When You Need to Intervene: Coaching Your Employees to Greatness

Being a team leader involves a great deal of work; leaders need to be aware of the how, when, and why they are directing their efforts toward a specific goal. Coaching is an important part of workplace leadership, and you probably have more opportunities to step in and guide your team members than you think. When you’re looking for those important coaching moments, consider the following opportunities:

• Onboarding & acclimation: This one probably seems obvious, but the onboarding process can make all the difference between an employee adjusting to a new position properly and that same employee becoming overwhelmed by a sea of unfamiliarity. As such, the onboarding process represents the very beginning of coaching opportunities.
• Time management: If you notice that your team frequently misses deadlines, it’s time for some time management coaching. By implementing effective time management practices, you can help your employees develop smart habits that shorten work turnaround times.
• Stress and/or anxiety: Some positions are stressful by nature, but that doesn’t mean your employees don’t need help. Leading your team through stress management and anxiety prevention exercises can help them remain grounded even during difficult days.
• Mistakes: Everybody makes mistakes, but if you’ve noticed an increase in simple errors, it’s probably a good idea to coach your employees through some mistake-prevention techniques. Not only does coaching help prevent avoidable mistakes, but this type of coaching also boosts productivity.
• Organizational skills: When documents, equipment, and other workplace items tend to get lost, helping your employees upskill their organization techniques is a good solution. Organizational coaching teaches strategic thinking, which helps employees develop more organized workspaces.
• Goal-setting: It’s always good to have a goal to pursue, and if you find that your team seems directionless, goal-setting coaching might be the solution. Conduct goal-setting workshops and encourage the progress your employees make.
• Identifying and addressing obstacles: Sometimes, the source of an issue is hard to pinpoint. By teaching your employees how to identify roadblocks and challenges that interfere with progress, you empower them to find solutions that work for them.
• Commitment and initiative: Your employees don’t have to live and breathe work, but if they’re not committed to doing their best at work, coaching might be beneficial. If you show the people you lead to take pride in the work they do, you express that their performance is valuable and worth the effort they’ve put in.
• Declining overall performance: When performance levels start to drop, it’s wise to meet them head-on so that you can prevent a further decline. Help your team fix a small problem before it becomes more difficult to manage.
• Interpersonal skills: Knowing how to communicate effectively in the workplace is a skill that people can take with them anywhere. Coach your team on how to speak to each other, the nonverbal cues they display, and the foundations of emotional intelligence.
• Conflict resolution: Conflicts are a normal part of life, even at work. If you coach your team so that conflicts become productive and meaningful, you can help turn simple disagreements into opportunities.
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• Presentation skills: There’s an art to presenting subject matter in ways everyone understands, so if your team isn’t quite there when it comes to presentations, take initiative and provide them with your guidance.

Remember, it’s far better to prevent a problem when you notice the signs cropping up. Try to be proactive instead of reactive. Effective coaching helps drive success, develop a productive team, and provide your employees with skills they can continue to refine for years to come.

Want to learn more about how to be a more effective coach in these situations and beyond? Check out our event, “Coaching Strategies to Take Your Team to the Next Level.”