September 25, 2009

Letter from the Editor

My younger daughter, Peg, got a job! She’s been working at EBSCO since she graduated in May. EBSCO is an online database company servicing libraries and, for a young girl with an English and Education dual-major, working at EBSCO is about as close to an ideal job as one can get.

Unfortunately, the temporary job ended in August and, while Peg had done all the right networking and application for full-time work, she was rejected. And, for a young person who’s never been through the job search, application, rejection loop, not getting offered a job was taken as a personal rejection – Peg was devastated!

I, on the other hand, was impressed. Peg – with only a bit of coaching from her old man – had done all the right things. She networked, she went on informational interviews, she performed her work flawlessly, she sought and received recommendations from her team leader and manager, she interviewed well – pointing to her demonstrated performance and how she could add value to the department. She certainly didn’t get the job because she messed up somewhere. I was proud of her actions and told her so.

Less than two weeks later, the manager who had passed over Peg gave her a call and said, “We were so impressed with your character and your enthusiasm, we requisitioned another position and would like to offer it to you!” Talk about euphoria!!! Not only did Peg get an ideal job working at a great company, in some respects, the position was literally created for her.

Good things come to good people who do the right things!

Keep encouraging your people to do the right things, even if it seems like the results are not immediately showing up. Good managers and coaches know that recognizing effort paves the road to success.

Terry

Coaching Presentation at ASTD

Last week I had the pleasure of presenting to a group of 75 ASTD members and guests on the benefits of coaching to develop talent and engage employees. Meeting at the beautiful Portland Country Club, my goal was to provide not only a simple coaching model (and Entelechy’s coaching model IS simple), but also to provide insight and information that would help attendees initiate a coaching program within their companies.

The economy, it seems, has created a “perfect storm” of conditions that make coaching imperative in organizations today. First, with training budgets slashed, most training departments are relying increasingly on managers to develop their employees. Second, the economy is creating turmoil within companies, with reorganizations and every-changing focus the norm; employees are becoming disenchanted and disengaged. Coaching is a way to connect one-on-one with employees and re-engage them.

However, the “perfect storm” of conditions is insufficient to instill a coaching culture within an organization. Managers – who have less time than ever before – need a simple model that they can use effectively and efficiently. Calling on volunteers, I demonstrated how Entelechy’s model – consisting of three simple questions – provided the needed simplicity managers and supervisors need to effectively coach employees. I further explained how, while simple in execution, Entelechy’s coaching model had deep underpinnings in human behavior and helped overcome obstacles – becoming defensive, negating the input, becoming divisive – inherent when one adult gives feedback to another.

Feedback from the group about the presentation was overwhelming positive:

• Very informative.

• Well done – a lot of info.

• Great speaker. Would like to see Terry present again.

• Held interest of audience.

• Good rapport.

• Presenter was excellent.

• Good demonstration of coaching model.

• Enjoyed the “wrong way” skit.

• Nice energy.

• Great topic – very useful to my work.

If you’d like Terry or one of Entelechy’s other staff to present to your company or your organization, please contact us and let us know your plans. Terry can be reached at ttraut@unlockit.com or 603-424-1237.

Self-Assessment – The Coaching Key (Part 3 of 3)

In the previous two issues of Coaching for TD&EE, we 1) discussed the importance of self-assessment in coaching and skill development, and 2) discussed how to develop an employee’s ability to objectively self-assess. (See http://www.coachyouremployees.com/resources/newsletter.htm for these previous issues.)

In this issue, we’ll discuss how to broaden an employee's perception when self-assessing. We want employees to know – but we also want them to know WHY they know.

That sounds deep; it isn’t meant to be, and perhaps an illustration might be helpful. Let’s say you’re coaching an employee on effective presentations. In the course of your coaching discussion, the employee states that he feels that he covered the content thoroughly. You ask, “How do you know that you covered the content thoroughly?” The employee replies, “There were no questions.” 

Hmmmm, might there be another reason for silence? 

You broaden the employee’s perception by asking, “Would the lack of questions mean anything else?” Most employees would correctly respond with answers like, “Well, silence could mean they were bored and wanted the presentation to end. Or maybe it could have meant they were confused.” 

An effective coach recognizes that this employee KNOWS what silence could mean, so then moves on to another broadening probe: “How MIGHT you more accurately determine that your coverage of the content was thorough?”

Using additional information-seeking probes helps the employee broaden his perception of the situation, becoming more aware of his actions and being able to use more effective techniques in the future.

Coached employees are committed employees. They focus their development on job-related skills and are more engaged than others. Coach those on your team who show the most willingness and potential. A small investment of your time and attention will reap great rewards!

Coaching for TD&EE: Three Solution Packages

Entelechy’s new coaching website (www.coachyouremployees.com) features our Coaching Solution Packages, three versions of Entelechy’s comprehensive coaching program designed to meet your specific organization’s needs:

Gold Solution (Cultural Change) — designed for the company looking to realize the benefits of implementing a coaching culture throughout the organization.

Silver Solution (Competency Development) — designed for the company looking to develop coaching as a management competency throughout the organization.

Bronze Solution (Skill Enhancement) — designed for the company looking to initiate coaching into the managerial skillset.

We created three versions of the Coaching for Talent Development and Employee Engagement solution because our clients asked for them. Some clients simply want to enhance the skills of their managers and supervisors (the Bronze Solution) whereas other clients wish to make coaching a key cultural element (Gold Solution). Still other clients wanted something in the middle.

You can review case studies of other organizations that have initiated coaching programs to learn of their challenges and how they used coaching – and Entelechy – to address them by visiting http://www.coachyouremployees.com/coaching/casestudies.htm. 

We’ll continue adding features and tools that will help you, the manager and supervisor (and those who support them) develop and engage your employees.

Now is the time to equip your front-line managers with the tools they need to succeed – and help your organization survive today’s economic challenges. Contact Entelechy at 603-424-1237 or info@unlockit.com for more information on Coaching for Talent Development and Employee Engagement and give your managers the tools they need to pull your organization through today’s tumultuous times.