MARCH 2021HR TECH OUTLOOK8In MyOpinionDebra Hamilton, Chief Learning & Development Officer, Fulton BankByThe Power of Effective Coaching QuestionsHigh-performance cultures are those that have a coaching culture where managers provide regular feedback, engage in transparent conversations, and build trusting relationships. They see coaching as an essential tool for achieving business goals. When a manager provides effective coaching, it helps individuals become more self-aware and generate insights which often lead to their own solutions. With this focus, coaching is clearly not therapy, counseling, telling, advising, or fixing problems. It is helping a person acquire the mindset and skillset to change behavior, achieve personal success, and seize growth opportunities. When done well, there are many benefits to coaching. Authors Zenger and Folkman report that effective coaching raises employee commitment and engagement, productivity, retention rates, customer loyalty, and subordinate's perception of the strength of upper-level leadership. Though there can be many coaching moments throughout a day or week, coaching is usually a planned face-to-face conversation that includes seeking and sharing information, asking questions, listening, checking for understanding, agreeing on the gap or opportunity, and exploring solutions. Here are some common coaching opportunities:· Taking on a stretch assignment· Establishing new direction· Managing multiple deliverables· Navigating through change· Managing sales goalsWith the "rush to solve" bias at the center of today's fast-paced business environments coupled with remote working and back-to-back virtual meetings, managers may default to "telling" and "directing" to achieve results. In contrast, coaching is a partnership between the manager and the team member--this requires slowing down and opening the space for transparent conversations. A central component of this open and authentic dialogue is asking purposeful questions. Open-ended questions are powerful and will stimulate thinking and dialogue and help a team member take on responsibility for behavior change.Imagine an important project is off track and will be late. The manager has a choice to direct and correct or engage the team member in a dialogue to elicit new thinking and higher levels of accountability. Here are questions that would invite dialogue.· What is your perspective on the situation?· What is the impact of this (project being late) to you? To the team?· What would it take to turn this around?· What options might you consider?· What is your plan and timeline for turning this around?· What are you taking away from this experience?In another example, you want to propose a stretch assignment to a high performer. Here are questions that would invite dialogue.· What energizes you about this project?· Which of your skills do you see transferring over to this work?
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