Your employee engagement coaching cheat sheet
Need help with coaching and employee engagement? Time to ditch the lengthy processes. Our handy tick-box cheat sheet is here to save you time and boost productivity.
Why coaching and employee engagement matter?
- Feel rewarded. You’re helping people fulfill their potential, giving them the tools to learn and grow. For good managers, this is your job, not an additional extra.
- Create better relationships with your people.
- Understand what your people need and learn to adjust to each person.
- Good coaching helps you, your people, and your company thrive.
- Happier people and better productivity.
Most importantly, you will motivate your team and create a trustful relationship by setting clear expectations and listening carefully.
What makes a good coach?
A critical part of being a good leader and engaging your people is coaching. But remember, coaching isn't the same as training. A good manager can do both and understands the difference. Coaching guides someone and pushes them to realize what they’re capable of. You’re there to support that. It's about asking the right questions and sharing expertise.
When is coaching needed?
The right time to engage your people with coaching is when they need help with:
- Relational issues
- Sharing expertise
- Self-improvement of soft skills
- Career changes
- New problems
Though each situation requires a different approach, the core responsibilities are the same. Critical to all is listening carefully and never imposing your opinions on them, though there are some other essential coaching responsibilities you should focus on, including:
- Establishing focus
- Discovering possibilities
- Removing barriers
- Sharing expertise
- Setting up a plan of action together
- Following up and feedback
Coaching framework
To achieve everything mentioned above, you’ll need some guidelines on how to give good feedback. We recommend the GROW Methodology of coaching and mentoring. This approach focuses on the structure and development of your people. GROW stands for Goal, Reality, Options, and Will.
Goal
Look at the person’s behavior. Do they want to change? What are the long and short-term goals? Is the goal SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely)? Challenge the person to be sure!
Reality
Examine the current situation. What’s happening? What’s the effect? Raise awareness and self-awareness in this phase. As the coach, it’s up to you to make sure everything is clear, clarify the steps everyone should take, and stimulate self-evaluation.
Options
What options do you have? Look for alternative solutions. What are the pros and cons? Discuss them to find the best ones. Make suggestions, but remember, it’s up to them to take the first step. Letting them look for the solutions first helps them focus on the issues and the outcomes. Your job is to guide the person in the right direction without deciding for them.
Will
Considering the different options, how best can they achieve this goal? Work with them to keep them motivated, give them an action plan and a time frame.
Coaching FAQs
What questions do coaches regularly ask themselves?
- How and when should I start coaching or engaging my people?
- What are the best practices for coaching and employee engagement?
- How often should I be coaching someone?
- How do I handle bad moods or lack of cooperation?
- What does a useful coaching session look like?
You need to know the answer to these questions before you start coaching. This helps you make the entire coaching process clear and realistic.
4 Ways to Give Good Feedback
Ask the right questions:
Ask open questions, and don't be afraid to share your expertise. Don’t waste time asking the person in front of you who can't possibly answer. Instead, try and direct them without giving them the answer.
Frequent feedback moments:
Questions and answers won’t matter if you don’t give them any feedback! And the more you do this, the better. The person’s confidence, productivity, and development depend on your positive encouragement, experience, and relevant suggestions for improvement.
Don't rush and be ready:
‘Aha!’ moments don’t happen straight away. It can take time to get there. So be patient. You asked a lot of questions; they’ll need time to digest everything and reflect on the entire process. And be ready when they are.
Never pre-plan end goals:
Never start a coaching session with a set end goal in mind. Unconsciously, this will taint the result, and you’ll work towards that goal without knowing if it is the right one. All goals must come from the person you’re coaching. It’s part of the journey.
How can Unit4 supercharge your coaching and employee engagement?
Unit4 HCM boosts productivity, engagement, and growth by letting your managers and teams: manage performance with performance management tools that let you help your people reach their full potential. They also help you engage your people so you can their needs quickly and clearly, easily spot trends, and forecast employee turnover using periodic mini-surveys to your organization or specific teams.
