In the day-to-day grind of worklife; you lose sight of the bigger picture- take a step back, and get META perspective

 

13 QUESTIONS  FOR  DAILY   ANALYSIS

 

What separate GREAT managers

 from the merely effective ones

It's easy to become absorbed in the day-to-day grind of worklife, to do only the next task on your plate and lose sight of the bigger picture. But is merely getting things done enough? 

Forcing yourself to take a step back, get perspective, and separate day-to-day busywork from the bigger problems your company aims to solve is an exercise every great manager can benefit from. It separate GREAT managers from the merely effective ones.

The quality gurus called it PDCA (plan-do-check and act) The medical profession calls it “post mortem” The spiritual gurus called it ‘SOUL SEARCH’ a examination of your conscience where you are the witness and prosecutor both! 

THIS A IS A CORE MODULE OF MY META+COACH PROGRAM SINCE 1998. Below are thirteen questions which capture the full picture 

 

1. Am I doing what I love and getting better at it?

The questions we ask ourselves daily define our quality of life, and this makes picking just one tricky. So here are two. The first is inspired by Steve Jobs and his famous Stanford graduation speech: "Am I doing what I love?" The second is "Am I improving every day?" I believe these two questions could help any great manager achieve fulfillment, expertise, and a successful company.

 

2. Am I doing my best to empower my team?

As an great manager who likes to plan out every minute of my day, I can get into the flow of my own tasks and lose focus on those around me. So I try to make time each day to deliberately check in with my team and see how they're doing, what their frustrations are, and what I can do better to help them succeed. A successful business great manager is one who helps employees do and be their best. –

 

3. Am I having fun?

Obviously, running a business isn't always fun. But, overall, I think you have to enjoy what you're doing to be successful. Even when things get challenging, it's important for me to have fun: to do work that I enjoy and work with people I enjoy. I want to be engaged and continue to feel the passion for what I'm doing that brought me to start my company in the first place

 

4. How can I learn from this?

Every great manager fails. And every  great manager learns from that failure. Whether it's a difficult phone call, a team conflict, or a business challenge, always remind yourself that it is a learning experience no matter how it turns out. This way, everything you do is worthwhile

 

5. What will I do today that will matter one year from now?

Great managers need to stay focused on the bigger picture rather than the minutia of running a business. At the top of every day's to-do list I put one key bigger-picture task that will matter in the long run. Just having this written at the top of my calendar, along with a little picture of an eagle, reminds me to focus on the big picture and only dive down to ground level when it's crucial.  

 

6. What do I want to accomplish today?

The Roman philosopher called it “CARPE DIEM” (sieze the day) Every great manager needs to have milestones that lead up to the endgame or an overall goal. Taking a step back and thinking, "What is something I want to accomplish today that will get me one step closer?" helps set the tone for the day and what the main focuses are. It is easy to get distracted with so many things going on, but accomplishing things will keep you focused. 

 

7. What did I not do?

Become your personal growth guru... begin by asking yourself WHAT DID YOU NOT DO. With the restrictions on your time, you can't do it all, and that's OK. But there's a difference between accepting that and being conscious and deliberate about the things you are electing not to do. A  great manager knows the difference by asking the question.    

 

8. Is this the best use of my time?

One question you can ask daily or several times a day is: "Is this the best use of my time?" It's easy to get caught up in what feels like an urgent situation and forget about the big picture. Just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done or it should be done by you

 

9. What should I delegate?

Thinking about what you're doing that you shouldn't be doing can help you recognize when you're focusing on the wrong things or you need to delegate more. As a great manager, you need to understand your strengths and how to use those to best help the company and not waste time on things that aren't moving the needle forward

 

10. How am I moving things forward today?

Most of us have so much on our plate that we have to make choices about how we spend our time, and it's easy to get bogged down in tasks of lesser importance. Asking "How am I moving things forward today?" keeps you focused on the most important tasks that actually advance your business and are the most valuable.

 

11. What is the most important thing for me put FIRST on my timetable ?

BITE THE BULLET...It's rarely the easiest task or the thing that's right in front of me. Tackling the most important task first helps me avoid busywork and instead use my time to further my company's goals.  

 

12. What isn't working?

It might be unorthodox, but I keep a list of what is the most pestering in my business at the moment. What makes customers unhappy, doesn't work right, or looks bad? Making the worst thing OK often has a higher impact than making an OK thing good.

 

13. What matters to my customer?

Your customers are both internal and external. If you continually challenge yourself to get into the minds of your customers and employees, on the basis of current events and future needs, you can prioritize your day. Assuming you know where you want to take the business, you can adapt your communication to what resonates best with current events to get support for where you want to go.

 

with best compliments

 Dr Wilfred Monteiro

 

techniques to build rapport, overcome resistance, establish trust and enable positive changes

 

COACHING SKILLS TO BUILD TRUST IN THE COACHING RELATIONSHIP 

 

Winning team  leaders--those interested in  creating a team climate as the bedrock  of execution-- understand that success is embedded in the accomplishments of those they work with. Hence  the key to success is enhancing the engagement  is rapport with  those they work with. They have to grasp the critical importance of coaching. Nothing is more important than how they listen, take in, reflect, question, and give feedback in the context of the coaching dialogue.

Successful pragmatic leaders are aware of these points that are essential to a coaching dialogue. The following techniques helped me overcome some resistance, establish trust and enable positive changes: 

 

 LISTEN ACTIVELY

In the coaching dialogue listening ACTIVELY means  conveying a genuine interest in what others are saying by nodding in approval, underlining key points to appreciate .  this helps 

 All too often we betray impatience and interrupt or show  lack of  continuous attentiveness, which in turn hampers the coaches participation .  Some inexperienced coaches  make the mistake of  thinking of  the  next argument or response. The keep up the  agenda they try to limit the conversation.  

While projecting a sense of curiosity, don't forget to absorb and register what is being said. You need to hear the words, read the gestures, and take in the thoughts, ideas, and emotions of the other party. To take in what you hear, you need to pace the conversation and put yourself in the shoes of the other party. Encouraging and supporting when coaching can be the difference between someone keeping going or giving up. Acknowledging another person is an incredibly powerful way of keeping them motivated.

 

 REFLECTIVE/ EMPATHETIC  LISTENING  

Reflecting back with accuracy shows the person you’re really listening and confirms that you have digested the right information. It also allows the person to hear back what he or she has said and to check within him or herself: Is it exactly what he or she meant to say?

You can reflect back by:

Paraphrasing 

Restate the essence of what you heard in your own words, or repeat what you heard using the same words the other party used.

Summarizing 

When you hear a lot of information, you may want to summarize the main message into short and concise sentences. When people have conversations, sometimes information doesn't emerge in an orderly way. You want to help your protégés focus on what seem to be their most important issues.

Repeating meaningful words

 When you repeat meaningful words, you let the other person know that you heard what is really important to them. It enables them to sense that you're listening and understanding them.

 

 THE NEXT LEVEL  …OVERCOME RESISTANCE

 

Questioning for Exploration

Thoughtful questions lead to thoughtful answers, and that leads to productive conversations. Asking questions extends the conversation and allows for a more proactive dialogue. Ask open-ended questions that allow more exploration to occur. By asking open ended questions, you give your protégés an opportunity to find answers within themselves.

When protégés discover the answers for themselves, it empowers them. When you question for exploration, you reinforce in their minds that you believe in them and that their opinions, knowledge, and experience are worthwhile. You build their confidence.

Seeing different perspectives. 

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where it feels like you are pinned into a corner and there is nowhere to go? If so, the chances are you were stuck in a perspective. When coaching, you need to be able to help your client to explore different perspectives, so that they can choose those that are most powerful.

Constructively Challenging

Challenging constructively is about not holding back but at the same time not destroying the relationship. Many people associate coaching with helping, which clearly it is. At the same time if the coaching never rocks the boat it just becomes another nice chat. laying back contradictions is a great way of constructively challenging. For example :I hear that you want to get your  promotion but at the same time you seem to be resisting making the time for new  assignments.

LEVEL THREE.....

 

Giving task responsibility 

The success of coaching lies in action beyond. Task responsibility  is one of the most powerful aspects of coaching. It has been suggested that people have a  higher chance of achieving an objective when they have accountability in place. When someone gives a commitment to doing something and they know that they will be held to account, it drives them forward.

Provide direct Feedback for Development

 

Feedback is often thought of as being inherently critical, but that need not be the case. Successful coaches are careful and discriminating about how they employ feedback, knowing that poor or incomplete feedback could stifle their protégés or even cause feelings of inadequacy in them. The successful coach avoids the common mistake of using feedback as a vehicle for asserting expertise. Unclear, arrogant, or dismissive feedback can drive your protégés into defensiveness and destroy the trust so critical to your relationship. When providing feedback, coaches should strive to make it clear, make it relevant, make it non-evaluative, make it helpful, and make it positive.

 Recognize what’s going well

Coaching well requires a balance of criticism and praise. If your coaching conversations are completely focused on what’s not working and what the employee has to do to change, that’s not motivating, it’s demoralizing.

Your recognition of the things your employee is doing well can be a springboard into how they can build from that to improve. We’re not talking about the compliment sandwich here, though, because that coaching technique often devolves into shallow praise that comes off as insincere.

Giving compliments that you don’t actually mean can have a worse effect than not giving any at all, so take the time to think about specific things that are going well, and let your employees know that you see and appreciate them!

 

Another aspect of this is how the employee likes to be recognized. This is a good question to ask them from the start of your relationship – does frequent recognition help them stay motivated, or is every once in a while sufficient? Do they prefer recognition to be given publicly or privately? The last thing you want to do is embarrass someone when you’re trying to be a good coach!

 

 

CONCLUDING -  ONLY CREDIBILITY CAN WIN TRUST 

 The relationship is based on equality, which builds openness and trust. The coach does not claim to have all the answers and the coachee feels their contribution is worthwhile. Solutions are developed from the understanding of the person experiencing the situation, so they are normally of much greater relevance and effectiveness.

Remember, the motivation to coach comes from the reward of seeing others succeed. No other stakeholder has as much influence over the productivity, engagement, and learning as the manager over their direct reports.  Meet the employee on the employee’s terms – ask what their preferred coaching session would look like and take that into account. Know the importance of coaching in the moment. Learning often happens best when things are occurring. Employees learn best by doing, so coach as you go!

 Teach Setting the stage for trust can sometimes be challenging as some individuals may be set in their ways. Confidentiality must be discussed up front, then strictly adhered to.  Be a person who keeps things confidential. Be true to your word and follow through with your action to solve the coachees' problems . It goes a long way when it comes to establishing trust in a relationship. One breach can undo weeks and months of trust-building .

Establish your credibility by sharing  your track record, mention credible sources and provide evidence to support your ideas. Your ability to draw on your experience and various resources will be vital to helping those you coach. So continuously aim to develop your expertise in the techniques of coaching to complement your business expertise

 

Best of luck

Dr Wilfred Monteiro

Coaching should send the message '' THINK AHEAD'' THE NEXT LEVEL OF SUCCESS

 

FEEDBACK OR THE WAY FORWARD ?

  what are the right techniques for managers coaching on-the-job?

Feedback is the life-blood of a managers task to coach on the job. Giving coachees effective feedback on their performance may seem like a tough job, but it does not have to be. By focusing on the delivery of the right information in the right setting, you can make the process more relaxed and effective for both you and your coachees. here are some tips to help take the "sting" out of giving feedback.

 

1. CREATE THE RIGHT SETTING.

All performance feedback should be conducted in a private, one-on-one setting, behind a closed door, without interruptions. Never give feedback to an coachee in a setting where other coachees may overhear you, such as in the break room or the hallway. Feedback on the coachee's performance should be private between you and the coachee whom it concerns. This is a simple rule, but many leaders underestimate the value of privacy in dealing with their coachees, and risk damaging the trust of the coachee-manager relationship.

Interruptions can be as threatening as a lack of privacy to an coachee in a one-on-one feedback session. If you do not give your coachee your complete and undivided attention, you are sending a clear signal to him or her the   conversation is not all that important to you. Turn off your cellphone, and put up a sign outside the door instructing people not to interrupt.

 

2. LISTEN TO THE  COACHEE'S VERSION.

One of the most effective and oft-neglected - tools of feedback is self-feedback. This is when the coachee is given a chance to comment on his or her own behavior and productivity. This technique is highly effective for a number of reasons: coachees are likely to be tougher on themselves than you are on them, and they will also work harder to improve in areas they disclose personally.

The best way for the coaching  manager to incorporate self-feedback is to create a two-way conversation centered on each of the performance topics. In this situation, a Manager will ask the coachee for her opinion, then the Manager will give his own opinion. Managers should always give their opinions last, to avoid influencing the comments of the coachee.

For example, if the topic of conversation is production units, and the required metric is 300 units/day, the Production Manager might ask the coachee, "How well do you feel you are meeting your daily performance target?" The coachee then has the opportunity to evaluate herself, as well as to identify any problem areas up front. The Manager may then agree with the coachee's interpretation of her success, or point out times where the coachee is not meeting the daily expectation of 300 units/day.

 

3. ADDRESS PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS HONESTLY AND DIRECTLY.

Performance issues, if left unaddressed, they tend to grow worse and multiply. Performance discussion would be better if they are given in small doses, very informally and context specific  Any serious issue should be addressed with the coachee as soon as it is noticed, preferably the same day. Manager should take the coachee aside, describe the observed problem behavior, and then ask the coachee why it happened. The Manager will then want to re-state the performance expectations for the job.

For example, 

if a Manager observes an coachee repeating an error at work she should take the coachee aside immediately and describe the observation, then give the coachee a chance to explain why, by saying "I have noticed that you have repeated the same mistake again  this week. What is going on?"

It is important Manager should only try to correct behavior they have personally observed, not behavior they have heard about word-of-mouth from other coachees. This situation can create tension and suspicion among a work team. If a Manager has not observed a performance problem directly, it should not be addressed in performance feedback. It’s like bursting of a dam…. If the issues is kept under covers for 365 days and on D-day is downloaded like a tonne of bricks.

 

4. COMMUNICATE EXPECTATIONS CLEARLY.

Many leaders feel comfortable saying "Be on time in the morning," or "Be sure to finish your work before you leave today," but rarely are these statements interpreted the same way by everyone. One coachee may interpret this as "…is my contribution measured in minutes or is it   measured in results….???" Performance expectations need to be delivered in a concise, clear manner, without questionable interpretations, especially when there is a problem. Numbers, dates, productivity units, metrics and   standards are helpful to include when communicating performance expectations to an coachee. A Manager should clearly specify "The expectations are that call reps will take 15 calls per day" is much more concise than saying, "You need to take more calls." The more specific you are, the less misinterpretation that is likely to occur.

 

5. EMPHASIZE INCLUDE THE POSITIVE.

Negative feedback can be wrongly used to reinforce the message, "this is just the way you are". Harping upon the past  can reinforce personal stereotyping and negative self-fulfilling prophecies. but showing the way forward can reinforce the possibility of change. Feedback on the past can reinforce the feeling of failure. Many Manager are so concerned about correcting their coachees' mistakes they tend to overlook their positive achievements altogether. Be sure to point out what the coachee is doing right. It is important to recognize coachees for their accomplishments to keep them motivated.

It can be more productive to help people be "right", than prove they were "wrong." Negative feedback often becomes an exercise in "let me prove you were wrong." This tends to produce defensiveness on the part of the receiver and discomfort on the part of the sender. Even constructively delivered feedback is often seen as negative as it necessarily involves a discussion of mistakes, shortfalls, and problems.

Another common mistake is to overwhelm coachees with a long laundry list of areas to improve. A better approach is to identify two or three of the most critical areas to improve, and allow the coachee to focus on improving these. As the coachee improves in these areas, you can work together on identifying and fixing the other, less-critical issues.

  

6. GIVE FEEDBACK ON THE WAY FORWARD

Successful people tend to have a very positive self-image. Successful people like getting ideas that are aimed at helping them achieve their goals. They tend to resist negative judgment. We all tend to accept feedback that is consistent with their positive self image. Humans reject or deny feedback that is inconsistent with the way we see ourselves. Coaching should send the message '' THINK AHEAD''  THE NEXT LEVEL OF SUCCESS

 

The way forward approach is based on the assumption that people can make positive changes in the future.  Forward-looking  constructive feedback is supposed to "focus on the performance, not the person". OTHERWISE it is  taken personally (no matter how it is delivered). Successful people’s sense of identity is highly connected with their work. The more successful people are, the more this tends to be true. The way forward approach cannot involve a personal , since it is discussing something that has not yet happened!

 

7. KEEP THE DIALOGUE  FREQUENT AND INFORMAL.

Most companies do official performance reviews at least once per year, but coachees cannot go a whole year before they hear how they are performing in their jobs, especially new coachees. Even if it is not a formal performance review, coachees should receive casual but specific one-on-one feedback on their performance once a quarter at a minimum, monthly if possible. 

A new coachee needs to hear feedback weekly, perhaps even daily, until she feels comfortable with her daily tasks and responsibilities. An coachee who has been around for awhile still needs to hear performance feedback more frequently than once a year, whether there are problems or not. Good feedback motivates coachees, and problems will get fixed sooner rather than later. 

  NOW, GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK… ON THIS ISSUE of managers coaching on-the-job; we could have a compendium of best practices in executive coaching  of Indian companies-to know how they  invent & reinvent ways to develop  their employees.

 

Best of luck

Dr Wilfred Monteiro

Astute managers see coaching skills as a vital addition to their personal effectiveness toolbox.

 HOW TO  MAKE A COACHING

   SESSION MORE EFFECTIVE

The power of coaching has been recognized in many areas for many years. Astute managers  see coaching skills as a vital addition to their personal effectiveness toolbox. Everybody has to start somewhere, but the challenge we face in providing coaches to executives in organizations is the need to put our most experienced and effective coaches in front of clients. 

Follow these points  to make your coaching and feedback process more effective.

KEEP IN MIND THE ORANISATION CONTEXT

Keep in mind more crucial components to creating a successful coaching culture within your organization. Make sure your coaching is aligned with your company’s core values. Coaching is the key to achieving company goals. Therefore, your coaching should be based on your organization’s core values. They become the “why” behind your advice and encouragement. This way, your coaching becomes less about what you think and reinforces the culture that you want in your organization. And when you and your employees are looking at the bigger picture together, it should help them be more receptive to you, too.

 

DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH

Before you go to your employees with a new project, you need to be clear in your own mind about what you want them to accomplish. Focus on what the end result should look like more than how you think they should get there. Think about the big picture. How will it affect your overall company objectives? How will it affect your employees’ role in the long run? If you can explain this to your employees, you’re more likely to get buy-in.

SET A GOAL WITH YOUR COACHEE

Then, it’s time to talk to your employees and set goals together. Discuss what you want to accomplish and be clear about your expectations. Consider giving your employees a model of what their end goal looks like or set specific criteria for what the output should include. Has this ever been done before? If so, is there someone else within the company or team who might provide some first-hand advice? Set your employees up for success by being crystal clear about your expectations.

In the same conversation, discuss a project timeline with your employees. Set milestones that build toward the end goal. Set up “check-in meetings” that allow you to get together along the way in order to evaluate how things are going. Talk about a deadline and indicate how important the timing may (or may not) be to the success of the project.

As your employees work toward accomplishing the goal you set together, be sure to attend your check-in meetings at the agreed upon times. Let them ask questions. Give praise for what’s going right with the project and make suggestions if you feel they need more direction. Also ensure your employees have access to all resources necessary to meet the goal.  Find what tools or aids they need to make the job done better. 

GET AGREEMENT ON THE WAY FORWARD

Probably the most critical step in the coaching meeting process is getting the employee to agree verbally that a performance issue exists. Overlooking or avoiding the performance issue because you assume the employee understands its significance is a typical mistake of managers. To persuade an employee a performance issue exists, a manager must be able to define the nature of the issue and get the employee to recognize the consequences of not changing his or her behavior. To do this, you must specify the behavior and clarify the consequences.

The skill of specifying the behavior consists of three parts.

1.    Cite specific examples of the performance issue.

2.    Clarify your performance expectations in the situation.

3.    Asks the employee for agreement on the issue.

The skill of clarifying consequences consists of two parts. You should:

1.    Probe to get the employee to articulate his or her understanding of the consequences associated with the performance issue.

2.    Ask the employee for agreement on the issue.

REVIEW TO CHECK UNDERSTANDING

Meet a final time with your employees to take a look back on the project as a whole. Discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what might be better if done differently next time. But be sure to make time to celebrate success and reward their accomplishments as well. This positive reinforcement helps make the extra effort feel worth it to your employees and encourages them to keep moving forward.

KEEP THE CONVERSATION FLOWING SMOOTHY

No matter the situation, coaching conversations should flow both ways with ample opportunity for mutual feedback and discussion. This way, you’re not removing your employees’ responsibility in the matter or doing the work for them. Collaboration in coaching emphasizes the relationship and teaches you how to become sounding boards for each other. Some coaches make the following mistakes too often; mainly out of good intention and lack of practice.

·       they ask too many questions to satisfy their own curiosity rather than getting to the heart of the matter. good coaches sift quickly for what is relevant and ignore the noise.
·         they let the client go on too long about their story. the narrative is important insofar as the coach or client needs it to write the ending—but detailed plot twists just waste time.
·         they ask a bunch of why questions to assess motive and purpose. many people being coached don’t know the why of anything and will go in circles trying to figure it out. why is to be used on very rare occasions to help the client get through layers to reach what’s real and true.
·         they step over opportunities to challenge the client about attitudes, beliefs, or potentially unproductive behavior. it takes some courage but it is part of the job. i have worked with clients who said they had worked with other coaches they characterized as being “too nice.”

 ·         When you establish great coaching relationships with your employees, it can improve every interaction you have with them and makes management far easier. Effective coaching can build more trust on both sides and keep the door to improvement open at all times.

GET A COMMITMENT TO ACT
The next step is to help the employee choose an alternative. Don't make the choice for the employee. To accomplish this step, the manager must be sure to get a verbal commitment from the employee regarding what action will be taken and when it will be taken. Be sure to support the employee's choice and offer praise. Employee excuses may occur at any point during the coaching meeting. To handle excuses, rephrase the point by taking a comment or statement that was perceived by the employee to be blaming or accusatory and recast it as an encouragement for the employee to examine his or her behavior. Respond empathically to show support for the employee's situation and communicate an understanding of both the content and feeling of the employee's comment.

 

CONCLUDING 

These key points  can not only help you when coaching but also make you an even better manager or leader. Take time to assess where you strengths lie and where you need to develop. The good news is that new coaches can move ahead much more quickly by identifying any of these possible errors in their own approach and practicing alternative approaches that are more beneficial to clients. With practice, new coaches will soon find themselves having the productive engagements that we—and all coaching organizations—look for.

 

Best of luck

Dr Wilfred Monteiro