Encyclopedia of Leadership

13.2

COACHING HIGH-PERFORMERS:

AN OVERLOOKED ELEMENT OF SUCCESS

Contributed by George Campbell and inspired by Chris Argyris, Geoff Bellman, John O’Neil,

Lyle Sussman, and Richard Finnegan.

Coaching high-performers, an obvious yet powerful source of organizational improvement, is

a neglected area. The very fact that they arehigh-performers somehow seems to negate their

need for coaching. Leaders frequently misdirect their coaching efforts to poor or mediocre per-

formers, leaving high-performers to find their own way. This tool clarifies the difference

between problem-based coaching and high-performance coaching, and provides steps to devel-

oping a style for coaching high-performers.

The leverage achieved from helping high-performers is extraordinary. When high-per-

formers grasp new concepts or new ways of working, their drive for accomplishment and abil-

ity to implement create powerful momentum. Their success draws the rest of the organization

in the same positive direction—an example of a rising tide raising all boats. High-performers

reject coaching from the traditional, problem-based mode. It doesn’t meet their needs.

Coaching needs to feed their appetites and expectations. Like elite athletes and master musi-

cians, high-performers embrace coaching that fits their fast-moving, success-filled world.

Coaching needs to support their optimistic and forward-thinking attitudes, and challenge

them to set and attain lofty goals.

SECTION 13 TOOLS FORLEADINGPERFORMANCE 395

Follow the squeaky wheel theory.

✔ Offer coaching to people who are causing trouble; help

bring their performance up to standard.

Work with the known.

✔ Help poor and mid-level performers bring their work

up to an expected level of achievement.

Work toward solving a problem.

✔ Coaching starts with the definition of a problem or

identification of a performance gap.

Think short-term.

✔ Focus on the steps needed to close the performance

gap.

Construct a linear process.

✔ Agree on a logical, step-by-step process for closing the

performance gap.

Problem-based coaching High-performer coaching

Follow the springboard theory.

✔ Work with people who are already successful; help accelerate

their already stellar progress.

[☛3.2 Sigmoid Curve]

Work toward the unknown.

✔ Help the high-performer become a lamplight for new ideas,

new ways of performing. Help them discover new capacities,

new ways of applying knowledge and skills.

[☛1.6 Boards of Play]

Work toward achieving a vision.

✔ Coaching starts with the definition of a vision. Current

performance is not really the issue; defining the vision and

finding a route to its achievement is the key.

[☛2.4 Visioning]

Think long-term.

✔ Focus on career, business breakthrough, and life ambitions.

[☛14.2 Rethinking Your Thinking]

Build a nonlinear, quantum-leap process.

✔ Encourage leaps, keeping the long-term map in mind. High-

performers will fill in the spaces between the leaps.

[☛1.9 Paradigms]