7
of the StaffCoach™. You mentor to clarify importance,
you coach for clarity and you counsel for accountability.
- Agree on deadlines. Be careful with assumptions. When
you give an assignment, people won’t automatically know
when it’s due. Spell out deadlines clearly. Leaving
something to chance will add to your stress and
unnecessarily risk your results. To make sure deadlines are
M.E.T., you should ...
Monitor milestones.
Build in periodic progress checks before the project
completion date.
Energize efforts.
If project phases are lagging, suggest ideas and/or change
procedures or personnel to bring the project back up
to speed.
Trumpet the team!
Did you meet the deadline? Find some way to celebrate it.
The celebration doesn’t have to be a big deal — a quick
meeting to acknowledge key players, an inexpensive
lunch at a favorite “out of office” gathering place, going to
the individuals and thanking them. Recognize the effort.
The important thing is this: Don’t let a deadline victory
slip by without a “trumpeting the team” celebration. - Provide feedback.Ask your staff to give you feedback,
written or spoken, on how the job is going. How could it
have been planned better? How do team members feel you
have responded to their needs? The act of seeking ideas
and opinions through open-ended questions will boost the
morale of your team more than the greatest pep talk
ever spoken!
Managing Within the StaffCoaching™ Model
The road to
success is marked
with tempting
parking places.