WorkPuzzle

Key to Organizational Success Part 2: Teaching Agents to Get Over Small Offenses

Earlier this week, I highlighted research that Gallup recently published on the characteristics of high-performing managers.  Here is the list of common traits that great managers share:

They motivate every single employee (agent) to take action and engage them with a compelling mission and vision.

They have the assertiveness to drive outcomes and the ability to overcome adversity and resistance.

They create a culture of clear accountability.

They build relationships that create trust, open dialogue, and full transparency.

They make decisions that are based on productivity, not politics.

As I think about leading my own team of employees, these traits set a high bar.  I personally need to make improvements in all five areas.

There is one trait on this list, however, that I think is particularly difficult to implement (#4): Building relationships that create trust, open dialog, and full transparency.

Why is this one so difficult?  Because it’s the only trait that requires the full bilateral engagement of those I manage.  I can’t create trust unless the other person chooses to trust me.  I can’t have an open dialog unless the other person agrees to talk.  We can’t have a fully transparent relationship unless both sides agree to reveal themselves.

Improving on #4 is certainly a complex topic, but I wanted share a strategy I’ve personally been trying to use to improve the trust and openness with those I manage.

The technique was brought to my attention by an article I read a few months ago written by Esther Inglis-Arkell on a blog called IO9.  Here is an excerpt from Arkell’s article:

We seem to have a kind of pettiness built into our nature. We will watch soppy movies about the redemption of murderers, or a long television series about gleeful serial killers, but have a character in a movie litter and we want them in prison.

Our real lives are not exempt from this. We can nurse a grudge against someone who gave us a dirty look for years. When someone we love screams at us, we forgive them in a few days.

A team of scientists from UCLA, Harvard, and the University of Virginia conducted a series of experiments that showed the people are bad at predicting how hurt will affect them over time.

We tend to assume the more painful injuries, the major ones, or the ones committed by loved ones, will cause the most pain over time… [But the opposite is true]. If the hurt is minor, we [tend to] let it fester...

Why do we furiously resent the minor insults but forgive, or at least let go, of the major ones? Why do we let those close to us insult us in ways we'd never take from a stranger? According to the study authors, it's because we can afford to….

If holding a grudge means we have to be angry and miserable for a long time, we find a way to stop being angry. If we just suffer a little annoyance, we allow it. Or sometimes we even enjoy it.

So, here is my new strategy to create trust, open dialog, and full transparency with those I manage: 

I am making a point to overlook and forgive the small offenses that commonly take place in the work environment.

In addition, I am going to encourage others to do the same (both with me and with each other).  

My goal is to make this way of relating an integral part of our company’s culture:  We don’t hold grudges, we overlook the small stuff, and we forgive those around us who commit small offenses—even if they don’t ask for forgiveness.

Is this something you could also implement on your team?  Like me, you’d have to start with your own behavior and then let it grow into becoming part of your culture.

According to the research, this change will improve your chances of building trust-filled relationships among those on your team.  Combined with the other traits, you’ll then be one step closer to becoming a great manager.

Note:   If you like all the social science/organizational psychology stuff, you may want to read all of Arkell’s article, or download the original research paper.  Both are helpful in understanding why forgiveness in helpful in building trust.

 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Key to Organizational Success: The Right Manager

Are you a great manager? If so, you’re amongst a small minority of individuals who work for companies in the United States.  If you are not a great manager (yet), keep reading.  There is a recipe of talents that great managers possess and it is not as complicated or illusive as you might imagine.

The research on this topic (done by the Gallup Organization) was recently reported in the Harvard Business Review (HBR).  It outlines both the importance of good managers and the scarcity of their existence in business world.

Gallup has found that one of the most important decisions companies make is simply whom they name manager. Yet our analysis suggests that they usually get it wrong. In fact, Gallup finds that companies fail to choose the candidate with the right talent for the job 82% of the time. 

Managers account for at least 70% of variance in employee engagement scores across business units, Gallup estimates. This variation is in turn responsible for severely low worldwide employee engagement.

Gallup reported in two large-scale studies in 2012 that only 30% of U.S. employees are engaged at work, and a staggeringly low 13% worldwide are engaged. Worse, over the past 12 years these low numbers have barely budged, meaning that the vast majority of employees worldwide are failing to develop and contribute at work.

So, high-performing managers cause employees to increase their engagement in their day-to-day work. That begs the question: Why is employee engagement so important?   HBR goes on to explain:

Gallup has discovered links between employee engagement at the business-unit level and vital performance indicators [such as] customer metrics, higher profitability, productivity, quality (fewer defects), and lower turnover…. When a company raises employee engagement levels consistently across every business unit, everything gets better.

A negative chain reaction seems to be at play in most companies.  Employees (agents) who are disengaged cause companies to perform poorly, and employee (agent) disengagement is primarily caused by low-performing managers.

The purpose of this WorkPuzzle is not to beat up on managers.  Even if they wanted to do so, most real estate companies would have a hard time replacing their existing managers with higher-performing alternatives.

In most cases, it would be a better strategy to help the managers who are already on the job make improvements.  More specifically, these developments should be focused on the task of improving employee engagement.

Gallup outlines five critical talents that good managers possess as it relates to increasing employee engagement:

They motivate every single employee (agent) to take action and engage them with a compelling mission and vision.

They have the assertiveness to drive outcomes and the ability to overcome adversity and resistance.

They create a culture of clear accountability.

They build relationships that create trust, open dialogue, and full transparency.

They make decisions that are based on productivity, not politics.

If you’re a manager, review this list and take inventory of your day-to-day actions.  Are these the behaviors you find yourself doing?  If not, how can you start to focus your attention on these important tasks.  Remember, these are the tasks and traits of managers who manage highly engaged agents.

If you’re managing managers (owner, general manager, regional VP, etc.), set the example by making these traits part of your management culture.  Then coach your managers to take on these traits as they manage their own teams.

As a result, you’ll hopefully have more engaged agents who will produce the business metrics that make your company more successful.  That’s a purpose everyone can get behind.

 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Sales Meeting Prep: 9 Lessons from Shark Tank

Since the focus audience of WorkPuzzle is real estate industry leaders, owners, and managers, readers often tell me that they’ve used our blog content as discussion topics for their sales meetings.  Many of the topics we cover can be adapted to help agents perform at a higher level. 

If you haven’t thought of doing this yet, try searching a topic on WorkPuzzle.com (right side of the
website, next to the search button).  There are more than 600 articles we’ve written over the last few years.

To get some ideas flowing, I’ve found an article that could be very helpful in teaching your agents to think like entrepreneurs.  It was originally written by Brett and Kate McKay and published on their popular blog.

The article highlights some lessons the authors gleaned from the popular television series Shark Tank.   If you’re not familiar with Shark Tank, it is a show where aspiring entrepreneurs get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of “sharks” — five self-made millionaires and billionaires and ask for funding in exchange for equity in their businesses.

Here are some excerpts from the top three lessons that I believe apply to real estate agents:

Learn how to pitch. If there’s one lesson you take from Shark Tank and this post, let it be this: master the art of the pitch.

Even if you don’t think you’ll ever find yourself standing in front of a bunch of venture capitalists, every entrepreneur needs to know how to effectively sell himself and his idea to his potential partners, employees, and clients/customers.

You’d think on a show like Shark Tank — in which people know they’ll be asking for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on national television – the entrepreneurs would prepare for their pitch like crazy.

But you’d be wrong.

I’d venture that 50% of the pitches on Shark Tank are absolutely horrible, 40% are so-so, and 10% are stellar. Some of the folks on Shark Tank just seem like they’re winging it, which makes for some awkward, yet entertaining moments.

If only 10% of Shark Tank participants are able to make good pitches, do you think some of your agents may be doing sub-par pitches to their clients?   I think you could bet on that. 

I’ve heard from several sources that the best pitch ever done on Shark Tank was by an 18-year-old girl who owns a skincare company called Simple Sugars.  It might be worth buying this episode and using it as a case study. (Season 4, Episode 19)

Know your business.   Mark Cuban once said, “Know your business and industry better than anyone else in the world.”

You need to know your numbers — sales, cash flow, debt, margin, and so on. The sharks often hesitate to make a deal with entrepreneurs who don’t know important data points like their customer acquisition cost.

But knowing your business extends far beyond having a handle on your numbers; it requires a deep understanding and grasp of the industry you’re competing in. Lots of entrepreneurs come on the show pitching a product or service they think is truly unique, only to be informed by one of the sharks that a very similar product or service already exists. If they had done just a bit of due diligence, they could have avoided that embarrassing “surprise.”

A perfect example of entrepreneurs who came on "Shark Tank" without really understanding their industry (or even business) was a pair of doctors pitching a social network for their fellow MDs called Rolodoc. The docs had no clue how social media worked, or even what it was, despite the fact that their business idea would supposedly revolve round it. Consequently, they stumbled over even very basic questions about how their idea would be executed and how it would actually make money. Mark Cuban called it the worst pitch in "Shark Tank" history.

Do your agents really know their businesses?    This is a great way to breach this topic without coming across as overly critical.  You can buy this episode also (Season 5, Episode 1).

Concentrate on your core competency. Sometimes an already successful business will enter the tank seeking more capital to expand and grow.  Nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when one of these companies wants to use that money to expand into a somewhat related product line or service that detracts from their original core competency.

Most of the sharks are leery of these businesses and will often tell the entrepreneur that they’ll only invest if they drop their plans for the expanded product line. Why would they want their money funneled into an untested product or service instead of being used to boost a proven winner?

It’s good to experiment and try different things in business, but never lose sight of your core competency. Getting sidetracked has been the downfall of many a business. This is especially true with the volume and ease with which you can get feedback on social media these days; you might hear from a bunch of folks who say, “I wish you guys would make this too!” leading you to believe there’s a popular demand for a new expansion in your business. Then it turns out that those commenters actually represented a very small but disproportionately vocal minority.

Know what you’re good at and stick close to it.

These are good lessons for any businessperson. They are especially helpful for real estate professionals because the best agents are entrepreneurs at heart.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Coaching and a Putt-Putt Champion

I am a golfer. The type that loves to spend 4+ hours at a time playing on regulation golf courses. But, did you know that there is a little known culture dedicated to the practice and perfecting of the game of Putt-Putt Golf?

You know the game! The sometimes gimmicky putter-only courses you typically only play with kids. This group can teach us a great deal about coaching. More on that later..

Over the past 2 months I've shared with you some basic principles of great coaching, and I hope that you've benefited from the concrete structure around the art of coaching. A recent article in Forbes by Candice Frankovelgia, gives us an excellent synopsis of what we've discussed over the last few weeks. 

1) Building the relationship. It’s easier to learn from someone you trust. 

2) Providing assessment.  Assessment often focuses on gaps or inconsistencies, on current performance vs. desired performance, words vs. actions and intention vs. impact.

3) Challenging thinking and assumptions.  Coaches ask open-ended questions, push for alternative solutions to problems and encourage reasonable risk-taking.

4) Supporting and encouraging. They encourage employees to make progress toward their goals, and they recognize their successes.

5) Driving results.  Effective coaching is about achieving goals.

All of these principles are important. But, what is the real key? What is the bottom line to great coaching? What have I witnessed in every great coach who I have ever had the pleasure of being inspired by? What can make you a great coach? 

The answer came when I watched the following video on a group of gentleman who have spent most of their lives perfecting the game of putt-putt golf.

The Key is Reverence!

Every great coach conveys a reverence for their craft. The craft that they help teach others to learn and execute appears to me as some extension of the divine; a love of the game (whatever it might be).

A husband of one of my clients sells copiers and fax machines for a living, and does quite well. When I asked him what got him into the business, he told me a great story. As he was interviewing as a new college graduate, he told the hiring boss..."But I want to sell something important... something that saves lives..." His future boss looked at him sternly and said, "I sell copiers to people who save lives every day." And he meant it. 

So the big question is: Do you have a reverent or sacred view of what you do and what you are inspiring others to do. Beyond what you sell, the lives and inner dreams of those you manage can be approached with reverence.

When you combine the human element with the structured principles, then you are a truly great coach and the results will prove it! 

Enjoy this great video of a perfect Putt-Putt game and experience the reverence and dedication of the best putt-putt players you'll ever see. 

  

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

3 Reasons For a Coaching Mindset

Do you have a coaching mindset? Do you know anyone who does? I would bet that the greatest leaders influencing your life exhibited a natural coaching mindset. Those leaders are few and far between. 

Why are they so rare and why do those who possess or learn the coaching mindset have such a powerful influence? The answer lies in what they do that is the opposite of what the rest of us do: At the end of most conversations they
know you a little better and you leave with a feeling that they truly care
about who you are. 

These are the people who listen, probe your experiences, find out what you
are learning, and ask more questions.

Why is this so important in relationships and why is it vital to great
coaching? 

Below are some reasons why being an Active listener is vital to coaching:

1. We are all puzzles to ourselves. 

Nobody really knows their "self." No one thoroughly understands who they are or what prompts their thought or decision making processes.

As a good listener you are helping them fit more of the puzzle pieces together. You are not defining their "self" but working with them to better understand what drives them. You are working alongside them in this mystery we call life!

Even those who have solid values, a strong faith, and good friends continue to need help figuring out who they are, what they stand for and where they are going. You can be a valued and active piece in filling that role by helping many to assimilate some of the missing pieces.  

2. Coaching Demonstrates Love.

I know that many of you are scared of such a strong word in connection to coaching; but I have news for you; wanting to help people piece together a framework of understanding; what makes them tick and what path they are on is exhibiting Love.   

The opposite of Love in a business relationship is not hate, it's exploitation. If you actively listen and ask leading questions then you will get to know your employee.  This again is displaying a Coaching Mindset and should ward off any temptation to exploit those you coach. It is a great litmus test of the ultimate motive. Are you in it for mutual flourishing or for your own needs?

3. "Listen First; Talk Later."

The best coaches are intent on developing, in their agent, the ability and habit of reflecting on all that they do; dissecting what worked and what didn't and improving their future performance and success.

Coaching is not teaching. Coaching is helping a person to continually assess what they are doing, critiquing and learning from those experiences.

Sports psychologists are experts at this. They don't teach, instead they aid a person in becoming aware of differences in good performance and poor performance.

Continue to develop your Coaching Mindset and I guarantee you will see success in even the most doubtful agent.

More importantly, everyone will benefit.

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Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Coaching Insight : The Grow Model of Coaching – Part 6

We all follow a path. It may be a wide path that doesn't take much thought or planning or a narrow path that very few others find, takes some clearing, requires work, and leads to success.

But we are all on a path. How do you help those you coach to design and follow a path that will lead to personal and financial success? 

Over the past few weeks, I have offered a model of coaching that provides a structure intended to be a strong and lasting blueprint that you can use for almost all of your group and individual coaching. The model is called GROW (Goals, Reality, Options/Obstacles and Way Forward).

Defining the appropriate path for your agents brings us to the  letter W in the acronym GROW.  W is for the "Way Forward." 

Many coaches make the mistake of beginning with this step. It's understandable; we are all busy and it takes time to thoroughly understand and examine an agent's true motivation. But it's definitely worth the effort if it will result in a success for both the company and the agent. 

If we are following the GROW methodology, then it is imperative that we take each step as it comes. By understanding the Goals, Reality, Obstacles & Options you are now ready for the last step. How do we move ahead and find the appropriate "Way Forward?”

Define the Goals and reassess them with the current Reality. Examine the Obstacles and Options to overcome them. The options you listed must be converted into actions to take. Daily action (the Way Forward) should initially be broken down into small steps that allow you to build into  weekly and monthly actions steps. Each of these steps must somehow address overcoming what you've discovered in the earlier processes. 

Action steps should never take longer than 2 weeks to complete. If they do take that long, then break those longer steps into shorter ones. Dissect them with as much specificity as you can. To complete all of the above, you need to have a free flow of questions and brainstorming between you and your agent. Some examples include:

Who do I need as support?

What do I need to learn?

How will I keep myself motivated?

Do my steps fit the SMART model of action steps: Specific; Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time sensitive?

How will this affect my life away from work?

How can I better manage my time in completing each action?

How will I reward myself at each stage? 

There are likely many more questions that could be asked, however remember "small steps.” Successfully complete this and you will see significant progress and exceptional achievement. 

So there you have it. The GROW model of coaching. Use it and let me know what you think. I look forward to sharing more tips on successful coaching over the next two months. But for now consider more about what I mentioned about paths: 

We have all hiked on paths, some interesting and some uninteresting. The interesting ones have most likely been more challenging and taken more planning. Make yours and all the paths of those you coach interesting ones. 

 

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Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Coaching Insight: The GROW Model of Coaching - Part 5

Over the past few weeks, I have offered a model of coaching that provides a structure intended to be a strong and lasting blueprint that you can use for almost all of your group and individual coaching. The model is called GROW.

Today we will focus on the O of GROW, which stands for both Obstacles and Options as defined below.

Obstacle: Barrier, hurdle, stumbling block, obstruction, snag, handicap, complication, disadvantage.

Option: Choice, alternative, a different path

As you may recall from last week we reviewed Reality (the R in the GROW model). The key to fully understanding the Reality is to establish an honest account of what occurred with last year’s goals.

The next step in the process is to develop a fairly exhaustive list of possible Obstacles likely to hinder the reaching of ones original well-defined Goals (See edition on Goals). Obstacles can include blind-spots and false assumptions that prevented an individual from reaching their goals last year.

This can require excessive amounts of brainstorming between you and the person you're coaching (your client), with the client leading the way. Have him/her write down each Obstacle. Your job during this exercise is to act as the facilitator. Listen carefully for Obstacles that are not being considered.

After a complete and thorough spectrum of Obstacles has been identified, you are ready to build a list of Options or alternative ways to address those obstacles and the blind spots.

In defining solutions it is imperative that they are coming from the client, remember you are the coach and should only offer suggestions when it is clear that there are obvious solutions the client is not clearly seeing.

The Options step should carry with it a sense of exploration and should not be rushed. You are about to build a new road map and forge a new path to markedly improved results. This is imporant work.

Avoid the temptation to get lazy with this step. Keep on probing, asking, and asking more, until you have a bit of a Eureka moment. You won't always have a Eureka moment, but it helps to always aim for one.

Now that you have a clear list of all options you are ready to build a path for the W in the GROW model: the Way forward. Till next week...

Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Coaching Insight: The GROW Model of Coaching - Part 4

Our last edition of Coaching Insights offered a detailed explanation and sampling of the G in the GROW methodology of coaching techniques.

This week we will continue delving into each letter of the acronym in more depth, in hopes of enriching your coaching efforts. 

Keep in mind, when it comes to coaching, if you are not working from a proven model it’s very difficult to be effective. If you don’t have a well thought out program, you'll end up directing and prodding and have little to show for it in the end.  

Two weeks ago I introduced you to a broad overview of the GROW Model:

Goal - The End point; what the person would like to achieve. 

Reality - The current status of where you are now, and how you have arrived there.

Obstacles/ Options - The variables that keep the person from reaching their goals; the choices one has to make to overcome the obstacles. 

Way Forward - The action steps that will lead to the successful completion of the goal. 

This week we will look in depth at the concepts of the representation of the letter R – Reality.

Facing reality isn't easy for everyone; but it is essential. For the purposes of both the coach and the agent there are several questions that need to be answered with introspection and honesty:

• Where am I now in meeting my goal?
• What was the result of last year’s goals?
• What resources am I using or ignoring?
• Who will help me and how?
• Am I looking at all the factors?

Without a solid and honest answer to these and other individual questions, it is impossible to be successful in utilizing the GROW method.

As a manager, leader or coach, this phase of the model requires us to elicit from our agents an accurate and concrete acknowledgment of where they are now. How does your typical agent or for that matter, how do YOU handle this part of the process? Keep in mind that what your agent expresses as their reality may not match what you perceive as their current position.  

While some degree of aiming high and having confidence is essential, overestimating ones strengths and fantasizing about how successful one can be has been found to often deliver opposite results, according to researchers.   

So how do you transform the subjective vision your agent may have to one that will help them succeed as a top performer? You must use data, statistics, and numbers – tangible and verifiable measurements.

The first step is to collect the appropriate data and defined metrics and use this to set a baseline. This baseline can then be used along with ongoing data to measure future performance and growth. Without this baseline, it is impossible to know when one reaches his/her defined capacity for growth. The lack of concrete numbers, in fact, may communicate something even more problematic: complacency. 

Any sports fan knows that metrics and measurement is almost sacred ground to management, fans, media and coaches alike. Can you imagine sports without clear measurement?

One nugget of measurement that appeared to elude most people who bet on Denver in the Superbowl (I know, I may not stop with these analogies until April) was that the Seahawks allowed only 16 passing touchdowns all season long. I'm not exactly sure how that went so undetected, but it did. That is REALITY. And the fact that this particular Reality was overlooked became apparent in how the game played out. 

What Reality could you be missing with those you coach; with your own current condition? Once you get those nailed down you'll be ready for the next stage in GROW---- Obstacles and Options. We'll tackle that element of the GROW methodology in our next edition of Coaching Insights. 

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Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Coaching Insight: How to GROW your Coaching Skills – Part 3

In the past few editions of Coaching Insights you have been introduced to the GROW concept of coaching techniques. Beginning this week, and over the course of the next few weeks we will delve into each letter representation of the acronym in more depth and then we will tie it all together into the overall GROW methodology. 

Keep in mind, when it comes to coaching, if you are not working from a proven model it’s very difficult to be effective. If you don’t have a well thought out program, you'll end up directing and prodding and have little to show for it in the end.  

Last week I introduced you to a broad overview of the GROW Model:

Goal - The End point; what the person would like to achieve. 

Reality - The current status of where you are now, and how you have arrived there.

Obstacles/ Options - The variables that keep the person from reaching their goals; the choices one has make to overcome the obstacles. 

Way Forward - The action steps that will lead to the successful completion of the goal. 

If you were to just use the above skeleton outline and nothing more, you would provide much more meaningful and productive coaching benefits than you would without a model. But, the difference between mediocre and excellent coaching will be achieved by developing a deeper understanding of the impact each step can have when it is woven into your coaching style.

Today, we will begin with the first step in the process.  G = Goal.

It is difficult to even begin a day without setting goals; take a shower, brush your teeth. This holds true in coaching and defining relationships as well, just on a different scale. 

The Goal phase isn't as simple as it might sound. It must be arrived at with thoughtful reflection and keen awareness of a number of factors. Your mentee might have an idea where they want to ultimately end up, but they may need help in defining this elusive Goal. Your responsibility is to help them seek a measurable, concrete objective; one that is so well outlined that they will know explicitly when it has been reached. 

The goal should, therefore, not be arbitrary. When an individual does that, it will render a goal where there is little if any personal ownership or "buy-in." How do you achieve this? You find a way to personalize the goal through simple but directed conversation – the first step in any good coaching program. What motivates them, what makes them happy, what frustrates them? What are their short term goals versus long term goals? Why are they doing this in the first place? What do they hope to gain? What are their expectations? This is perhaps the most important part of the GROW program. Get to know the individual; take some time now for better success later.

Once this is done, you've tackled the most difficult, but essential piece to the Goal stage of coaching, and you have added to your relationship the knowledge of what motivates this individual. This is a priceless accomplishment when it comes to coaching, because goals can sometimes be empty without a greater motivation behind them. 

Now that you have the ultimate goal, press for a specific, measurable, and time based goal. This goal has to make its arrival clear and worthy of celebration. 

Next week, I'll delve into the next phase of the GROW model- Reality. This is where humility, honesty and vulnerability will all be required. 

I'll leave you with a quote from one of the greatest and most quoted coaches of our time Lou Holtz:

"If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals."

 

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Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Coaching Insight: How to GROW Your Coaching Skills - Part 2

The last two blogs have been introductions to what you will read today. Over the course of the next few weeks I will explain in detail the GROW method.

When it comes to coaching, if you are not working from a proven model it’s very difficult to be effective. More often than not, when you’re “flying by the seat of your pants," you'll end up directing and prodding and have little success as a result.  

As I mentioned last week, the GROW acronym stands for:

Goal

Reality 

Obstacles and Options

Way Forward 

I'll describe each step of the model briefly this week, so you can begin to mull it over. Then, over the course of the next few weeks I'll delve into each phase of this model, so that you can begin to practice it with those you coach. I truly believe that if you learn and practice this model, others will experience you as an excellent coach guiding them to greater heights of performance. 

Goal - This is the end point. What the person would like to achieve. The goal must be concrete, verifiable, measurable, and clear. A person needs to be able to easily recognize when they have arrived. If for instance, the goals were around recruiting, we would set an exact number of New Agent Hires and Experienced Agent Hires a manager would like to achieve by years end. 

Reality- This is the current reality of where you are now and how you arrived there. The more this can be boiled down to specifics the better. To carry over from my recruiting example above, Reality might be how many experienced and/or new agents did you recruit last year, in exact numbers. How did you accomplish that? How many interviews did you have? What percentage of those new agent interviews were converted into licensing school? How many of those converted into hires? How did you build a supportive relationship during the pipeline process? 

Obstacles- These would be the variables that might hinder the person from reaching their goals. Be sure to list them all specifically.

Options- After the Obstacles have been thoroughly explored, begin to brainstorm a possible list of options to overcome the obstacles; this is where the previously described Inner Game questions are applied and achieve their magic.

Way Forward- Once the options have been identified they can be translated into very specific monthly, weekly, daily and hourly action steps that will lead them to their goal. 

Keep in mind that knowing the above model isn't enough. What makes this model work and allows the results you want is how the coach presents the questions throughout each step. This style of questioning is initially presented in Timothy Gallwey’s Inner Game methodology. The GROW model takes the Inner Game premise and expands it to make an extremely powerful coaching tool. Next week I will begin to dissect each of these steps in detail, especially focusing on how to ask the questions? 

Because the Inner Game and the GROW model in my mind will be forever linked; here is another principle of the Inner Game that could be applied to the GROW model practice:

“If the person being coached focuses on what the coach or their peers want, or focuses on appearances or the agenda of others, this will invariably distort every piece of this process and lead to poor results if not failure.”

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Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.