Avionics News September 2017 - 47

to Drive Talent Development, Organizational Change and
Business Results. Rather, it's a two-way discussion that
examines, "How do you think you did? What could you have
done differently? What actions will you take next time?"
The first conversation can leave the recipient of this
guidance disillusioned, deflated and unmotivated, while
the second provides opportunity for honest assessment and
reflection. It also empowers employees to decide how they'll
address shortcomings, and it gives them confidence to make
actual changes. In addition, coaching allows the employee
and manager to work together to determine when and how
new learning should occur, including cross-training, stretch
assignments, advanced classes or workshops.
With that difference in mind, consider coaching an
employee to be like coaching an elite athlete; the athlete
needs to constantly tune his technique and form, as well as
his strategy, according to Debashis Sarkar of Proliferator
Advisory & Consulting. The athlete does this first in
practice, then in competition, and, in each case, receives
in-the-moment feedback from a coach, who is observing the
performance. Any missteps become fodder for more practice
before the next match - when it can still be put to use -
versus being saved for the end of the season.
Your employees need the same attention to goals,
observation and feedback from you. Goals provide a road
map for what employees are trying to achieve; they help
your people know what direction to work toward, so they
have a "big picture" objective, according to performancemanagement consultancy 7Geese. Likewise, observation
and constructive feedback allow you to help them determine
where they're succeeding and struggling.
Furthermore, research indicates employees perform better
when they're positively coached - rather than simply evaluated
- according to Cacioppe. Mistakes and misunderstandings
aren't swept away or punished; they're used as a means for
growth toward more precise execution. All told, that leads to
greater employee commitment to improvement, not just fearful
compliance, according to 7Geese.
Coaching needs
While you're parsing those different leadership techniques
and wondering about the usefulness of coaching at your
shop, consider this: According to a recent Gallup study on
the workplace, fewer than one in five employees said they
were engaged with their jobs. The rest are struggling for a
variety of reasons, including being unsure of their managers'
expectations, uncertainty about their career progressions
and frustration in their current roles. For those employees,
coaching may make a difference in reconnecting them
with their company's long-term goals, creating renewed
commitment to their jobs and preparing them for potential

COACHING IS A PROCESS OF GUIDING
EMPLOYEES TOWARD BEING MORE
COMPETENT, SKILLFUL PLAYERS ON YOUR
TEAM, AND IT INVOLVES HELPING THEM
GAIN THE ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE AND
EXPERIENCE TO CONSISTENTLY IMPROVE
DURING THEIR TENURE WITH YOU. IT'S
NOT ONLY BENEFICIAL FOR THE WORKER,
BUT IT ALSO SERVES YOUR SHOP.
promotion, according to Robertson.
As it is, the continuous improvement model virtually
demands employee engagement, which motivates people to
put in extra effort, according to Maggie Millard of leadership
consultancy KaiNexus. Coaching permits several things.
First, it gives them a forum to practice new skills, such as
communicating and problem-solving, in an environment
where they're permitted to fail in a controlled setting,
according to organizational development consultant Daniel
White of AGH Employer Solutions. That way, they can
implement those skills with less supervision later.
Coaching also helps improve employee retention; two-way
communication helps employees feel like they're being heard,
supported and valued by their company, according to 7Geese.
And it addresses the short shelf life of learning. The skills
they learned in school years ago aren't necessarily the skills
that will help them advance today; they need to learn new
capabilities rapidly and regularly - and be able to implement
them at work, according to Keith Ferrazzi, author of Who's
Got Your Back. Coaching puts career development back into
employees' hands, according to Ferrazzi; they get to own,
direct and implement their own learning with your guidance.
Continued on following page
avionics news

september

2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News September 2017