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bad person.” No — you didn’t say that, but that’s what Pat hears.
Think about it. If someone says to you, “Work on your attitude,”
what is your internal response? You become defensive, don’t you?
If you want openness between you and the people on your team,
stop talking about attitudes. Instead, talk about behavior. If you
want to change attitudes, that’s where to start. Why? Because you
can’t modify other people’s attitudes. You can only modify
behavior.
Assume the Employee Knows the Problem and Solution
You hurt the performance of your team whenever you assume
the employee knows both the problem and the solution. Assuming
invariably costs time, money and morale. There are a few
assumptions, however, that are excellent for you to make as a
coach.
- Assume that your communications were somehow
inadequate the first time. Then follow the ABCs of
ensuring understanding.
Ask the employee what she thinks you want or said.
Blame no one if that understanding is wrong.
Communicate more clearly ... then
confirm comprehension. - Assume that your employee can learn to do anything, that
she has the potential. Realistically you may need to
temper your decisions with the fact that, for some people,
improvement is indeed possible, just not in this lifetime. - Assume that people do want to learn and grow and excel.
The positive attitude gives you the benefit of being open,
regardless.
The Five-Step StaffCoaching™ Model“All we pay for
every week is a
certain kind of
behavior for a
certain amount of
hours and that’s the
only thing we can
modify.”
— Ferdinand
Fournies