WorkPuzzle

Execution Failure and Rescue: Lessons from Healthcare.gov - Part 2

In last weeks edition I described some of the challenges, chronicled in a recent Time Magazine article, on the healthcare.gov website's initial issues. It’s a compelling story, that when dissected, leaves us all with reminders of the differences between how projects can go wrong and what can be done to right them.

I previously listed three ingredients (principles) that when missing in any worthy endeavor will lead to failure; but conversely, when done well can lead to a successful execution. I also promised to draw parallels to HiringCenter successes.

Last weeks edition described the first and most important principle:

Metric Driven Leadership to Oversee and Drive the Effort 

The second ingredient is:

A Central Dashboard to Monitor, Measure and Improve each Important Metric.

Quoting again from the Time magazine article:

“One of the things that shocked Burt and Park's team most (the healthcare.com rescue team)--'among many jaw-dropping aspects of what we found,' as one put it--'was that the people running healthcare.gov had no "dashboard," no quick way for engineers to measure what was going on at the website, such as how many people were using it, what the response times were for various click-throughs and where traffic was getting tied up.' So late into the night of Oct. 18, Burt and the others spent about five hours coding and putting up a dashboard.”

Can you imagine this? You have developed one of the largest scaled projects known to developed countries, a system that will draw incredible scrutiny, and you have no way to monitor, measure or improve anything.  No idea what is wrong or how to fix it.

One of the first things we did, at Tidemark, as we were developing HiringCenter, was to create a dashboard. This allowed our clients (and us) to constantly monitor progress among the many tasks that must be performed with each candidate within the massive pipeline.

Those of our clients who practice ingredient one (metric driven leadership to oversee and drive the effort), seem to naturally utilize principle two exemplified by the HiringCenter Dashboard. Conversely those who don’t have ingredient one typically abandon the Dashboard. You can probably guess what results appear when these essential pieces are lacking. Sooner or later someone says... “this isn’t working."  

Which brings us to the third ingredient:

 A Sense of Urgency

 According to TIME, one of the technology consultants (Abbott) who had worked on the rescue site said:

“To this day he cannot figure out who was supposed to have been in charge of the healthcare.gov launch. Instead he saw multiple contractors bickering with one another and no one taking ownership for anything. Someone would have to be put in charge, he told Zients. Beyond that, Abbott recalls, "there was a total lack of urgency" despite the fact that the website was becoming a national joke and crippling the Obama presidency."

TIME then goes on to describe the rescue teams mentality:

"We need to stay focused on the most urgent issues, The stand-up culture--identify problem, solve problem, try again--was typical of the rescue squad's ethic."

What was the eventual result of the rescue squads overhaul of the website?

“On Sunday, Dec. 1, Zients issued a public report card showing the website's turnaround. A series of hardware upgrades had dramatically increased capacity; the system was now able to handle at least 50,000 simultaneous users and probably more. There had been more than 400 bug fixes. Uptimes had gone from an abysmal 43% at the beginning of November to 95%. And Kim and her team had knocked the error rate from 6% down to 0.5%. Average response time--once a ridiculous eight seconds per page--was down to 0.343 seconds.”

Impressive isn’t it?

Assessing the issues, solutions and steps involved in this example, we at Tidemark have considered requiring new to HiringCenter clients to agree to use only the  "best practices" established by us over the last 9 years and screen out those who don’t agree. So far we haven’t done this. What do you think? Would this be helpful?

For those of you who practice the principals listed above throughout every facet of HiringCenter we thank you. You make us look good, and it is our hope that we improve the efficiency, predictability and reliability of your new agent recruiting.

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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. 

Execution Failure and Rescue: Lessons from HealthCare.gov

The key ingredients to HiringCenter success are no different than those responsible for rescuing the HealthCare.gov website; ingredients the recent administration had sorely lacked and had to discover the hard way.

Time magazine sets up the scene:

“Last Oct. 17—more than two weeks after the launch of HealthCare.gov—White House press secretary Jay Carney was going through what one senior Obama aide calls 'probably the most painful press briefing we’ve ever seen.' Pressed repeatedly on when the site would be fixed, the best he could say was that 'they are making improvements every day.'

“They” were, in fact, not making improvements, except by chance, much as you or I might reboot or otherwise play with our computer; a shot in the dark fix. Yet barely six weeks later, HealthCare.gov was working well and on its way to performing even better.

This is the story of a team of unknown—except in elite technology circles—coders and troubleshooters who dropped what they were doing in various enterprises across the country and came together in mid-October to save the website. In about a tenth of the time that a crew of usual-suspects (Washington contractors had spent over $300 million building a site that didn’t work) this ad hoc team rescued it and, arguably, Obama's chance at a health-reform legacy.”

The remainder of this article describes the drama associated with this technology crisis and boiled down the ultimate rescue to principles essential to execution success; principles that coincidentally guide every one of our clients in their HiringCenter results.

Principle I:  Metric driven leadership to oversee and drive the effort   

"In the meetings prior to the launch, President Obama always would end each session by saying, 'I want to remind the team that this only works if the technology works.' The problem, of course, was that no one in the meetings had any idea whether the technology worked, nor did the President and his chief of staff have the inclination to dig in and find out. The President may have had the right instinct when he repeatedly reminded his team about the technology. But in the end he was as aloof from the people and facts he needed to avoid this catastrophe as he was from the people who ended up fixing it.”

The Blaze website summarizes the Time article this way:

 “When it became clear that the website had major flaws and needed working, the Obama administration rushed to assemble a team to fix it. This involved bringing in some of the brightest tech minds from the private sector.

However, as the team slowly came together, they found that the website’s problems were bigger than they initially imagined.

Mike Abbott , for example, is known in the tech industry for being the man who developed Twitter’s technology into what it is today. He was shocked by what he found when he was brought on to rescue healthcare.gov.

'Abbott could not find … leadership. He says that to this day he cannot figure out who was supposed to have been in charge of the Healthare.gov launch,' Time reported. 'Instead he saw multiple contractors bickering with one another and no one taking ownership for anything. Someone would have to be put in charge, he told Zients.'"

According to additional comments from "Time": “Jeff Zients isn't a techie himself. He's a business executive, one of those people for whom control--achieved by lists, schedules, deadlines and incessant focus on his targeted data points--seems to be everything.

This story thus far resonates with everything we at Tidemark have come to understand about HiringCenter results: Our best performing clients ensure that those responsible for the oversite of each piece of the HiringCenter process is someone with a proven history of measurement and execution. Everyone involved knows who is in charge, and who oversees each metric in the process. Do you?

In the next edition I will share more of this interesting story and the final two principles that drive success. 

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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. 

Shrimp Fishing and Recruiting - Really?

If you are a Tidemark client and user of HiringCenter, you've experienced the occasional interview that can't end fast enough. The candidate who is scheduled for an hour of your valuable time and then turns out to be a dud. 

During a recent checkup meeting with some of our newer clients at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Georgia, a manager shared a disturbing (but funny) story about one of her first candidate interviews.

The candidate showed up "high on something," sweating profusely, bragging that she was "in the sexual prime" of her life, and asked if she could have "some of your candies," only to sweep the entire platter into her large purse. At this point in the interview the dazed manager began looking around her office attempting to locate the hidden cameras, certain that Alan Funt would spring out at anytime.  

After hearing this brief narrative, I think many of us considered such an interview to be a waste of time and had some real doubts about the success of recruiting in general.

However, CEO Dan Foresman stood up and said, "Recruiting is like shrimp fishing." Over the next several minutes he had us all captivated by his incredible expertise when it comes to shrimp fishing, and also its relationship to this type of "early in the pipeline" recruiting. 

My recollection of Dan's tale was as follows. Dan was once a captain of a shrimp boat. In the winter shrimp fishing is basically throwing down the nets and hauling them in predominantly with shrimp. This is because shrimp don't mind cold water, whereas catfish and crab don't like it. Bringing up only shrimp in your nets is a great feeling and is similar to experienced agent and new licensee recruiting:  you know what you have in the net. 

When using services such as HiringCenter for recruiting you don't know exactly what you're going to get. This is more like summer shrimp fishing. As Dan explains it: "When that net comes up... It's not full of just great shrimp. Oh no! It comes up with mostly everything else you can imagine.  You sort through catfish, crab, trash and everything else you can imagine. In fact, the crab bite your ankles, the catfish sting your hand, the trash smells, but it must be done to get to the shrimp." 

Although that sounds like a lot of unpleasant work at times, the shrimp fisherman chooses to fish for both the winter and summer season. The fisherman realizes that he has made an investment in his boat, nets, crew, etc. so the more shrimp the more success.

The analogy is painfully clear. Nothing worth acquiring is obtained without a screening or selection process. Whether its gold, silver, diamonds, shrimp or agents, you have to be able to sort through the whole to find what you really want. 

Back to recruiting: Dan and most of our clients tell us that even when they are "winter" recruiting for experienced agents, the conversion rate is 20% or 1 in 5. With new-to-Real Estate- HiringCenter recruiting our clients average 20-25% on conversion from interview to hire. So what actually might feel like summer shrimp fishing, where there might be a few crab and catfish, in the end the odds of landing shrimp who stay on your boat is really no different. 

The bottom line is someone has invested in the boat, the license to fish, the nets, the fuel and the sonar equipment. With HiringCenter, the captains have even invested in deck hands further up stream to sort through much of the debris before you even see the net.

This sorting is done by Tidemark and your own Recruiting Coordinator.  What they want you, as a manager, to understand is that sorting through a few "catfish and crab" is time consuming but ultimately successful.

To increase the hires in every season is a reasonable outcome for their investment. Do you have 2 or 3 hours a month to do that sorting? 

We realize that some managers in certain seasons will get more catfish than shrimp, but as long as the net gain of excellent candidates are coming in the door somewhere, it should give us all hope for our own "big catch." 

By the end of our time with BHHS Georgia, and Dan's great analogy, every one of their excellent group of managers understood this message. They also understood that after all, "summer shrimp fishing" is what they ask their agents to do every day of the year.

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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. 

Recruiting the Next Generation

Ben has written extensively on the topic of the aging Real Estate Agent demographic and its threat to derail the future of the traditional Real Estate model.

We have heard similar conversations about this topic repeated among many of our clients and it was a "hot topic" at recent conferences.

So is there any validity in the theory? I did some poking around to find hard data to verify or discount this trend. 

In a recent survey by Imprev (A Real Estate marketing firm) it turns out that finding younger talent is on the minds of most thought leaders in the industry. 

"Although recruiting is a perennial issue, leaders of the nation's major brokerages who were surveyed about the issues that concern them most put an even finer point on it, citing "recruiting younger agents" as their top business challenge; it was selected by 70 percent of respondents. "Recruiting top talent" is the second-most crucial business challenge, specified by 65 percent.

"The real estate business is aging out," said Renwick Congdon, chief executive officer of Imprev, the real estate marketing software firm that works with 150,000 agents and brokers nationwide. "Broker-owners and other top real estate executives are under pressure to find new talent."

And another supporting piece -

National Association of Realtors data show that a mere 6 percent of its membership is under the age of 34 -- and that in the past 15 years, the percentage of members in their 40s has dropped by one-third. Additionally, more than 40 percent of all Realtors are older than 60 and one in four is 65 or older.

Based on the factors discussed in the above paragraph it should come as no surprise to learn the following:

Recruiting is a pervasive topic: When asked the open-ended question, "What is your firm's single biggest challenge today?" nearly 40 percent of the written answers cite recruiting. Profitability garners the second spot, cited by 14 percent of the executives, with 13 percent mentioning technology.

The good news is that the majority of you who read this blog already address this vital challenge and as a result are hopefully ahead of your competitor.

And in finding solutions to this challenge, you are providing the next generation and your consumers (both current and future) an incredible gift.

• Offering the younger talent, an alternative to being underemployed in a possible job with no future.
• For the consumer - More diversity, which can potentially lead to a better match in the style and knowledge of the agent they choose.

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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 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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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.