Coaching conversations can be difficult for any leader but when you add the specific complexities of a remote team, improving your remote coaching sessions can prove to be impossible. It always seems like you’re squeezing those chats in between other meetings. Often, we try to “make the most of our time together” (which usually means cramming too many items into one conversation) leaving the other person feeling more like an interruption than a priority.
How do you ensure that both you and the members of your team get the most from your one on one coaching talks? Here are some tips I and my clients have found to prove more effective, successful, and productive coaching sessions…
Send an agenda in advance. One-on-one meetings are still meetings, and most meetings need a good agenda in order to help people prepare. By knowing in advance what’s on the other person’s mind, you can prioritize and make the most of your time together.
I remember one boss I had, where we’d look at the agenda, she’d say, “Yes, No, Four, and Saturday”… Okay, let’s talk about item five…..” and everyone was fine with that. Not every item needs to take a lot of time. Also, I knew I could get questions answered so I tended not to bother her all the time, but kept a “Nancy list” so I was prepared to make the most of the times we could talk.
Let the “coachee” set the priorities. What’s “top of mind” for you might not be the most critical thing for the other party. In fact, they might not even know you want to discuss a particular item.
But making them wait to discuss their priorities, can often create distractions or barriers to successful discussions. By letting the other person start with their most important item, you can learn a lot about their priorities. It’s an important window into what’s happening in their world, a view you don’t get often enough when you don’t share a work location.
Nothing good starts with, “We need to talk.” Be specific. When setting up or scheduling chats, don’t give the other person a chance to get all paranoid. “We need to talk about some things…” could be anything from, “Did you see the game last night?” to “Pack your stuff, you’re toast.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wayne Turmel
W. Wayne Turmel is a speaker, writer and corporate drone who lives in Chicago Il. He is the founder and president of Greatwebmeetings.com, a co-founder of The Remote Leadership Institute and the author of Meet Like you Mean it, a book that helps virtual and remote teams collaborate more effectively.
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