Reflecting on when coaching to improve performance goes awry, there are two common ailments I have seen. One occurs at the beginning, the moment the manager sets expectations for the employee, whether for one assignment or for multiple annual objectives. I italicized employee because that’s where misalignment starts – when the manager talks “at” the employee and the meeting concludes. At this point, there is no guarantee that the employee agrees with the “why” of the objective as there is little dialog to achieve mutual understanding of the desired outcome or behaviors. A clear picture of success may not have been articulated or understood yet the race to achieve the objective begins. Expectations are fuzzy at best.
Being thorough in the mutual objective setting process increases the probability of success and has another excellent outcome – it forces the leader to formulate and articulate his/her expectations! How often do we ask ourselves, “What am I truly looking for in the completion of this initiative? How will I know success when I see it? Do I care how the objective is carried out – is there a particular stakeholder’s view that is important?” Whatever your expectations are, uncover and communicate them to remove the mystery for the employee and their chances of hitting the target will double.
The second ailment occurs later, during the feedback process, when a manager provides unspecific or indirect feedback (dropping bread crumbs). All too often, leaders are reluctant to point out performance that’s gone off-track. To avoid embarrassment for the employee, vague comments are made, leaving room for interpretation. The employee knows that something is amiss but may address the wrong project component or try to fix the wrong behavior. Forget the bread crumb approach! Be specific in your comments about what’s not working, refer to agreed upon objectives, and get their ideas about how they will get back on track. It’s neater (no pun intended) and it works!
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Fuzzy expectations and bread crumbs – 2 ailments of performance coaching
Reflecting on when coaching to improve performance goes awry, there are two common ailments I have seen. One occurs at the beginning, the moment the manager sets expectations for the employee, whether for one assignment or for multiple annual objectives. I italicized employee because that’s where misalignment starts – when the manager talks “at” the employee and the meeting concludes. At this point, there is no guarantee that the employee agrees with the “why” of the objective as there is little dialog to achieve mutual understanding of the desired outcome or behaviors. A clear picture of success may not have been articulated or understood yet the race to achieve the objective begins. Expectations are fuzzy at best.
Being thorough in the mutual objective setting process increases the probability of success and has another excellent outcome – it forces the leader to formulate and articulate his/her expectations! How often do we ask ourselves, “What am I truly looking for in the completion of this initiative? How will I know success when I see it? Do I care how the objective is carried out – is there a particular stakeholder’s view that is important?” Whatever your expectations are, uncover and communicate them to remove the mystery for the employee and their chances of hitting the target will double.
The second ailment occurs later, during the feedback process, when a manager provides unspecific or indirect feedback (dropping bread crumbs). All too often, leaders are reluctant to point out performance that’s gone off-track. To avoid embarrassment for the employee, vague comments are made, leaving room for interpretation. The employee knows that something is amiss but may address the wrong project component or try to fix the wrong behavior. Forget the bread crumb approach! Be specific in your comments about what’s not working, refer to agreed upon objectives, and get their ideas about how they will get back on track. It’s neater (no pun intended) and it works!