Attention Executives-Your Managers Need to Coach, but So Do You!
One of the questions I receive frequently from managers is about getting their managers or executive team to coach them. They often fear retribution if they bring it up- as if they are crossing a line. When we provide our program to organizations, everybody says you should start with the executive team, which I agree with, but often it gets pushed down to management levels below the executive team. Executives are incredibly busy today, but so are managers below this level!
Unemployment is currently low in the United States, so there is a talent pool challenge. The number one reason an employee quits an organization today has very little to do with the organization; whereas, studies will show the major reason is their boss.
The other thing we hear frequently in our business is that managers don't have time to coach which begs the humorous viewpoint: Who interviews candidates when that employee leaves the organization?
Both of these challenges- getting executives to coach as well as managers really need to be put into alignment with one another. Alignment is such a powerful force, as is the concept of progress. If executives and managers are in alignment, that consistency builds trust and a regularly scheduled consistent basis. If both levels of leadership acknowledge strengths and focus on the good things employees do from top to bottom, talent retention will improve as will the ability to recruit top talent.
What happens to trust when executives ask managers to coach, but they are not coaching? What happens to managers who say they don't have time to coach and they start to lose talent or have an inability to recruit talent? All of these questions provide organizations a huge opportunity as this goes back to one of my infamous jokes or hopefully at least a humorous viewpoint on coaching: Leaders coach every day. They coach people to stay or go because nobody ever has a neutral day. We either have great days or bad days.
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- Feedback is Your Friend: click here
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Customer Experience Manager at Infosys BPM
7 年Leaders must realize that all employees need consistent validation if they're doing things correctly or not. Feedback, recognition, and assurance should be provided to employees regardless of their position. Otherwise, the individual stops developing from where they are, and that's sad. :(
Project Manager, Team Lead, Scrum Master
7 年If Organizations will then appreciate good talents with this capabilities. Things will be wonderful... the trend now is figure. More of What than How. Once the What is set, the How could be stagemanaged from the dark room. Else the picture changes. Coaches are out of job
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7 年Well written post Tim. Thanks.
Human Resources MAG
7 年Coaching/feedback is a culture that needs to be practiced from Anyone in a leadership position within an organization... If the top man/women does not set this example, the rest of the leadership Team takes notice. Whether or not one thinks this is "no big deal" please consider that Everyone needs occasional assurance that the job they are doing is noticed and valued. Failure to recognize your teams efforts opens the door for them to seek a company that will recognize and value their efforts...