The smallest of leaves are popping out on the trees, lilies are blooming, and the birds are in full chorus. You know what that means? Winter is slowly draining away. Spring is in the air.
It feels very different from this time last year. We’re hesitantly peeking out, like a groundhog after an exceptionally long hibernation. Now is the time for growth.
Last year, that growth was hampered by so many things. The stunted economy meant many organizations were scrabbling just to keep their doors open. When you’re pivoting constantly in reaction to volatile market demands, it’s inevitable that some things will get forgotten on the back burner. Several of the companies we’ve spoken to listed performance management among them.
Unfortunately that also means there was a freeze on developing employees and executing initiatives. That’s lost productivity and squandered talent.
Now they need to warm those efforts back up, but they aren’t sure if it's too late. Everyone is out of practice, still so busy, and what if the uncertainty doesn’t settle?
Here are 5 strategies for unthawing your coaching:
1. Set a schedule. Just like with goals, performance management is more likely to happen if there’s a deadline. Set the expectation that each step of the process will be done by a certain date and check in with your managers to be sure of follow through.
2. Support your managers. Maybe they’re out of practice or maybe they hadn’t sharpened those coaching skills to begin with. Whatever the reason, it’s going to be difficult for your managers to get back to it. Be sure you have a coach of coaches ready to answer any questions and help shepherd the process. Their in depth knowledge will be invaluable and speed the thawing.
3. Refresh training where needed. A little reminder always helps. If you’re using Catalytic Coaching, you have a few options here. A certified Coach2 (your coach of coaches) will be able to help you determine the best approach for your organization. They’ll know just how extensive the refresher training will need to be and how to execute it. Here are some options they may suggest:
Leveraging the recorded training in the Catalytic Coaching Online software, powered by Energage
A Coach2 led mini class that they take charge of
Enrolling a few managers in the Hacking The Sheets workshops
Having Gary led a full training or refresher session, especially if it’s been a while since implementation.
4. Be prepared to pivot. After a chaotic 2020, we all know the value of the pivot. No one is locked into coaching. You can and should update coaching anytime there is a big change. This can be done as a special coaching session or when you have those quarterly progress update check ins.
5. Attend Coaching ICU. Gary is leading a free 45-minute webinar that will specifically tackle resurrecting your coaching using real world examples and recommend strategies to overcome the most common problems organizations are experiencing. Attendees will also be treated to an opportunity for their own 20-minute one-on-one complimentary consultation with Gary.
Garold (Gary) Markle is the creator of Catalytic Coaching and author of Catalytic Coaching: The End of the Performance Review. He brings real world experience from 17 years in HR leadership in major corporations coupled with 20 years of teaching small and mid-sized organizations how to cultivate their leadership and ditch their detrimental performance reviews for a proven Coaching process.
Book Gary to speak to your audience about speeding your pace of significant change.
