I Need More Time
1 Mar, 2008
By: Bob FurnissQuestion:
I know I am supposed to focus my time on the team members in my group and that coaching should be a priority, but there is just not enough time in the day. Do you have any ideas?
Timeless in Texas
Answer:
Dear Timeless,
I hear this all the time from managers – “there is just not enough time in the day.” As a former frontline supervisor, I can relate to your pain, but there are several things you can do to create a plan that will work for you and your team.
1. Focus Your Time. There will always be things to do that are “more important” than coaching. Be honest ---- sometimes we conveniently find other things that seem more important. And the reality is, as a frontline manager, you probably do have WAY too many things on your plate. So, the first step is to schedule coaching time into your day. I bet if you write down your priorities as a manager, coaching is in the top three. Now look at your schedule for next week. Not very pretty, is it? Set aside at least three hours next week that are dedicated to coaching. If your team has 15 to 20 employees, with each session lasting 20 to 30 minutes, you will just about get to everyone on the team in one month. Not a bad plan for something that should be a focus.
2. Say Something Nice. Several years ago a team of students at Kansas University wrote their thesis on the coaching style of Larry Brown. They wanted to understand what made him successful and how his words and coaching style impacted players. There were times when Larry used negative reinforcement to get his point across, but the amazing finding was that Larry offered positive reinforcement at a rate of 4 to 1 over negative reinforcement. Whether it was on the practice floor or the actual game, he did not change – the words of encouragement outnumbered the negative 4 to 1. He is the only coach in history to win both an NCAA and an NBA championship. So ask yourself, how many positive things have I said to my team today. Coaching does not just occur in the 30-minute session set aside each month. Coaching occurs every hour of every day.
3. Calibrate Your Coaching. One of the toughest aspects of coaching is delivering the expectation of change. As a manager, there will always be situations where employees need direct coaching for change. Here is a simple way for you to begin to coach with a purpose. Remember this simple little acronym – YMCA. It stands for Your Thoughts, My Thoughts, Calibration, Action.
The Y is first – “Your Thoughts.” It is really easy to want to jump immediately to the part where you tell the employee what needs to change or improve. But first, allow that person to share his or her thoughts with you - talk about the things that are affecting that employee’s daily work. Ask the employee to share with you successes and struggles he or she faces on a daily basis. If there is a specific need for change, ask the individual about the specifics surrounding the problem. The information shared may surprise you or give you a new way to look at the problem as you both seek solutions.
Next it is your turn to share “My Thoughts.” This is the opportunity to talk about the behavior from your perspective as the manager. Explain what needs to change and why. The goal is for the person you are mentoring to understand your expectations.
Next comes “Calibration.” This is by far the most important part. This is the time to calibrate the agent’s buy-in for change. You want him or her to explain a “game plan” for improvement. Be careful not to try to include more than one or two calibration items in each session - more than that and your employee will lose focus. You want the individual to leave the conversation with a plan.
The last expectation is “Action.” In the days after, be sure to inspect what you expect - follow-up to confirm that the person you have coached is meeting the new expectation. If he or she begins to slip back into the previous behavior, start the process over and walk through the YMCA plan again. It works!
