1. Asking Questions to Solve Problems <br />Good managers realize they don't have all the answers. They know that the real experts are the people doing the work. Each person is intimately aware of the details of his or her own job. Therefore, the best way to help your employees solve their problems is to guide them through their own thought processes to eliminate emotions and discover new perspectives. <br />To do this, you need to be a good listener and ask the right questions. There are two types of questions you can ask – open questions and closed questions. <br />Closed questions have simple, straightforward, usually one-word answers. They are effective for gathering bits of information. An example is, quot;
How many widgets did you produce today?quot;
Closed questions are easier for you to ask, but they sometimes cause people to feel interrogated and defensive. If your purpose is to draw someone out, use open questions.<br />Open questions ask people to respond more fully. By getting the employee to talk through the problem, you are helping the employee analyze the situation objectively and search for solutions. An example is, quot;
What factors decreased our production?quot;
<br />In addition to closed and open questions, there are three other types of questions you can use, but they have both good and bad points. <br />Rhetorical questions aren't really questions and can be insulting. Examples of rhetorical questions are, quot;
Did you think that would work?quot;
or quot;
Don't you know better than that?quot;
Avoid using this type of question<br />Feeling questions help clarify a person's position and help get that person to consider options. If you ask a person how he or she feels about a particular assignment, you'll get a better response than if you ask that person how the assignment is coming along.<br />An example of a feeling question is, quot;
How do you feel the assignment is going?quot;
<br />Why questions often make people feel defensive. Be a little cautious in how you word a why question. Examples of why questions are, quot;
Why did this happen?quot;
or quot;
Why did you do that?quot;
Those are pretty hard questions to answer, and often make people defensive, uncomfortable, and nervous.<br />One additional point: When asking questions, be sure to consider your goal as you ask the questions. Is your goal to gather bits of data or to provoke a more thoughtful response? Form your questions accordingly. <br />Your goals in asking questions are to get people to see problems objectively, and to explore options for solutions. By asking questions, you are also showing your employees that you value their opinions and support and respect them as individuals. Asking effective questions empowers people to do their own thinking – and it is the trademark of an excellent manager. <br />Course: Managing as Coach and Counselor<br />Helping Employees Set Goals <br />To help your employees improve their performance, you need to help them set goals. It's important to set goals collaboratively and to clarify expectations, so both you and the employee understand exactly what the expectations are. A goal-setting session provides you and the employee the opportunity to do just that. <br />Setting goals should be part of every performance evaluation. But since managing and coaching is a continuous process, you shouldn't wait until a particular date or for a formal excuse to assist a team member. <br />When setting goals with employees, keep the following points in mind:<br />Goals should be reached and agreed upon by both you and the employee. <br />Goals should clearly define expectations. <br />Goals should be measurable. <br />Goals should identify job-specific outcomes.<br />Goals should align with corporate values and principles.<br />If the session is formal, such as an evaluation or reprimand, goals should be written down.<br />As you're considering goals, you and your employee need to make them as clear as possible. To do this, you can employ the SMART model. <br />Using this model, goals should be: <br />S – Specific. Specific goals identify exactly how the goal will be accomplished.<br />M – Measurable. Specify how you will ascertain whether or not the goal has been accomplished.<br />A – Attainable. Set goals at an attainable level, so they can be accomplished.<br />R – Realistic. Realistic goals involve activities over which the employee has the control or authority necessary to make needed changes.<br />T – Timely. Timely goals will be achieved within a timeframe that will not exceed the need.<br />Goals provide clarification and direction to an employee, so that the employee knows clearly what is expected and how to get there. By clearly defining goals with an employee, you are helping to raise the level of that employee's performance. <br />Course: Managing as Coach and Counselor<br />Topic: Goal-setting<br />Overcoming Resistance to Change <br />Changing management styles from a traditional to a coaching style is an opportunity for the coach and the staff members to create the circumstances they want. In other words, by making this transition in management styles, you are empowering your employees to reinvent themselves and their jobs – but they might not see it that way. <br />Because your employees may be fearful of what the change can bring, they may become resistant to change. If you encounter resistance, what you don't want to do is revert to your old management style of telling people what to do. Resorting to your old style will be tempting because it's comfortable. Even your staff might be happy to see the quot;
old youquot;
return. But that would be defeating the purpose. Instead, you should seek ways to help your employees accept the change that is taking place. <br />The quot;
new youquot;
coach is patient, listens to concerns as well as input, and allows people time to adjust. Keep in mind that some of your resistant people might need extra time to process the new ideas and to express emotions. You can help them by drawing out their feelings and allowing them to vent. There are a number of additional strategies you can use to help make your employees less resistant to the change. <br />Be sensitive to how difficult change might be for your staff. Change will be easier for you than for your staff. You were involved in the decision; they weren't.<br />Constantly point the way forward. Try to get people to think about what the team will be like after they get through the transition.<br />If something isn't working, by all means, change it. However, avoid changing the rules midstream. There's enough confusion already.<br />Provide as much information as you can. The more information people have, the easier it is for them to accept change.<br />Don't give up too soon. Be open-minded in examining problems and identifying solutions. Talk a lot. Listen a lot. And remember that the solutions come from the collaborative efforts of your staff, not from you.<br />One of the reasons people resist change is that they don't feel comfortable with new expectations. Recognize that any change requires a learning curve, with inherent mistakes. Mistakes should be viewed and communicated as progress. Communicate, listen, and be patient, and you'll find that you can make the change in management styles a successful one. <br />Course: Managing as Coach and Counselor<br />Topic: Overcoming Resistance to Your New Style<br />Identifying Your Communication Style Purpose <br />Use this job aid to identify your preferred representational system and communication style.<br />How to Score <br />To record your score you can print out the tables, recreate them yourself, or make a note of your scores. Score 3 for the phrases that best describe you, 2 for the descriptions that are quite like you and 1 for the statements that aren't at all like you. When you have completed the test, total the score for each section. The highest of the three scores indicates your dominant representational system and your preferred communication style. <br />Visual system Phrase Score <br />I remember information better if I write it down. <br />I look at the person talking to help me stay focused. <br />I use the way I dress to express my moods. <br />I doodle or jot down notes when talking on the telephone. <br />I respond strongly to colors and the way a room looks. <br />When I recall written information I see the page in my head. <br />I have a very good memory for people and faces. <br />I make important decisions based on what looks best. <br />I don't need a quiet place to get my work done. <br />I often picture things or events in my head. <br />I have trouble maintaining interest during long discussions. <br />I hate it when people block my view. <br />Visual total: <br />Auditory system <br />I pay more attention to what people say than how they look. <br />I make important decisions based on what sounds best. <br />When I read I hear the words in my head. <br />I often misread words from written text. <br />I often talk to myself either out loud or silently. <br />I do not follow written directions well. <br />I would rather listen and learn than read and learn. <br />I have a good memory for names. <br />I often listen to the TV without watching what's on the screen. <br />It is important for my working environment to be quiet. <br />I use my tone of voice to express my moods. <br />I enjoy catching up with friends on the phone. <br />Auditory total: <br />Kinesthetic system <br />I start a project before reading the directions. <br />I hate to sit at my desk for long periods of time. <br />I make important decisions based on what feels best. <br />It is important for my working environment to be comfortable. <br />I prefer to try new things out for myself. <br />It's as important for my clothes to fit well as to look good. <br />I use my hands when describing things. <br />I rewrite my notes to reinforce the information. <br />I share my feelings with others to express my moods. <br />I'm not afraid to act on instinct rather than logic. <br />I'm very aware of my health and physical state. <br />When I read I run my finger along the lines of words. <br />Kinesthetic total: <br />Source: The Coaching Skillset<br />How to Be a Good Listener <br />Even though you listen more frequently than you read, write, or speak, it is likely that you haven't received any listening training. Listening is essential to your success as a coach, because your communication with your coachees will suffer if you fail to fulfill all the stages of the listening process. <br />Giving your coachee your full attention requires a lot of physical and mental effort. Obvious physical barriers to good listening, such as loud background noise or dealing with an unfamiliar accent, aren't as hard to overcome as your own mental barriers. It requires skill to overcome the self-made obstacles that prevent you from listening to the complete message. <br />Knowing your listening weaknesses <br />Before you can improve your listening skills, you need to identify your listening weaknesses. Poor listening is usually caused by not focusing on the speaker and his message and instead focusing on yourself, your emotions and opinions, your thoughts, your reply, and other distractions. <br />Methods for being a good listener <br />It is possible to conquer listening weaknesses such as trying to dominate the conversation, allowing your attention to wander, and listening selectively by using some simple techniques. <br />Methods that work well are <br />not interrupting, or giving brief responses <br />listening with a specific purpose or goal <br />using appropriate eye contact and body language <br />concentrating on the content of the communication <br />being aware of your emotional state and reaction triggers <br />staying objective<br />Indicators of poor listening <br />If you frequently find yourself concentrating on getting your opportunity to talk, interrupting, or wanting to change the subject, then it is unlikely that you are listening attentively to what you are being told. Watch for these indicators: <br />Do you often jump in with a related experience of your own before the other person has finished telling his story? <br />Do you offer a solution before the speaker has finished explaining the problem? <br />Active listeners speak for 30 percent of the time and listen for 70 percent. If you interrupt or dominate a conversation, this means that you're not listening effectively. The only acceptable reason to interject is to clarify or confirm what has been said. <br />If you are tempted to butt in, take a sip of water if there is some on hand. If you must talk when speakers are sharing something important, use short responses. Longer replies will make them feel impatient and diverted by your intrusion. <br />Setting a goal for listening <br />Sometimes you may not listen because you are busy rehearsing your reply or thinking or daydreaming about an unrelated subject. If this is a common occurrence, then you need to listen with a purpose. <br />Be motivated to listen by setting a goal. It may be to gain information, obtain directions or instructions, solve problems, or understand how another person feels – all of which are vital elements of your role as a coach. <br />Think of listening as a challenging task. Mentally structure and summarize the verbal content of the communicated message by indexing, sequencing, and comparing: <br />Indexing – Indexing is taking mental note of the key points or ideas being discussed, together with their associated and supporting points and items.<br />Sequencing – Sequencing is listening for order or priority. Sometimes the order of what you are being told is important or even crucial.<br />Comparing – Comparing is concentrating on the points being made and discriminating between fact and theory, positive and negative, advantages and disadvantages. Then you can evaluate the ideas, options, attitudes, facts, feelings, and beliefs.<br />Eye contact <br />Overcome any tendency to rehearse your response or allow your attention to drift by giving your coachee your undivided attention. Look him in the eye when he is speaking – active listeners maintain eye contact for five seconds or more. People can tell by your eyes if you are not paying attention. Focus on your coachee and only the coachee. Ignore internal distractions, such as your own thoughts, and external disruptions, such as telephones ringing and people talking. <br />Emotional reactions <br />When you react emotionally, you tend to hear what you want to hear – not what is actually being said. You'll only listen to some of what the other person says. Usually, you filter out the parts that don't confirm your views and opinions. It is particularly important that you don't do this in coaching sessions. <br />Remain neutral, objective, and open-minded. Stay in tune with your reactions and watch out for anger, boredom, or disinterest. Be aware of your biases and emotional triggers. For example, such things as a speaker's bad grammar, limited vocabulary, or accent might irritate you. Your awareness helps you control, or preferably eliminate, your emotional reactions, allowing you to concentrate on the speaker's message and not on the delivery. <br />Open body language <br />As a good listener, your behavior will demonstrate your intention to understand. Acknowledge your coachees both verbally and nonverbally, and encourage them to continue by using your responses and body language to demonstrate your interest and attention. <br />This requires you to <br />adopt an open, relaxed posture <br />squarely face the coachee <br />lean slightly toward your coachee<br />ask questions to confirm and clarify what is being said<br />Listening more attentively to your coachees will help you know them better and feel closer to them. When you listen more responsively, it helps them to feel that you truly know and understand them. <br />When your coachees feel they have been heard, they are much more likely to listen to your advice and to take your support. If you both listen, you'll understand each other and be able to establish a positive coaching partnership. <br />Course: The Coaching Skillset<br />Topic: Improve Your Listening Skills<br />