The Coaching Role: Inspiring and MotivatingClarification of Performance Expectations 3
When you properly perform the coaching role, both you and
your team members have a clearer understanding of what
performance is expected. Because you talk with your people, you
have a clearer picture of what each can do. And they get a clearer
picture of what you expect. Help people see that, while you are
paying them for performance, it is potential that you want. Quite
often, this increased communication inspires both of you to
greater achievement.
Changes in Point of View
Because you are involved, respecting team members’ opinions
and affirming their skills and goals, you will learn more about
other people’s points of view. And because you are encouraging
and inspiring others, you will affect their points of view — helping
them catch a new and broader perspective and professional vision.
It is too easy to be myopic in any given job.
Increased Self-Sufficiency/Autonomy
An important outcome of effective coaching is the increase in
the self-sufficiency and autonomy of team members. The coaching
role should help give team members a freeing, new identity ... a
sense of responsibility for their own performance growth. It
imparts confidence. It can minimize a tendency for the status quo.
It allows team members to rechannel “ego energy” into collective
goals. Once team members are secure about how you view them
... and how they can perform ... they are willing and receptive to
use more of their potential. They can act to energize teammates
who may not be as self-sufficient.
Insight Into Behavior and Feelings
The more you coach, the more you learn about your people,
and the more you learn about yourself. You grow your own
insights into human behavior and emotions. This increased
sensitivity to the contextual nature of results adds to your power in
influencing behaviors. 115
Being coached
should help
give team members
a sense
of importance.