Tips for Real-Time Coaching to Support Employee Growth

In my previous post, I introduced the first "G" of the 4G manager framework - helping your people ✨ Glow ✨. While this requires skill-building and intention, helping your team Glow is both gratifying and feels good. Many managers are inherently driven to excel in this area. 🚀 However, the second "G" - guiding people to 'Grow' through constructive feedback, productive stretch, and career conversations - can feel disconcerting and uncomfortable to most managers. And yet, avoiding it has real costs to employee development 🌟 Here are some tips to make this G - Grow - feel more approachable and effective: 1️⃣ Constructive Feedback: Focus on pinpointing specific, observable behaviors and their impact on the business or the team. Steer clear of speculating about motives and instead, concentrate on the tangible. Real-time, concrete feedback builds trust far better than waiting for bi-annual reviews to discuss developmental opportunities. 💡 📣 Pro tip: Remember, you're responsible for delivering feedback constructively and objectively, not for how someone chooses to respond. Keep your focus on their growth 🌱, not on expressing yourself. 2️⃣ Productive Stretch: Empower your team to step outside their comfort zones into the realm of "productive discomfort." 🔥 This is where they flex new muscles, learn fresh skills, and ascend the steep slope of their learning journey. 🌈 📣 Pro tip: While it may be challenging to watch someone grapple with challenges before mastering a skill, allow them the space to figure it out independently before stepping in. The steep climb is a vital part of the growth process and isn't meant to be a cozy journey. ⛰️ 3️⃣ Regular Career Conversations: Engage in open, supportive dialogues about your team members' aspirations, focusing on values and desired skills. By doing this, you empower them to embark on new S-curves. 🛤️ 📣 Pro tip: For newcomers to your team, career conversations can center on thriving in their current role, without an immediate focus on their next move. Remember, not all career discussions are about the next step. 🌟 Do you have additional insights on helping your people 'Grow' as we head into review season? Do share!🌱✨ #Management #Leadership #EmployeeDevelopment #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalGrowth

I stopped performing annual reviews. 99% of the time they don’t increase actual performance.  Give me 2 minutes. I'll show you what I did instead: 👇 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 • Break free from traditional annual reviews. • Be a year-round coach, not a once-a-year judge. • Continuous feedback, like a sports coach, is key. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 • Avoid misalignment with clear, measurable goals. • Limit to 3 major goals. • Employees set personal goals aligning with these. • Focus: 80% on these goals, 20% on everything else. 𝗠𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝟭𝘅𝟭 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 • Essential for ongoing feedback. • Ideal timing: 60 minutes every two weeks. • Discuss progress on top 3 goals. • Address blockers & celebrate successes. 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗜𝗻𝘀 • Extend a regular 1x1 to 90 minutes quarterly. • Explore the employee’s broader career aspirations. • Discuss quarterly performance. • Checkin on personal development (see next) 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Traditional reviews list too many improvement areas. • Focus on ONE key area for yearly improvement. • Agree on the area together. • Review progress in quarterly sessions.    👇 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 For 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 1. Make every 1x1 a coaching opportunity. 2. Consistently give feedback or praise. 3. Avoid canceling 1x1s – they're crucial. 4. Repeated mistakes may indicate a poor fit. 5. Link bonuses to both company and individual goals (50/50 split). Ditch the bureaucracy and transform performance management into a tool for real feedback and personal growth! 📈 _____ Enjoy this? Repost to your network and follow me Scot Chisholm for more! 📌  P.S. I'm writing about how to delegate like a pro this Friday to all my newsletter subscribers. Sign up here: scotchisholm.com  

Coaching should be available to all employees, not just senior leaders. Twice a month, I get to hop on Teams with one of the most forward thinking companies today to lead group coaching sessions with their entire employee base. Yes, everyone is invited. They pick the topics that are most important to their business goals or what seems to be on everyone's minds! Employees submit the questions and I answer them with stories and coaching tools - we all engage with each other to crowdsource additional ideas and resources that folks can use at work and home. Here are some of the topics we cover: ▫️Growth Mindset ▫️Speaking Up With Confidence ▫️Navigating Change ▫️Setting Boundaries & Finding Balance ▫️Creating Influence ▫️Making Confident Decisions ...and so many more in the last 2 years! Coaching doesn't always have to be one-to-one or only for leaders. With health and well-being as a top priority for employees these days, what resources do you provide everyone in your company with practical tools they can use to handle work's daily challenges? Here's some ideas to try: 1. Name a topic of the month, allow folks to submit questions and have a moderator host a forum to crowdsource solutions from other participants 2. Have a member of your L&D/HR team host a monthly Q&A event for all employees to answer questions and provide strategies to move forward 3. Have a senior leader host a monthly Q&A event and provide tools and tips Remember, the best group coaching sessions don’t just provide “this is how to do it” answers, they give employees a set of tools they can personalize so they can advance in a way that aligns to their unique skills, talents and values. Coaching doesn’t teach you to show up like someone else and blindly follow advice, it encourages you to show up as the best YOU. And PS for job seekers: If you're looking for a highly innovative, remote work opportunity, definitely add Businessolver to your list. #leadershipdevelopment #coaching #careers #confidence #wellbeing