Tips: Coaching employees for success should be a hot topic, but unfortunately it is not as trending as it should be. Though coaching is becoming more widespread and common in the 21st century, it is mostly focused on personal, health, executive, and career coaching. Though executive coaching is similar to employee coaching (executives are employees – high-level ones, but still employees), more companies should think about coaching their employees.

Know When Coaching Works and When it Doesn’t

Coaching is not always the answer. There are times when coaching would seem intrusive and unwarranted. This is one of the most important tips. Coaching employees has a time and place.

Sometimes a situation calls for an employee or group of employees to perform a specific task in a certain way. In this situation, it is better to give instructions of directions and skip the coaching.

Sometimes you may be faced with a chronic underperformer or someone resistant to coaching. It might be best to cut your losses and run rather than invest the time in coaching.

Some employees just aren’t coachable – they find blame everywhere but with themselves, they are too defensive, or they are not open to looking at situations with new perspectives. Accept it and move on in whatever way you deem necessary – remember you’re the boss!

6 More Tips: Coaching Employees for Success

Once you full understand the first tip, coaching employees consists of various techniques, attitudes, and behaviors that you can use in the workplace. Here are 6 more coaching tips:

• Be transparent. If you will be coaching or using someone to coach your employees, let them know exactly what is going on. Acknowledge what you are attempting to do and why. Being explicit and up front about your intentions and you’ll employees will be more likely to benefit from the coaching.
• Build trust. This should start before you even think of coaching. If the employee feels the boss is trustworthy, they will be more open to coaching and reap more benefits from it.
• Show appreciation for the employees’ contributions to the company. If they feel that the coaching is being used to make them better, and not to try and make a bad employee turn into a good one, then will embrace the coaching instead of resisting it.
• If the reason for the coaching is because something is wrong with the company, own up to your part of the problem. To get the employee to accept some responsibility, they need to see the boss owning a share of that responsibility, too. This is one of the most important tips. Coaching employees is always easier when they feel as if they are on a level playing ground with everyone in the company.
• Don’t forget the feedback. Feedback is an integral part of coaching. It should be a two-way street. Feedback from the coach to the employee and feedback from the employee to the coach. This is one of the most often forgotten tips. Coaching employees requires a continuous open line of communication and a perpetual feedback loop.

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “30-Days to Become a Coach” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your 30-day coaching blueprint videos.

Fred Philips
Business Coach
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