INFOCUS: CRITICAL CORE SKILLS - "DEVELOPING PEOPLE"

May this article finds you well. We are closing in to 2023 and I hope you are on track with your objectives and goals for this year.

One of the Critical Core Skills at the workplace is "Developing People". In today's business world, coaches & mentors need to be equipped with inspiring and realistic skills to help fellow colleagues stay engaged to improve their skillset.

Here are some common mistakes that coaches & mentors may face as they stretch & grow their coachee. Happy reading and feel free to contact me for any soft skills training-related matters. Most willing to assist and learn from you too.

Common mistakes that coaches / mentors may make:

1) Losing our patience – It is never about pushing coachee to achieve the set goals but standing at the side line to observe how best to help them find the right method.

• Suggestion: Coaching is NEVER a quick-fix solution. Establish mutually agreeable milestones ( small achievable chucks). Watch-out our tone of voice & choice of words. Take deep breaths when feeling flustered and remember to slip back to the passenger seat.?Be careful when our Amygdala takes over our rationale minds.

2) Replicate another me –??To replicate a version of ourselves and being too enthusiastic on giving too much professional advice & individual guidance… “ If this happen again.. I strongly suggest you do this..” and bulldozing our way without giving the coachee a chance to voice and suggest.

• Suggestion: Coaching is NOT about creating another version of us. Everyone is created differently, with different thinking and strengths. We should take time & effort to help the coachee sees the situation from his angle and ask for his opinions to resolve the matter.?

3) Waiting for the next Coaching session – Some coaches prefer to wait for the next scheduled session to provide negative behaviours. Highlighting all the 'wrongs' need to be immediate to ensure the constructive feedback is make known to the coachee on his specific area of improvement, otherwise he may not recall what actually went off-tangle after a lag in time.

• Suggestion: Coaching should be integrated at the workplace as much as possible. Make an effort to coach 'in the moment' and debrief with some follow-up questions that tickle his thoughts on the matter. Give REAL time feedback to rectify any mistakes, if possible. Moving forward, we look forward to those scheduled coaching session where we could refresh recent learnings and reinforce them accordingly.?

4) Applying the same Coaching style – It is about adjusting our coaching style to suit the coachee. Everyone learns differently. We need to understand the coachee’s preferred learning method to gain maximum results. It is NEVER about our own preferred coaching way.

• Suggestion: Always understand the coachee’s learning style and invite him to take responsibility for his self-development. Stay connected with him emotionally and establish trust. Play to his preference will definitely help to reach the goals more effectively.?

In a nutshell, these are just some common coaching mistakes that even experienced coaches & mentors may tend to overlook. Remember: every coaching experience is different, not to mention our individual coachee. (His drive, passion, obstacles or preferred learning style)

Wishing you all the best for your next coaching experience!

Terence Chow is a freelance Soft Skills Trainer & Curriculum Developer.?