One of the toughest jobs for most coaches is redirecting poor performance. There are generally two reasons most coaches are poor at correction. They are either too easy on the offender by saying nothing or whitewashing the offense, or they are too harsh in their correction by not being sensitive to the style and needs of the offender. We call these two extremes the people pleaser or the taskmaster.
Are you a people pleaser or a taskmaster? Taking a personality assessment like DISC can help you better understand the genetic traits of your personality and how that impacts your coaching. Knowing your style also will give you a sense of what is most challenging for you in the balance between people sensitivity and goal achievement or people focus versus task focus.
No matter your personality style, however, the following process will tend to help all coaching styles be more effective in correcting poor behavior.
First, ask the employee if he or she has a few minutes to talk privately. (We call this the “Joan Rivers Rule,” so named for Joan’s famous question “Can we talk?”) This question is a signal to the employee that what you want to talk to them about is an important matter. This is not about the weather, the upcoming company party, or the ball game last weekend. This is important stuff.
Once the employee agrees to talk, take him to a private place and follow this sequence of conversation:
•Remind him what “good” looks like. Tell him what the goal is — what the behavior is that you want to see modeled around here or what results you are looking for.
•Tell him specifically what behavior you have seen or heard and how it missed the mark. Let him know the impact of this negative or poor behavior.
•Ask for the behavior that you want.
•Ask the team member what you can do to help him perform the good behavior.
Use the WWIINN (or Win-Win) Formula
My coaching colleague Bill Mills calls this model the WWIINN formula. The model follows this sequence:
W – State: Here’s what I really, really want.
W – State: Here’s what I have witnessed (Observed behavior).
I – State: Here is the impact of this behavior.
I – Use: “I” statements as you discuss the behavior.
N – State: “What I need from you is ….”
N – Ask: “What do you need from me to do that?”
Using the WWIINN formula creates a win-win for all involved. If done with a balanced interest in the team member’s needs and the team’s results, the outcome is usually favorable.
Dealing with Bad Habits or Hygiene Issues
Of course, there are some behaviors where a more drastic approach is needed. These are the extreme situations where someone’s bad habits or bad hygiene is making the working environment intolerable for other workers — or even customers.
Bad breath, improper dress, body odor, a loud or shrill voice, and other such challenges are all too common in the workplace. Yet these difficult situations are usually ignored or handled badly by managers. But most managers agree that these issues have to be addressed, and sooner is usually better than later.
If this is a tricky subject you are dealing with and you’d like the suggested format for handling such situations, send me a message at rmeiss@bobpikegroup.com, and I’ll send you a one-page job aid on the topic.
Rich Meiss is a master training consultant at The Bob Pike Group and creator of the Coaching for Success workshop.
