5 Key takeaways from The Coaching Habit
Intro
The world of coaching has changed dramatically in the last several decades, and The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier is a must-read for anyone looking to stay ahead of the curve. In this book, Michael provides an insightful and invaluable look into modern coaching, packed with five key takeaways that will help coaches hone their approach to better serve their clients. From understanding the power of questions to mastering active listening skills, this blog post dives into the most important lessons from The Coaching Habit so you can be the best coach possible.
1. Effective coaching is about empowering a team and improving its long-term performance.
Have you ever gone to a work seminar where the manager is trying to show how great they are at coaching? You've probably seen it before, but it's not always that effective. In fact, only 23% of employees report feeling that their manager's coaching session had a positive effect on work performance.
This could be because of unproductive work dynamics such as decisions being referred to the manager or an overall feeling of being overwhelmed with tasks. To address this situation, one needs to develop the habit of informal coaching every day for ten minutes, with the focus on development instead of performance. This will help guide employees towards self-sufficiency and reconnect them with the larger goals.
By doing this, managers can empower teams and create an environment in which people can grow and achieve long-term success.
2. Use Three Basic Questions to Initiate and Maintain a Constructive Conversation With an Employee
Coaching conversations should not be about giving direction or coming up with solutions, but about empowering the other person to come up with their own solutions. For this, managers can use the three basic questions: the Kickstart question ("What's on your mind?"), the AWE question ("And what else?") and the Focus question ("What's the real challenge here for you?"). These questions will help draw out more information from employees and get them to think critically. Additionally, four additional questions can help take one from basic coach to professional coach. All of these questions are designed to keep the conversation constructive and help employees come up with their own solutions.
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3. Identifying an Employee’s Needs and Wants
It’s essential for managers to be able to identify their employees’ needs and wants. After all, this type of information can help us become better leaders, inspiring our teams and developing our people. To do this, there are two systems recommended: The Foundation question and the Lazy question.
The Foundation question helps us identify which of the nine major wants or needs is motivating an employee. When we ask this question, it allows us to dive into the root of why an employee is doing something. The Lazy question, on the other hand, is a direct question that pushes an employee to get to the point quickly. This shows them that we care about their opinion and are listening intently.
When managers are able to recognize their employees’ needs and wants, they can create strong relationships with those they manage by helping them understand what will make them successful in their role.
4. A Good Coach Doesn’t Just Know What to Ask, They Know How to Ask It
It’s not enough for a coach to know what questions to ask - they need to know how to ask them. Questions are an important part of the coaching process and can help unlock ideas and insights that would otherwise remain hidden. To make sure the coaching session is effective, coaches should be aware of their body language, use non-rhetorical questions and vary their approach.
When asking questions, coaches should always focus on “what” questions over “why” or “how”. These types of questions allow employees to explore their own thoughts and motivations by providing space for reflection. Additionally, instead of asking rhetorical questions (questions with answers already implied) avoid these as they can lead to frustration and confusion.
Finally, coaches should use all the communication channels available - verbal, non-verbal and physical - in order to create a positive environment which encourages open dialogue between everyone involved.
By being mindful of how they ask questions during coaching sessions, coaches can help unlock potential in employees that would otherwise remain hidden.
5. Developing a Long-term Coaching Habit
Developing and maintaining a long-term coaching habit is key to becoming an expert coach. To do this, it’s important to have a system in place that will help make the new habits stick. The system should consist of a cause (the reason you want to change behavior), trigger (moments that encourage a certain behavior), mini-habits (small steps taken towards the goal) and training (practice the mini-habits as much as possible). Additionally, it’s important to come up with an action plan in case mistakes are made. Writing this plan down helps ensure that the new habits can be sustained for the long-term. Once you have all these pieces in place, consistently practicing them will help make them become second nature – allowing you to become an expert coach for life!
Conclusion
In conclusion, The Coaching Habit is an invaluable resource for any manager who wishes to empower their team and drive successful long-term performance. This book offers a simple but effective set of tools that can help managers build meaningful conversations, identify employee needs and wants, ask insightful questions, and develop a coaching habit that will last a lifetime. With the right attitude and these five key takeaways in mind, you can become an expert coach in no time.
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