What is Coaching?

Think of your employees like a sports team, and you are the coach. The goal is for all of your players to play well, right?  The coach provides feedback to each player on various skills and techniques to help the team.  If the player doesn’t play well, what does the coach do? They “coach” the players so they can do better the next time.  And the players want the feedback. The point isn’t to bench everyone or kick them off the team; it is to have a strong team. That requires coaching and corrective action.

Unfortunately, many leaders and employees fear the “coaching” part of the process. It’s not about punishment; it’s about correction. You hired your employee for a reason, right? Then give them a chance to succeed! We wish every employee hired was magically a superstar, but that is not reality, nor is it reasonable. They sometimes need help to get there. Coaching is when you provide feedback and guidance to an employee to help them improve, whether it be performance or conduct. Coaching is relevant for both positive and negative feedback.

Coaching is a conversation. It is less about statements and assumption on the manager’s part and more about questions. “How do you feel that presentation went?” “What are your thoughts on….?” This creates a more comfortable environment for the employee allowing for more effective and fluid communication that creates trust. In addition, it provides insight to the manager regarding what the employee is actually thinking – which helps the manager formulate their approach.

Sometimes coaching alone doesn't work and you have to move to a more formal corrective action. This is called a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), Supervisory Guidance, or Corrective Action.  Basically, it’s more serious. This means the coaching didn’t work or the incident was so severe that it required skipping the coaching step and moving directly to corrective action.  When considering Corrective Action, you should focus on the facts and behaviors. You should also seek out the employee’s perspective and thoughts before deciding what action to take.

Employees can’t fix what they don’t know is broken, and employers should allow the employee the opportunity to improve. Not to mention, the process and documentation can be helpful in the case of a lawsuit. Coaching and Corrective Action is an intentional approach toward improving employee performance and conduct. It takes time and can be frustrating, but can often be worth it in the end from a morale, financial, and productivity standpoint.