The Dog Days of Coaching

Recently I got a new puppy that I’m raising to be a performance dog, showing in the breed ring, agility, and herding. Consequently, I’m thinking alot about performance coaching these days – a timely topic as I write this blog.  At the risk of offending some people, dogs, or both; the keys to developing  a high performing dog and what I need to pay attention to as his coach are actually quite similar to coaching high performing talent inside organizations!

There are 2 simple things that high performers have/need and what great performance coaches can do:

1)      High performers must have DRIVE.  A performance dog has to “want to” do its job.  Likewise, so do people.  And people will WANT to do the job if it is something they love to do and have the talent for. Coaches, on the other hand, must pay attendion!  I have to figure out what drives my pup by watching what he wants to work for.  Leaders must ASK people what they love about their work and what they believe their talents are.  If you take the time to watch your employees, you’ll be able to see when they get excited by their work – their faces light up!

2)      High performers must be given some degree of AUTONOMY/CHOICE.  A highly obedient dog who waits for me to tell him what do isn’t able to perform as quickly or flexibly.  Our training determines if he works as my teammate or for himself.  Our training also provides tons of positive reinforcement when he makes the right choices.  Likewise, leaders must provide POSITIVE FEEDBACK to let employees know when they’ve done great work.  Don’t tell employees only what they’ve done wrong; tell them what they’ve done RIGHT!

 HOW you coach can make a huge difference in performance.  It doesn’t take tons of money or time.  NOTICE when your employees are working hardest and REWARD the heck out of them with your attention and authentic appreciation.  It works.