Coaching Employees in the Workplace

 Coaching employees in the workplace can be a difficult topic. Oftentimes people leave jobs, or positions within companies for one reason, and sometimes for another. It's always important to remember that everyone leaves your company for personal reasons. There's a chance you'll have more difficult times working with current employees who have quit, and there's a chance you'll have to deal with previous employees you never wanted to work with again. That's why it's your responsibility as the leader of your company to make sure you can handle all situations with grace and class.

In order to truly coach employees in the workplace, you need to first be able to understand what motivates them. You want to be clear on their core beliefs, goals, needs, talents, skills, and desires. Knowing where they are helping you know what kind of help you can offer them. As the leader of your staff, it's up to you to guide them in the right direction.

When coaching employees, always get them to identify their own values and beliefs. It's amazing how many leaders simply accept the beliefs of others at face value without question. That's not leadership! It's more like supposing someone has a particular opinion and working with them without question. That's not leadership either. You need to listen to employees, and really understand what motivates them.

Another thing you need to do when coaching employees is to ask them to identify their "why's." Each employee is unique, so you need to figure out their "why." They may have succeeded in their role, but they might not feel fulfilled where they are at this moment. The "why's" help identify where some of their greatest hopes and dreams lie.

Finally, when coaching employees, it's critical to remember to keep the conversation moving. Don't sit still and think about things over again. Keep things lively and constantly be reminding the employee of what he or she has done right and wrong. The conversation shouldn't end with the assessment either. Ask for feedback, too, which is essential. Make sure the staff knows that they will be heard and that the boss will be listening closely to whatever they have to say.

In the end, if you want to have a great impact on your staff, coaching employees is an essential skill to master. But it's also a powerful skill to instill within your people a sense of self-worth and value. They'll become happier, more productive workers who contribute meaningfully to the growth and success of your business.

So how do you get started coaching employees? It can be surprisingly easy. Just find a few common thread tips that you can practice with your staff. You'll need to spend some time implementing these tips into their day-to-day work activities, but this step is vital.

Just remember that coaching employee is not something that you can do only when necessary. It's a quality and attitude that must be nurtured and practiced on a regular basis. If employees feel valued and appreciated, they will be happier and more productive. This, in turn, will lead to more positive work interactions. And it's those positive work interactions that will translate into stellar employee performance. Don't underestimate the power of nurturing that special feeling of worth.

Another thing that you can do to make coaching a good habit for your staff is to ask each of them to put themselves in the shoes of a client. For example, if your staff members deal with clients in a very particular way, such as ordering products or tracking inventory, talk to them about how they would feel if they were the customer for a discounted item or getting free shipping. Then you can use this situation as a sort of "honeymoon" for your staff.

Make sure that you have an ongoing evaluation of how well your employees are doing coaching. Look at the effectiveness of their techniques, methods, ideas, strategies, etc., and find out what needs tweaking.

Remember those coaching employees is just part of your overall success as a leader. As an organizer and stakeholder, you also need to be an effective coach. So make sure that you take the time to check in on how well your team is performing. If you do, you'll likely be able to offer some tips that will help make them even more effective!