The best lessons are taught on the spot.
Sometimes in leadership, we hold our thoughts, and “bite our tongues” with our staff or our peers. We do this for what we think is saving feelings or just simply keeping the peace at work. But is it though? Are we doing what is best for the person that is failing, for the business, or for ourselves and our team as a whole?
I was interviewing a potential hire this week and I asked the question, “What do you expect from your employer?” This question is wide open… the answer could literally be anything. Her initial response was so powerful, and a good reminder to me.
She said, “I want someone that will teach me when I make mistakes. If I don’t know that I am not performing to standard, or doing something wrong, how can I possibly improve?”
Such a strong and valuable statement!
As a manager, teaching and coaching your staff in the moment on a daily basis is essential for building a successful, productive, stable, and strong team. Coaching in the moment is about providing feedback and guidance to your staff in real-time. This is both for good feedback and constructive criticism. This can be an incredibly effective way to help them develop and grow. When coaching, in general, most importantly stay focused on the task at hand and provide immediate, specific feedback. This feedback should be tailored to each individual, the task and hand, and the situation and should be constructive and helpful. It’s also important to provide context and explain why you’re giving the feedback that you are giving.
Human nature can steer us to the negative side of things.
It can be easy for us as leaders or managers to think of a time when someone was blatantly messing something up that needed to be corrected. Keep in mind, this isn’t just about the things that need improvement. Think about professional sports. When a play is brilliant, the coach is in the player’s face congratulating them! Hugs and high-fives are all around because that is the type of performance to be repeated. Coaching in the moment should be used to offer ideas ad skills to deal with the situation at hand and leave with positive reinforcement. You want to ensure that your staff members feel supported and encouraged to continue to improve. Respectful and open communication is essential.
Also important to note… coaching people isn’t a one-time thing. You don’t offer feedback and then think… “Well glad that’s handled!” It’s important to make it a regular part of your team’s workflow. Make sure that you’re checking in with your staff on a regular basis and providing them with feedback and guidance. This will help ensure that your team is developing and growing, and it will also help create an environment of trust and respect.