- What behaviors are at issue?
As learned in Chapter 5, always focus on behavior, not
attitudes. Identify the specific action (or inaction) causing
the problems. Even if Jill did the task grudgingly, she still
did the task. If Jill made a mistake and accidentally didn’t
do the task, she didn’t do the task. Certainly, the
employee’s attitude counts. Anyone would rather coach
the team member who wants to do well but failed. But
when it comes to immediate problem solving, it’s the
outcome, not the intent, you must focus on. - What are the consequences if things go unchanged?
Sometimes it’s smarter to ignore a situation and see if it
works itself out. You don’t have to “rescue” everyone and
resolve every situation. Occasionally a negative situation
can be its own consequence ... its own deterrent to the
problem happening again. Or maybe the problem is so
small that consequences could cause more problems by
drawing attention to it. Great coaches keep a finger on the
team pulse ... without keeping the team under their
thumb. An ineffective approach is to ignore an issue
hoping that it will resolve itself. Act or don’t act based on
strong assessment of the individuals and the team. Jill’s
attitude, in the above example, could spill over to the
team. Like the effect of negativity that Cherie Carter-Scott
notes in her video, Negaholics, Jill’s attitude could
contaminate the team. - Does the problem affect immediate objectives?
What jobs are in progress? Could this problem hurt them?
If the answer is “yes,” then problem does jeopardize
immediate objectives and you must mobilize all your
energies to pinpoint the problem’s source and a solution
for it. If the problem doesn’t jeopardize a project in
progress, finish the tasks at hand before turning your
attention to the disruption.
It’s a little like firefighters putting aside 10 good hoses to
fix one leaky hose while the warehouse burns down.
Prioritize your response to the problem based on the threat
to your most immediate goal.
Coaching, Mentoring and Managing6