Hey Managers!! Stop Whining and Start Coaching . . .

Kris Dunn
January 4, 2010 | COMMENTS

Stop me when you've heard this one before:

1. A manager is not happy with Employee A's performance.
2. Manager talks to you (HR pro) about Employee A's performance.
3. You provide counsel to manager to talk to Employee A about concerns.
4. Manager does nothing.
5. Review time rolls around, manager lists issues, and employee is PO'd.

How did I do?  Ever dealt with that one?  Ever wonder why managers don't coach effectively?  A past study from Chief Learning Officer goes soft and suggests managers deal with a lot of "stuff" related to coaching.

"One-third of supervisors find coaching employees is too time-consuming,” states a survey of 710 North American managers by global consultants BlessingWhite. Entitled “The Coaching Conundrum 2008,” the study is based on input from 2,000 employees and managers in 17 countries and explores a range of issues including coaching's prevalence and effectiveness.

Managers who participated in the study noted the top challenges they face in coaching employees who report to them, said BlessingWhite's coaching practice leader Cathy Earley. When asked, “What is the biggest challenge you face in coaching others?” North American managers responded:

• I don't have all the answers (30%)
• It takes too long (29%)
• I have too many direct reports (16%)
• I don't see the results of my effort (10%)
• I am not sure where to start (9%)
• I am not comfortable having coaching discussions (4%)
• I don't like to coach (1%)

You're kidding me right? This survey should be called "Ways We Can Allow Managers to Rationalize Their Way out of Doing Their Job" study. The last time I saw this many rationalizations, Ron Artest was explaining all the reasons he couldn't stop himself from going into the stands to savagely beat a fan in Detroit.

Seriously: "I don't have all the answers?" Join the club, sparky. "It takes too long?" So does that 90-minute lunch you take at Applebee's every Thursday. "I don't know where to start"? How about looking your employee in the eye and making a statement about what you've observed that's bothering you, then letting him or her respond?

There's only one thing on the list above that's chronically underreported, and that's "I am not comfortable having coaching discussions.” Everything else is a symptom/excuse. Coaching is hard because it's confrontation. It's tough, it takes nerves of steel, and you have to practice.

Still, it's your job. If you or a manager you know is less than comfortable with coaching, find a simple coaching tool, conduct some training, and be involved as the managers get some live practice with the tool you've implemented.

And stop whining about why you don't coach. 

Reprinted with permission from Kris Dunn's blog at www.hrcapitalist.com. Dunn is vice president of HR of Daxko, a software company.