MANAGER AS COACH TOOLKIT
Winter 2013
Getting Ready to Coach
Reflect on Ideal
Attributes



Which coach from

my own experiences
do I admire most?
What did this coach

do and say that was
effective, and how
did he or she interact
with me?

What kind of goals
did this coach help
me to achieve?
Align Coach
Profile with
Leadership
Style
What are my natural
strengths as a
leader?
How does my idea of
an ideal coach align
with my leadership
style?
How can I
reevaluate my
definition of an ideal
coach to better align
with my leadership
strengths?
Factor in Team
Dynamics and
“Coachability”




How is my coaching
and behavior style
similar and different
from my direct
reports?
How can I adjust or
tailor my style
according to their
needs?
What are potential
areas of tension
between my
coaching style and
the differing styles
and needs of my
team?
What might my
direct repots need
more or less from
me?
Address
Common
Coaching
Pitfalls
Learn Coaching
Fundamentals



How should my
coaching activities
differ based on
performance-,
development-, or
career-based
objectives?
How can I better
delegate to make
projects a coaching
opportunity?
What role does my
coaching style have
in team-based
problem solving?



What are the
common challenges
of coaching?
How can I manage
the emotions
involved in delivering
difficult feedback?
What are strategies
to address and
resolve conflict
within my team?
2
Planning the Coaching Discussion
 State the constructive purpose of your coaching session
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 Describe the specific performance area for development and why it is important
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 Describe what you have observed
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
Seek the person’s opinion--Ask for their ideas
 Offer specific suggestions to enhance performance
1.
2.
3.
4.
3
Conducting the Coaching Session
 Get to the point, and don’t be abstract in your discussions. Most people hear what they
want to hear. If you are not straightforward in your discussion of performance, your employee will
probably leave the session without clarity around what is required.
 Always conduct the coaching session privately. Criticizing in front of others is one of the
worst things a manager can do. Public criticism is embarrassing and discouraging. It also obscures
your message, and causes observers to lower their opinion of you. If you make a habit of coaching
privately, your staff will appreciate your sensitivity to their feelings, and accept you as a manager more
quickly.
 Never get emotional. Emotions can obscure your message, and lead to confrontations. Even if
the person becomes emotional or confrontational, stick to the issues and be objective.
 Allow the employee an opportunity to respond to your concerns. Ask for his/her point
of view on the causes. You may discover legitimate obstacles preventing them from success. If this
turns out to be the case, you will look much better if you are objective and not emotional.
 Develop a plan to correct issues with your employee. If you allow your employee to take
the major role in developing the plan, s/he will probably do a better job adhering to it. Make sure the
plan has goals for improvement, with a deadline for achieving each goal. Come to an agreement with
the employee on follow-up to the coaching session.
 Close the coaching session on a positive note. Express your confidence that the employee
will overcome the issue and can accomplish the goal/ project.
 Document the key points of your discussion after the coaching session. It is not
necessary to give a copy to the employee but it will help in evaluating subsequent performance.
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Additional Techniques: What if …
 The individual needs examples …
– Provide specifics, when possible, or if not, talk about when the behavior tends to happen
– Pledge to provide feedback if future examples occur
 The individual gets defensive …
– Tone down your message, if merited,
– Discuss the unproductiveness of being defensive
– Suggest an alternate way to respond to the feedback
 The individual challenges you …
– Rephrase the feedback and provide examples, if possible
– If the individual still disagrees, ask: “Are there are any instances when this might be true?”
» Discuss those instances
» If still no agreement, don’t argue, just agree to disagree
» Say you’ll follow up if the issue occurs again
 The individual agrees …
– Ask why he/she thinks this happens
– Discuss the negative impacts and ask for their suggestions to improve
– Talk about alternatives and what the positive impact might be
Ensure the conversation is two way.
5
Employee Self-Assessment
Instructions
Please complete and return this self assessment to your supervisor by ______________.
Your thorough and timely participation in the appraisal process will help facilitate a fair and
comprehensive review of your progress and accomplishments since the last performance review.
Supervisors: Attach completed self assessments to the employee’s performance appraisal and
return to HR.
Performance Review Period: (MM/DD/YYYY) f
to
r
List your most significant accomplishments or contributions since last year. How do these
achievements align with the goals/objectives outlined in your lastoperformance review?
m
D
a
t
In what aspects of your job do you feel you need more experiencee and training?
:
propose
to take and resources that might be needed to accomplishDthem.
Job Title:
e
p
a
rt
m
Please describe capabilities or skills that are not currently fully utilized.
e
n
t:
Supervisor’s Name:
Employee Name:
List steps you
Please identify any areas where you think improvement is needed.
Online at HRM Website:
http://www.northeastern.edu/hrm/docs/resources/performance-management/selfassessment-form.doc
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Manager’s Self-Review
Am I effective in
this competency?
Managerial Competency
1–5 (1= Not
Effective
5 = Highly
Effective)
Action plan for Improving
What will I do?
What resource or assistance
will I need?
When will I do this?
I pay attention to and
address others’ capabilities
and development needs;
I help identify and close gaps
I effectively give and receive
feedback for growth
I seek feedback about my
performance as a manager; I
learn from experience and
mistakes
I model desired behavior for
peers and subordinates
I delegate for the
development of others; I
encourage others to make
decisions, take
responsibilities, and learn
from it; “I get out of the way”
Online at HRM Website: http://www.northeastern.edu/hrm/pdfs/resources/formanagers/SelfReviewWorksheet.doc
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