Cathy Liska How do coaching skills make your job easier? Consider these examples.
Dealing with Change – the office is going through a change in personnel that results in the re-assigning of job duties and re-arranging the work space.
- Without coaching skills: each person involved focuses on telling their ideas and advocating for them self regarding the work assignments and work space.
- With coaching skills, each person considers what is significant to their colleagues in determining work assignments and work space based on differing personalities. In a team meeting, through questioning and providing perspective, the group explores options. Ultimately a consensus is reached and each person buys in to the outcome.
- Specifically, the coaching skills of understanding different personalities, asking questions, and providing perspective supported a productive outcome.
Dealing with a Customer – angry about a purchase, a customer is vocal and disruptive.
- Without coaching skills: the employee explains the policy regarding the warranty and returns.
- With coaching skills: the employee asks the customer about their experience and what they want; if the customer wants something that is unreasonable, the employee asks for other possibilities. If the customer is stuck on an unreasonable option, the employee says, “Given that I am unable to do this, what I do want to do is give examples of solutions and let you choose what works for you now.” After providing three different ideas, the customer chooses an option that works for them and appreciates the outcome.
- Specifically, the coaching skills of listening, exploring possibilities, and strategizing result in calming the customer and ultimately keeping them as a customer in the future.
Coaches: How do your coaching skills apply in other areas?
