paths to success, solidify old skills and tools, and focus on building success in the new situa-
tion. Here is a series of steps for coaching high-performers, with space to make action notes.
You may wish to complete this action matrix with the high-performer.
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SECTION 13 TOOLS FORLEADINGPERFORMANCE 397
- Identify or create the growth opportunity, when the
high-performer’s old set of skills and old ways of per-
forming will be inadequate to produce real success. - Agree on coaching as a tool. Coaching must be seen
as a reward for good performance and an aid to suc-
cess in a very challenging but worthwhile situation. - Agree on the coach. The credibility of the coach is
critical. High-performers will not accept help from
just anyone. If you are the right person, proceed. If
not, find an acceptable and resourceful coach. - The coach and high-performer build their relation-
ship together. The personal chemistry has to work,
and the relationship needs to be built on trust and
mutual respect. - The high-performer articulates a vision for both
career and life ambition. Successful people are often
not self-reflective. The organizations in which they
work may not encourage reflection. Rather, the orga-
nizations want immediate action and business suc-
cess. As a result, successful people can gain a great
deal by thinking about their life’s direction. It is here
that their passions reside. - Identify and design learning experiments: action to
take in the direction of the vision; resolving some
challenges of the new situation; using new skills or a
new approach. Plan small but important steps. Focus
on achieving success when planning. Debrief actions
taken to extract learning. - Design new learning experiments, keeping the vision
in mind. - Develop momentum and a feedback process, then
get out of the way. Once the new path or the new
skills are established, the high-performer’s need for
coaching diminishes quickly. Recognize this. End the
formal coaching relationship, and provide ongoing
informal support over time.
[☛3.2 Sigmoid Curve][☛12.2 Trust][☛2.4 Visioning][☛9.1 Leadership Versatility]Coaching steps Action notes