There really is a point to all this

This store’s response is a fantastic example of how to provide great feedback.

• Be concise (make it as simple as possible)
• Be direct (address the problem head-on)
• Be clear (don’t mince words)
• Be relevant (stay focused on the issue)

Any other lessons you get from this simple picture? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks to Ben Eubanks for guest posting today.  Ben is author extraordinaire of UpStart HR.  He’s also instrumental in spreading the word on the future of HR to students and seasoned pros.  He’s the co-founder of HRevolution, writes for multiple websites, wrote the wildly successful e-book ‘Rock the PHR’, and collaborates on many other projects.  Oh, and as if that’s not enough, he is the new daddy to twin girls Bella and Bree.  The fact that he does all that and still guest posts for me blows me away!  Thanks Ben!!

blog- a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also : the contents of such a site

Ok, so they don’t exactly define blogger, but it’s the person that writes the online journal….yadda yadda.  One thing I find interesting is that people who do not blog are often curious about the process.  You’ve probably watched the Wizard of Oz, so you know that closer to the end of the movie, Dorothy and her crew pull back the curtain in the palace to find out that the great and powerful Oz is no more than a regular guy.  I don’t claim to be great and powerful, but I am just a regular girl.  I get a lot of questions and in the spirit of the Wizard of Oz, I thought I’d answer a few:

What made you start blogging? I worked at a company that offered a short video training on how to write a blog.  Since all employees had to go through our digital training, I did too.  I had been reading blogs for several years and it sounded like a good way for me to challenge myself to learn how to do something I knew nothing about.  Also, I did not see myself as a strong writer, so I thought that by writing for myself, I would get better at it.  Never once did I think that other people would really start following my blog.  I was so thrilled when that happened.

How did you learn the mechanics of having your own blog? Thankfully for me, WordPress has a great free blog platform with answers to many of the questions you have as you get started.  It was a breeze to set up and it was free.  After a couple months, I had connected with other bloggers and we share tips and tricks with each other.  Eventually I was forced with a hot poker up to my eye, I mean convinced by Ben Eubanks that I should switch to a self-hosted site.  That process was very challenging and as I made that move I learned much more about HTML code and how it all works.  When you have your own site, you can research online or get a trusted friend to help you with the administration.  Almost every blogger I know has someone to help him/ her with things on the site.  My guru is Ben Eubanks from UpStart HR.

How long does it take to write a post? It can take me anywhere from ten minutes to several hours depending on whether or not the idea just flows or needs thorough research.  I’d say on average that 30 minutes to an hour is pretty typical for me.  I tend to write after my kids go to bed, or I wake up around 5:00 am to write, like I’m doing today.

Where do you get your ideas? EVERYWHERE.  I jot observations about the world down on paper scraps, on napkins, and on my hand.  Sometimes I capture interesting things on my camera (phone) that spark something I’d like to write about.  Or, someone says something that I disagree with and that sparks a post idea.  I have many posts that are drafts.  Some will get published and others won’t.  Right now, I have 43 draft ideas just waiting for me to put more thought into them.

Do you think everyone should blog? Absolutely not.  That’s like saying that I think everyone should ride bulls or skip to work every day.  If you’re good at something, do it.  If not, spend your time doing something that you’re good at and you enjoy.  Writing should not make you feel like it’s a chore and that you’re too pressured.  I think great bloggers that I admire speak from their heart and keep it real.

Why do you keep writing? What started out as a way to find challenge when I wasn’t challenged in my last job has turned into a way for me to network, collaborate, make friends, get offered opportunities to travel and speak, and the list goes on.  Maintaining my blog is one of the best things I’ve done for my own self-development and that is very important to me.

What has been the best thing about having a blog? For me, it’s the collaboration.  My favorite time is when people comment and we can get a dialog going.  It’s also been great in giving me opportunities to travel and collaborate with people and organizations I would have never been exposed to.

So, that’s a taste of what I am asked.  I can’t speak for all bloggers and why or how they do things, but I’ve learned that many of us are similar in that we put the pressure on ourselves and we all have a ton of draft posts on the shelf that may or may not ever make it to being published on our blogs.  Feel free to ask me questions anytime, and not just about blogging.  Some I’ll answer in a post and most get answered via e-mail.  Just leave them in the comments.

As I wrote Part One of my coaching post (Creating A Coaching Culture), I said I feel strongly that HR professionals need to take a different approach to coaching programs. A stronger approach. The more I thought about it, it only made sense that we need some Rules of Engagement. Now, for those who do not know what Rules of Engagement entail, the phrase alone implies very strong force or action. Rules of engagement are used by the military or by police forces to describe the parameters of when, how, the duration and magnitude, location, and against what targets force can be used.

While coaching is definitely something that cannot and should not be forced, it is a topic that HR can take a strong stand on to implement better coaching strategies in a company or department. And, by creating some Rules of Engagement, we can set the parameters under which optimal coaching can occur.

HR can offer training that covers the basic rules of engagement:

When? A coach should be mindful of the time. Depending on the situation, there are certain times of the day that are more beneficial to coaching. For example, attempting to coach an employee on Friday afternoon is probably not a good idea. His mind will be elsewhere. The coach should also do all he/she can to ensure that the coaching is timely. If the employee has a known issue, the coach should talk to the employee about it. Don’t let it fester.

How? The “how” of being an effective coach could be a post in itself- an entire course for that matter. I’ll just touch on some of the things that an effective coach would do in order to build the relationship and really inspire some positive outcomes.

One important thing a coach can do is be an active listener. If a coach has his/her own agenda and is not actively listening to the employee, the relationship will not work. A coach must also be willing to give honest feedback. This is often harder than it sounds. The only way the coach can build trust with the employee is by being honest and straightforward. The coach also needs to reach out to others (sometimes discretely) to solicit feedback on the employee.

A common misconception of managers I train to coach is they think that a coach is supposed to solve the employee’s problems. This cannot be further from the truth. An optimal coach will ask the employee what he/she thinks they should do. Then, the coach can talk through pros and cons of different approaches. In the end, coaching is about teaching the employee to make good decisions, not to make the decisions for them.

Why (duration & magnitude)? You may need to convince leadership why a coaching strategy is important. It will allow them to diagnose performance problems and quickly work to correct unsatisfactory performance or behavior. It will also foster stronger workplace relationships thus improve retention. It is also an effective means to convey appreciation and improve morale.

Some coaching relationships go on for years, others last only a short time or are for a specific reason. The coach and employee can negotiate the “why” of it all together. The outcome is the important piece. The coach should be able to guide and train the employee to use techniques that will improve their performance. The coach can also serve as a role model for the employee. They may also serve as a sounding board when the employee receives their performance evaluation from the supervisor. And, can assist the supervisor in corrective action with the employee if that is needed.

Location? The most important point about location is this…it can occur almost anywhere but it needs to be somewhere that both the coach and employee feel comfortable in order for it to be optimal.

Who to coach? Coaching is a voluntary arrangement. In order to be coached, the employee has to want the relationship. It is an “at will” relationship.

I reached out to you, the readers, and you helped me come up with some of the guidelines for what optimal coaching should include in addition to the rules of engagement.

• MANAGERS SHOULD BE TRAINED TO COACH- HumanResourcePufnStuf mentioned that it is not always easy for your top performers to coach. I agree with him. Coaches are not born, they are trained. Sure, some people have more of a knack than others at having frank and meaningful conversation, but it is a learned skill.
• COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL TO EFFECTIVE COACHING – Ben Eubanks (UpstartHR) brought up the point that company leadership needs to communicate with the employees. The same can be said of effective coaches. If we are not talking to each other, new ideas will not be generated and shared. Change in behavior or performance will not happen.

I believe that providing good coaching is a manager’s way to take a pre-emptive strike at poor performance. Instead of spending so much time training managers how to write performance improvement plans, my challenge is for HR to spend more time developing their coaching skills. I think April over at Pseudo HR said it best, “Coaching is preferred over corrective action.”

So what have I missed?  Are there rules of coaching engagement to be added?  What should optimal coaching include?  Add your thoughts to the comments.

Ben will be providing career guidance for college students entering the field of Human Resources. He’ll also share some innovative insights for all….including the old pros. J