This month’s theme is all about coaching your employees – both doing performance coaching if they’re struggling and coaching for development if you’re trying to grow them.

It’s such a critical skill and seemingly misunderstood all at the same time. The most common mistakes I’ve seen?

• Not giving clear enough feedback – or enough in general
• Thinking that coaching is only a step in the progressive discipline process – and thus something negative
• Outsourcing coaching to someone else

Now, I’m a coach, so I love doing it – but it can be 100X more effective if you as the manager that already has a pre-existing relationship pours the time and effort into nurturing that relationship the right way.  

So here are 4 resources to help you be a better coach (and 1 offer)

–Resource 1–

Video Role Play: Using the GROW model

Apparently, finding a video example of a coaching example/role play is not easy!  I found this simple one that you can use in the course of a 1-on-1 meeting and it doesn’t make it too complex.  It looks pretty natural and seems like something you could start using.

Watch the video here

–Resource 2–

Video: 4 Steps to give constructive Feedback

I’ve been a really big fan of Vinh Giang, a communications expert and keynote speaker.  He makes it super simple to learn communications skills and in this short, he helps an audience member get better at giving feedback. Now, I’m not a fan of the sandwich method, which he describes here, but he does a phenomenal job of talking about the nonverbal parts and how important it is to convey the mentality that giving feedback is a way to show you care.

Watch the short here

–Resource 3–

Resources: 5 Coaching Templates

Together Platform (not an intentional plug for them) focuses on providing mentorship software, but I’ve found that they have cool resources for coaching templates.  Not only do they provide templates (some of which mirror the ones I use), they also provide questions and ideas.  It’s a great treasure trove that makes it easy.

Check out the templates here

–Resource 4–

Article: How to plan a productive coaching session

In this blog article from Simply.Coach (again, not another plug), they have a good outline of how to structure the entire conversation.  I find that there are always some leaders who feel comfortable giving feedback or managing the conversation, but just aren’t sure how to start or how to move through the conversation.  In this article, they go through a sample outline with again, more sample questions and ideas for you.

Read the Article here

–Resource 5–

Something for teams that are avoiding the real conversation

When leadership teams aren’t having the conversations they need to be having, tension builds. Feedback goes unspoken. Decisions get second-guessed. And top performers quietly disengage.

If your team is:

• Avoiding the hard conversations that would change everything
• Tired of walking on eggshells around certain people or topics
• Struggling to work together without friction or frustration

I’m launching a new 6-week sprint for leadership teams who are stuck, silent, and/or misaligned… and finally ready to deal with the real stuff. This isn’t a one-off training. It’s a new team-based program designed to help leadership teams surface what’s not being said so they can rebuild trust, make aligned decisions, and move forward with clarity.

I’m looking for a few orgs to pilot it this summer.

👉 If that’s you – or someone you know – reply back to get the details or grab a time to talk below

Grab a time to learn more

I’m hopeful that you found something useful here!  If you aren’t on my weekly newsletter where I go through difficult conversation tips weekly, you can get on the list here

Next month, I’m going to provide some resources on leading and communicating change

Cheers,

Chris

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PS – Whenever you’re ready, I have 3 other ways to help you:

1. Let’s connect >>  If you’re struggling with difficult conversations and relationships, let’s find time to connect.  I’d love to see how I might be able to support you.
2. Communication and Leadership Courses >> If you’re a manager/leader looking for strategies to be better at coaching your employees, or you struggle with difficult conversations, take a look at a few resources I have to support you to balance empathy and assertiveness and give feedback that gets results.
3. Podcast: The Art and Science of Difficult Conversations. >> If you’re interested in more ways to manage difficult conversations, I also have a podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube