There are many management styles and one must wonder how to be the best team leader. Let us look at being an effective manager using the best coaching techniques as a tool to gain results. Many managers believe their function is to find problems and address them head on with almost a military mindset of leadership. The problem in dealing with people this way is that management becomes feared and employee’s waist valuable time covering their tracks instead of being productive. An effective leader looks to find good actions and praise individual performance five times for every one concern that needs addressed.  With around 30% of our life spent at work do you desire to live in the environment of fear? Let’s assume the answer is no and develop the proper process for managers to coach towards improved team results. This involves working first to develop accepted standards and tracking individual performance. Then the good team coach will spend time with each individual reviewing their results and giving them feedback on ways to develop techniques that will improve performance. Never tell a team member their results are below standard without giving ways to improve their process or procedure to gain the needed performance. If a manager only gives a player the bad numbers they will lose hope and feel lost. A manager must also understand a poor performer that is not willing to change or develop must be moved off the team. Believe me these folks are not happy in the job and are poison for the team. If a coach targets the bottom 10% percent of the workforce and develops them out of that bracket or off the team the results will always be a winning team. All players must be reviewed on a consistent basis to develop this team concept. One technique I have found extremely effective is to take the time to ask what the dreams or goals of each team member are.

An example of this is a technician of mine let me know his dream was to purchase land for a new house that will come for sale at auction in 90 days. This technician struggled to hit 40 hours on any given weeks output. I pulled out a calculator and showed him how he could have the cash for his down payment if he added 10 hours per week to his current total. His output grew to average 60 per week the very next week. He stopped working towards a check and began working towards his dream. My coaching visits each week turned very positive for us both as he reached his dream and purchased the property with double his goal. You might be wondering how his output was after this so let’s just say he wanted to build his new house. He just set his sights on a new dream and kept improving his results at the company.  Will you now become a positive dream finding coach?

Rob Gehring is the President of Fixed Performance 

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