Growth and improvement is important for all of us.
Are you a Planner, Surveyor, Engineer or Architect who is leading a team?
Are you wanting to improve your team’s wellbeing/productivity or sustainability?If your people are critical to the success of your business, then we suggest allocating time to coaching conversations.
Why?
Two highly desired competencies in leaders are:
- To inspire and motivate others
- To develop others
Interestingly, the two least present leadership skills are:
- Inspiring and motivating others
- Developing others
And no, that is not a typo!
Need More Reasons Why?
Are billable hours a key metric in your organisation? Who produces those hours? Your team are your critical resource.
Finding great, skilled, qualified people is difficult – so keep what you have.
Get the most from your people by being interested in them and valuing what they do.
The Number #1 Reason why Good People Leave Your Organisation
They feel undervalued.
But I Do Talk to My Team!
You might be thinking you talk/meet with your team on a regular basis, unfortunately, it is very likely that these interactions are not seen as coaching interactions by the team members themselves. Instead, they will be interpreted as check-ins, check-ups or project reports.
101 Coaching
Here are some tips to support your initial (non-issue*) coaching efforts.
Session 1
What to do:
- Set up your first session for 30 minutes
- Ask: ‘How is work going?’ Explore.
- Ask: ‘How are you going?’ Explore.
- Ask: ‘What are your plan for this year?’ Explore.
How to do it:
- Note that you are asking about them and your questions are open-ended.
- Be open and share that you are developing your coaching style/process as a leader
- Be genuinely interested in them
- You talk 25%, they talk 75%…be prepared to listen
Session 2
What to do:
- Keep appointment time, not matter how busy you are
- Revisit the areas they mentioned last time
- Ask: ‘Is there anything they wanted to bring up?’ This is a window for that. I promise you, they will get the idea of it and you will be surprised at what comes out.
- Ask: ‘How is work going?’
- Ask: ‘How are they going?’
- Set next appointment for two weeks time
How to do it:
- Be genuinely interested in them
- You talk 25%, they talk 75%…be prepared to listen
- Record the key points
Session 3
What to do:
- Keep appointment time, not matter how busy you are
- Revisit the areas they mentioned last time
- Ask: ‘What would you like to discuss?’ By the third session, a pattern is emerging and you are encouraging them to ‘own’ the time with you and open dialogue.
How to do it:
- Be genuinely interested in them
- You talk 25%, they talk 75%…be prepared to listen
- Record the key points
Not a Check-In
Remember, these coaching conversations are not check-ins, check-ups or project reports. It is a conversation that explores their mindset, concerns, and goals.
It is a conversation that is building a mutual relationship and mutual trust. As the coach, you act as a springboard for their opinions, thoughts and ideas and support their process of identifying opportunities and solutions.
*If difficult unresolved challenges/issues exist with the team member, you will need a little more guidance than the simple framework shared here.
We can help with that. Connect with us directly. We have the knowledge and experience to build your coaching skills and support your team development.