The toughest part of leadership is coaching people to change their behavior. When an employee is excellent at fulfilling 90% of his or her responsibilities, but that 10% gap is killing you, what are you to do? How do you change specific behaviors, while keeping the person motivated and productive? This aspect of improving business communication can, many times, turn a manager into a leader.

After years of managing people, I developed and use Five Coaching Steps that have proven successful in these situations.  My method is best used when:

·       the employee has committed the negative behavior several times.

·       you have talked with the employee after each instance.

·       you have documented the specific situations.

·       you have been clear with the employee about what your performance expectations are.

Setting the stage for ‘the meeting’

Now it is time to call him or her into your office for a serious conversation. It is important to make sure that you will be uninterrupted so you can maintain your focus and control. The point of this conversation is to make sure:

·       the employee understands the seriousness of the situation.

·       takes ownership of the actions in question.

·       takes ownership of and commits to making the necessary changes realistically.

Before the meeting, write down what you will say for each of the following five steps. This will be your personal agenda.

The Five Coaching Steps

1. Indicate the difference

Paint a mental picture for the employee specifically describing the difference between what is expected when the performance is at 100% and what the employee is actually doing. Use specific examples for both. For some people you will need to describe it 3 different ways.

2. Describe the impact

Describe the negative impact of the behavior so that the employee realizes its ramifications on others. Emphasize the negative consequences associated with the behavior. Be sure to consider and include in your “impact” discussion the effects on co-workers, managers, other departments, customers, and even the employee himself.

3. Gain agreement

Gain agreement from the employee on the need to make a change. You can simply say, “Do you see that this is a problem?” If he or she still does not see it as a problem, go back to steps 1 and 2, saying it in different ways until the employee finally understands.

4. Decide on the solution

Ask the employee for ideas on how to prevent the behavior from happening again. Explore as many of his or her ideas as possible. Then add any ideas you have. Finally, agree on the specific solutions to be implemented.

5. Set the goal

Be specific about when the new behavior will be done. This adds a sense of urgency and seriousness that motivates the employee to action. Decide together what the follow-up will be. Will you get together in a week to see how it is going? Will someone else be involved in the follow-up, e.g. someone who is affected by the behavior?

Stick to your agenda even though the employee throws excuses at you. And, be sure to follow up to prove you are serious. These Five Coaching Steps will see you through when you love’em, you need’em, and you want to keep’em.

This outlines some of the main aspects of Coaching to 100%. If you would like to ask Janelle Brittain questions about your specific situation, email your question to her at Janelle@DynamicPerformance.com

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Janelle Brittain, MBA, CSP, is CEO & President of Dynamic Performance Institute, LLC and Dynamic Solutions Group., companies that help leadership and teams of organizations grow to their highest dynamic performance.  Her most recent books are “Star Team Dynamics: 12 Lessons Learned from Experienced Team Builders” and “How to Say It: Performance Reviews, Phrases and Strategies for Painless and Productive Performance Reviews.” To learn more, visit www.DynamicPerformance.com and WWW.DynamicSolutionsGp.com . To hear concrete advice or have your business questions answered, go to Janelle’s on-line audio shows at: https://thewinonline.com/shows/dynamic-performance-business-coach-bring-your-work-issues-janelle