Sep 12 2011
Coaching: from the sidelines or in the game?
There is one thing more powerful than all the coaching models, approaches and certifying organizations put together.
That one essential key is hindered by almost all organizational performance appraisal, performance assessment, performance development or what-have-you systems and processes. The typical performance appraisal system puts the manager in the position of assessing and judging the employee. Separate from them, overlooking, deciding, giving them their score. There is no requirement to make a significant commitment to the employee. Sometimes there is a commitment to provide developmental opportunities but rarely have I seen a manager commit to the employee that their performance will improve.
From the sidelines you watch and judge. “From the French judge, a 6.9”.
Imagine this scenario: A manager says to her boss and her colleagues, “Let this employee work for me for a year and I promise they will be twice as effective as they are now. If they don’t achieve that, cut my pay in half and don’t let me supervise anyone again.”
Now that’s commitment – a level of commitment that’s a game-changer. Now you’ve got something at stake. You are in the game with the employee and with a commitment to improving performance. To make this bet you may need more development than your employee. That way everyone wins!
If you have some employee whose performance needs to improve, and you’re not willing to make the bet, either you or the employee ought to leave now and save everyone from the torture of being stuck in a job going nowhere.
But then, not everyone wants to change the game. Not every assessor, evaluator, judge, Monday-morning-quarterback wants to risk putting their own ass on the line.
Comments
Derek Bunskoek
9-12-2011
5:00 pm
This is a great article that hits on some very real issues. I agree that while not everyone wants to do what it takes to change the game. There are some managers that want to change the game and may even be willing to put their ass on the line for it but don’t see a realistic way of acheiveing it. For example, I come across managers on a regular basis that have passion for raising the game of their direct reports, but see it only acheievable as a trade-off…”I would love to have the time to be able to put my ass on the line, but I have a job to do as well” they think that it would be easy to double someones effectiveness if that was ‘all’ they had to do. In these cases the challenge comes not from a lack of willingness but from a place of mis-understanding where managers do not see their primary responsibilities as ensuring the sucess of their direct reports. They do not live in a way where it is already their job, with their asses already on the line to have the “work” as the opportunties to engage, inspire, and light-up their direct reports. To live as “if my staff fail, it is impossible for me to suceed” level of committment. This is not surpising as most managers do not, did not have “coaches” that have provided this for them. It is now time to live this understanding so that the willingness to make this committment is not seen as a new thing but that it has always existed…we have just never been accountable to ourselves and others for doing our real jobs.