KEY PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COACHING PRESENTED BY SAM M. ALLRED, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF UPSTREAM ACADEMY

“Given both the scarcity and the power of good coaching, it is entirely possible that a firm’s competitive success can be built on a superior ability to get the best out of its people.” David H. Maister

PRESENTATION ROADMAP Email questions to sallred@azworld.com Benefits of effective coaching Selecting the right coaches Ten key skills of effective coaches Question and answer session Email questions to sallred@azworld.com

 BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE COACHING

While agreeing on the value of an effective coaching program, most firm leaders acknowledge that their current efforts to provide such a program fall short of the mark.

Most firms realize that it takes consistent effort to create and sustain a successful coaching process. Some might question whether the benefits are really worth the effort.

BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE COACHING Helps employees feel valued and reinforces the role they play in the firm’s success Encourages employees to make the most of their careers Helps the firm retain its best and brightest people

BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE COACHING Provides opportunities to reinforce the importance of firm vision, values, standards, and major firm endeavors Offers opportunities to teach commitment and accountability Helps employees become better people, not just better employees

BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE COACHING Helps employees develop the discipline required to accomplish personal career goals

 SELECTING THE RIGHT COACHES

The best coaches are people who are concerned about others, who have a stake in their success, and who consider the success of others to be of mutual benefit. It’s impossible to have a great coaching process without excellent coaches.

It seldom makes sense to force someone to be a coach. Great coaches are truly interested in the success of those they coach . . . even when that success exceeds their own personal success.

The real litmus test of a great coach is the positive change in the individuals being coached. Do these individuals do a better job of playing to their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses?

As we discuss the ten key skills of effective coaches, keep in mind that an individual doesn’t necessarily have to shine in all ten in order to be a great coach. The expectation is that the coach would be great in six or more of these areas and proficient in the others.

 TEN KEY SKILLS OF EFFECTIVE COACHES

“Finding good coaches in a professional firm is tough “Finding good coaches in a professional firm is tough. There are few individuals who ‘naturally’ possess (all the coaching) skills. However, given the desire to learn them, coaching skills can be developed – and therein lies the opportunity.” David H. Maister

1. OPEN, CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK Great coaches are completely honest with individuals they coach and are not hesitant to give them constructive feedback . . . even when the message can be difficult to deliver.

Giving constructive feedback is one of the most valuable things a coach can do. Properly given, feedback on job perform-ance opens doors to professional and personal growth, builds the relationship between the person receiving the feedback and the individual giving it, and ultimately strengthens the firm.

“No one enjoys addressing others’ deficiencies “No one enjoys addressing others’ deficiencies. But failure to do so sends the message that people are on track when they really aren’t. And that may be the greatest disservice a leader can do to someone else.” Eric Harvey

2. HIGH EXPECTATIONS Great coaches recognize that people grow only when they stretch themselves. Therefore, they are willing to move individuals beyond their comfort zones. “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have mastered, you will never grow.” C.R. Lawton

3. CONSISTENT CONTACT Great coaches have a sense of how often they need to meet with individuals to keep them moving forward in their careers.

4. FOCUS ON STRENGTHS Great coaches recognize that every person has unique strengths and weaknesses and that people will progress further and faster by playing to their strengths as they do damage control on their personal weaknesses.

A coach’s role is not only to help individuals identify their talents and strengths, but also to help them understand how to implement those talents to help the firm be more successful. Determining what they like doing best is a good place to start.

This book by Marcus Buckingham and Don Clifton represents breakthrough thinking about how to help individuals identify their strengths.

Most Common Assumptions About People: “Each person can learn to be competent in almost anything.” “Each person’s greatest room for growth is in his or her areas of greatest weakness.” Pg. 7

“Most organizations take their employees’ strengths for granted and focus on minimizing their weaknesses. They become expert in those areas where their employees struggle, delicately rename these ‘skill gaps’ or ‘areas of opportunity,’ and then pack them off to training classes so that the weaknesses can be fixed.” Pg. 8

“These are the two assumptions that guide the world’s best managers: 1. Each person’s talents are enduring and unique. 2. Each person’s greatest room for growth is in the areas of his or her greatest strength.” Pg. 8

This latest book by Marcus Buckingham is very insightful in how to help individuals play to their strengths.

5. ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL GOALS One of the primary roles of coaches is to help employees accomplish meaning-ful goals. If we can do this, what have we really done for them?

Challenges with annual goals: We typically wait too long to work on the goal Because of rapid change, goals set ten months ago easily lose importance Lengthy goal periods work against early success

The goal setting process includes the following five steps: 1. State the goal 2. Set a time period 3. Identify and list individual tasks 4. Assign due dates 5. Ensure accountability

6. DEVELOP RESPONSIBILITY Great coaches help the individuals they coach to accept responsibility and become more accountable for their actions.

7. EFFECTIVE TEACHER Great coaches recognize teaching moments and capitalize on these opportunities to make a difference in the lives of those they coach.

8. ACTIVE LISTENING Great coaches are great listeners. They often listen for the things that aren’t being said. It’s impossible to be a great listener if all you are thinking about is how you are going to respond.

9. CONSISTENT EXAMPLE Great coaches are consistently great examples. There are no elements of personal hypocrisy between what they teach and how they live.

10. POSITIVE ATTITUDE Great coaches are enthusiastic. They are far more positive than negative. Often, their encouraging words can be the motivating factor to help individuals make the extra effort required to bring about personal success. Great coaches believe individuals can change.

Closing thoughts . . .

“No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to learn starting from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely, positively have to find people who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need to learn to achieve our goals.” Brian Tracy

To be successful, all participating employees must be willing to make a meaningful commitment to the three things which they alone can control:  Effort  Attitude  Commitment

Consider who in the firm really needs (or deserves) coaching Consider who in the firm really needs (or deserves) coaching. Too often, firm leaders are anxious to provide everything for everyone and the individuals who often lack the greatest work/life balance are the leaders.

 QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION Email questions to sallred@azworld.com

UPCOMING EVENTS MANAGEMENT PRESENTATION BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE Conducting Meaningful 360° Evaluations – November 20 & 29, 2007 BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE October 25-26 – San Antonio, Texas

Thank You! sallred@azworld.com