XIII Coaching as Conversation

Author: Bill Gjetson is a consultant and coach specializing in leadership development for Senior Leaders,
Managers, and High Potential employees. His areas of interest are action learning and storytelling.
Objective(s): se this activity to identify the appropriate approach to a coaching session !ith a
su"ordinate
How the author has used this exercise# $ have used this activity in supervisor training. $ have found it
useful in helping managers decide ho! to approach a su"ordinate !hen an issue surfaces that calls for a
coaching response.
Activity Description: Participants are as%ed to list three different performance pro"lems e&perienced "y
their employees, past or present. Participants are then as%ed to "riefly descri"e the nature of the
performance pro"lem '!hat is getting in the employee(s !ay)* on separate Post+$t notes. ,hen they are
finished, they are as%ed to place the Post+$t notes on one of four flip+charts !ith a heading that seems most
appropriate to the pro"lem# -ounseling .pproach, Mentoring .pproach, $nstructional .pproach,
/eed"ac% .pproach.
Participants are then given the opportunity to descri"e the performance pro"lem and e&plain ho! they
!ould approach the coaching conversation "ased on one of the four choices. 0he facilitator raises
1uestions to clarify the participant(s reasoning and intentions.
.t the end of the activity, the facilitator revie!s the discussion and then e&plains that 2coaching3 involves
a one+on+one conversation that managers need to prepare for ahead of time. $n preparing to meet !ith the
employee, it is important to %no! ho! to 2frame3 the conversation, depending on the performance
pro"lem that has surfaced. 0he follo!ing handout is then distri"uted, as a reminder#
Coaching Approach Outcoes !ought
Counse"ing: 0he manager descri"es the situation
as he4she sees it, prompts responses, as%s
1uestions, and focuses on listening to understand
0he goals are to define the pro"lem, gain insight into the
pro"lem, ena"le the employee to share strong feelings and
gain self+insight, identify a plan of action, and encourage
employee to commit to the plan
#entoring: 0he manager descri"es his or her
o"servations of the employee, and e&plains ho!
the employee(s "ehavior is interpreted in light of
the organization(s political structure, culture, or the
"iases, li%es and disli%es of senior managers
0he goal is to increase the employee(s political savvy
'a!areness of land mines, sensitivity to ho! decisions are
made and !or% gets done, s%ill in maneuvering through
comple& situations* and organizational agility '%no!ledge
of ho! things function, ho! to get things through formal
and informal channels*
Instructing: 0he manager provides direct
instruction 'teaches* or guidance on ho! to design
and implement a performance improvement plan.
0he goal is increased %no!ledge, %no!+ho!, and s%ill.
$eedbac%: 0he manager gives o"jective, "ehavior+
"ased description of performance deficiencies
0he goal is for the su"ordinate to understand and accept
personal responsi"ility for the performance deficiency and
commit to improved performance.
Options: 0he handout can "e used in one+on+one meetings !ith managers to help them decide ho! to
approach a pro"lem employee. Added thoughts or considerations: 0he num"er of pro"lems that
participants are as%ed to list and descri"e varies !ith the size of the group and the amount of time
availa"le for discussion. $f there are 56 or more participants, for e&ample, you may need to limit the
pro"lems to one per participant.