversations that focus on a person’s strengths and if the Coach is aware of the whole person and that the job is just one part of their life.
So, if employees no longer want a Boss but they want someone who will coach them to develop and improve their performance, how do managers or team leaders adapt?
For some managers, coaching might come naturally. If not, at PeerSpectives Consulting, we have developed a virtual program to build coaching skills. Louann McCurdy, my co-founder of PeerSpectives, is a coach with International Coach Federation credentials and has a deep background in using coaching best practices. As we are both Gallup-Certified Strengths Coaches, we built our Strengths-Based Coach Approach program based on three “coach approach” principles.[2]
Our PeerSpectives Coach Approach Program teaches how to use effective coaching skills to have ongoing, frequent conversations that are focused on three core principles: Establish Expectations, Continually Coaching, and Create Accountability.
Source: Ben Wigert, PH.D, and Jim Harter, PH.D, Re-engineering Performance Management, page 15
Establish expectations
According to the Re-engineering Performance Management report from Gallup, a key requirement for developing employees is to ensure they are clear about the work they need to do. Therefore, one of the key conversations managers should have is one that provides clarification of current goals and, I would add, involves the employee in establishing the expectations. Gallup research states that, “while just 30% of employees strongly agree that their manager involves setting goals at work, those that do strongly agree with this statement are 3.6 times more likely than other employees to be engaged.” [3]
Continually coaching
The concept of replacing the annual review with more ongoing conversations, or Continually Coaching an employee, has also been found to improve engagement. In fact, the research conducted by Gallup states that “employees who strongly agree they have had conversations with their Manager in the past six months about their goals and successes are 2.8 times more likely to be engaged.” [4]
Create accountability
Establishing expectations and continually coaching are key, but will only get the employee so far. Creating accountability includes recognizing when employees are doing things well and also correcting and reframing missteps to improve performance. Gallup research suggests that “employees who strongly agree that their manager holds them accountable for their performance are 2.5 times more likely to be engaged.”[5]
The three principles of performance development, Establish Expectations, Continually Coach, and Create Accountability, are built into the PeerSpectives Coach Approach Program. Our virtual program runs over 5 sessions and introduces participants to coaching skills and 5 key Coaching Conversations. Each session allows time to practice the skills and is centered around one of the conversation topics. The practice sessions are completed in triads, with each person taking a turn at being the Coach, the Coachee, and the Observer.
The 4 Coaching Skills introduced are:
- Asking closed-ended and open-ended questions
- Applying deep listening techniques and reflecting back
- Speaking with direct, honest communication
- Empowering others to find their internal sources of power
The 5 Coaching Conversation Topics introduced are:
- Providing clarification of current goals
- Developing and assigning new projects
- Growth and development of a team member
- Redirection and reframing of missteps
- Recognizing and appreciating team members
In this series of articles, I will share with you details about the coaching skills developed and the conversation topics covered in our Coach Approach Program.
For the first session of the program, we review the Coach Approach model and then introduce the conversation topic of “Providing Clarification of Current Goals” under the pillar of Establish Expectations.
In this first session, the coaching skill to bring to this conversation is asking closed-ended and open-ended questions. As you may already know, closed–ended questions can be answered with a “yes” or “no”, whereas open-ended questions require the respondent to elaborate on their points. What are the benefits of these question types? Closed-ended questions are answered clearly and typically take less time, whereas answers to open-ended questions provide more detail and more context.
As a Coach, you need a blend of both – it is an art!
Examples of closed-ended questions:
- Have you sent the email to set up the meeting with your team?
- Is Jaspreet coming to the meeting?
- When will the project be completed?
- It sounds like you are frustrated, did I get that right?
Closed-ended questions allow Coaches to check in or confirm what they heard; however, a Coach may wish to learn more from their Coachee. That is where open-ended questions are useful.
Examples of open-ended questions:
- What feedback did you receive on the email you sent to set up the meeting?
- Who do you want to have attend the meeting?
- How will you know the project is complete?
- What is causing the frustration?
Questions beginning with What, Who, Where, and How make excellent open-ended questions. These types of questions encourage the employee to share more details and allow the respondent to reflect, bringing context to the situation and generating new thinking.
Next, in Session #1 of the Coach Approach Program, we set up groups of three people to practice having a conversation around the clarification of goals for a project using sample closed-ended and open-ended questions. Each person gets the opportunity to ask the questions, answer the questions, and observe the use of the coaching skills of others.
Participants are sent off with some homework to gain further practice.
In the next article, I will share with you details on Session #2 of the Coach Approach Program. In Session #2, the coaching skills introduced to participants are “Applying Deep Listening Techniques and Reflecting Back”. The Coaching Conversation topic that participants will practice the deep listening techniques with is “Developing and Assigning New Projects”.
As people change and wish for more of a Coach than a Boss, it’s important for managers and leaders to feel confident that they can learn and hone these coaching skills, setting them and their employees up for success!
Stephanie Koonar Co-Founder of PeerSpectives Consulting, a team-building and personal development company. An award-winning instructor with over 20 years of teaching and administration experience in Higher Education, she has taught over 4,000 learners. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, she empowers people to unlock their potential to be their best. MBA, BA Psychology. Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. www.peerspectives.ca
SK.peerspectives@gmail.com
Louann McCurdy, Co-Founder of PeerSpectives Consulting, helps people bring forth the best of themselves. As an Engineer, I/T professional, Project Leader, and Career Coach, living and working in 5 countries (Canada, USA, Singapore, France, India), she has worked with diverse groups of people, and has seen how understanding Strengths leads to career success. An International Coach Federation credentialed coach.
B.Sc. Engineering, B.Ed. Adult Ed Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. www.peerspectives.ca
LM.peerspectives@gmail.com
[1] Ben Wigert, PH.D, and Jim Harter, PH.D, Re-engineering Performance Management, page 12
[2] Ben Wigert, PH.D, and Jim Harter, PH.D, Re-engineering Performance Management, page 15
[3] Ben Wigert, PH.D, and Jim Harter, PH.D, Re-engineering Performance Management, 2017, page 17
[4] Ben Wigert, PH.D, and Jim Harter, PH.D, Re-engineering Performance Management, 2017, page 21
[5] Ben Wigert, PH.D, and Jim Harter, PH.D, Re-engineering Performance Management, 2017, page 23
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