“Is all coaching the same?” Absolutely not. There is a difference between skills and knowledge, and there is definitely a difference when it comes to coaching employees to improve in either area.
IMHO, it is easier to coach knowledge. You essentially are presenting facts, data and what works or doesn’t work. It takes less time to coach knowledge because it often requires one-way communication, where the trainer or leader does the bulk of the talking and employees just listen.
Beyond that, coaching knowledge is more predictable. You know exactly what you want and need to share with employees, and their questions, if they have any at all, will be straightforward and easy to answer.
So, as a leader, expanding employees’ knowledge is the easiest part of your coaching gig. You will need to do it, BUT you will likely spend much more of your time coaching employees to improve their skills, and that’s not always so cut and dry.
Most people want to perform better; some need to perform better. Many want to achieve greater results; some have to just to ensure that your team hits its goals. While some degree of knowledge is always needed, and your employees will need you to provide it, more often, what they need is your guidance and feedback on how they can improve the specific skills required to meet the demands of the job. Those skills range from job specific and technical skills to soft skills, such as communication, time management and teamwork, that can be quite difficult to teach.
No doubt, coaching skills is harder, takes longer, is less predictable, and requires more patience from you. It also requires more dialogue and two-way communication. You simply can’t hand employees a white paper or instruction sheet and expect them to grow their skills. Its takes a more active, involved approach where you work one-on-one with them.
To help you improve your own coaching skills, we’re rounded up some popular posts on the subject. Read through them to gain some expert inside on managing this highly important job:
- It’s Not Easy Being Green: 5 Steps to Teaching Employees New Skills
- The ABCs of Coaching Success
- FAQ Series: Six Coaching Points to Help Your Team Move Past Conflict
- FAQ Series: Coaching vs. Reprimanding
- 7 Simple Ways to Be a Supportive Coach and Leader
- Three Ways to Coach Your Employees So They Don’t Feel Coached
- 7 Ways to Support and Grow Your Top Performers
Plus, don’t miss our upcoming Bud to Boss online training workshops that offer an-depth Coaching and Feedback session. Learn more about this interactive training!
Photo credit: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/whistle-1525647
0 comments