70 / LEADING OTHERS
Helping others improve
Helping employees become more competent is an important part of
any manager’s job. It contributes to a three-way win for the organization,
the manager, and the employees themselves. By helping others resolve
personal problems and develop skill competencies—and so help
them improve their performance—you will motivate your team to
achieve better results for themselves and for the organization.
Diagnosing problems
If you can reduce unsatisfactory
performance in the people you are
managing, you ultimately make your job
easier because you will be increasingly
able to delegate responsibilities to them.
Unsatisfactory performance often has
multiple causes. Some causes are within
the control of the person experiencing the
difficulties, while others are not.
Ways to help others improve
Accept mistakes
and use them
as learning
opportunities.
Help develop
action plans for
improvement.
Actively listen to
employees and
show genuine
interest.
Recognize and
reward even small
improvements.
29%
of employees are
fully engaged with
their jobs, feeling a
passion for their
work and a real
connection with
their company
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HELPING OTHERS IMPROVE / 71
Ask questions to
help discover
sources of
problems.
Demonstrate
unconditional
positive regard
by suspending
judgment and
evaluation.
CHECKLIST...
YES NO
Determining the cause of unsatisfactory performance
1 Is the person unaware that his or her performance is
unsatisfactory? If yes, provide feedback ........................................
2 Is the person performing poorly through lack of awareness
of what is expected? If yes, provide clear expectations ................
3 Is performance hampered by obstacles beyond the person’s
control? If yes, determine how to remove the obstacles. ..............
4 Is the person struggling with not knowing how to perform
a key task? If yes, provide coaching or training. ............................
5 Is good performance followed by negative consequences?
If yes, determine how to eliminate the negative consequences ....
6 Is poor performance being rewarded by positive consequences?
If yes, determine how to eliminate the positive reinforcement .....
Seek to educate
rather than
to assist.
Provide
meaningful
feedback for
learning.
Encourage
continual
improvement.
Model the
behaviors
you desire.
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72 / LEADING OTHERS
Demonstrating positive regard
The relationship between you and the
person you are helping is critical to
the success of the coaching, mentoring,
or counseling you undertake with them.
For a helping relationship to be successful
it is important to hold the person being
helped in “unconditional positive regard.”
This means that you accept and exhibit
warm regard for the person needing help
as a person of unconditional self-worth—
a person of value no matter what the
conditions, problems, or feelings. If
you can communicate positive regard, it
provides a climate of warmth and safety
because the person feels liked and prized
as a person. This is a necessary condition
for developing the trust that is crucial in
a helping relationship.
Start by discussing
the purpose of the
helping session.
Before you speak to someone
about how to help them
improve their performance,
make sure you have acquired
all the facts about the situation.
Conducting a
helping session
Take time to think about what
type of help the situation
requires; consider how the
person might react and how
they might feel about what
you are going to discuss.
Try to make the
person feel comfortable
and at ease.
Establish a nondefensive
climate, characterized by open
communication and trust.
The person being helped
should be held in “unconditional
positive regard”
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HELPING OTHERS IMPROVE / 73
Before you discuss the
problem you have identified,
raise and discuss positive
aspects of the person’s
performance.
Mutually define the
problem (performance
or attitude).
Mutually determine the
causes. Do not interpret or
psychoanalyze behavior;
instead, ask questions such
as, “What’s causing the lack
of motivation you describe?”
Help the other person establish
an action plan that includes
specific goals and dates.
Make sure expectations
are clearly understood.
Summarize what has
been agreed upon.
Affirm your confidence in the
person’s ability to make needed
changes based on his or her
strengths or past history.
After the session, make sure
that you follow up to see how
the person is progressing,
and modify the action plan
if necessary.
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74 / LEADING OTHERS
Counseling others
Counseling is the discussion of emotional
problems in order to resolve them or to
help the person better cope. Problems
that might require counseling include
divorce, serious illness, financial
problems, interpersonal conflicts, drug
and alcohol abuse, and frustration over
a lack of career progress. Although
most managers are not qualified as
psychologists, there are several things
managers can do in a counseling
role before referring someone to
a professional therapist.
Confidentiality is of paramount
importance when counseling others. To
open up and share the reasons for many
personal problems, people must feel
that they can trust you and that there is
no threat to their self-esteem or their
reputation with others. Emphasize that
you will treat in confidence everything
that the other person says regarding
personal matters.
In focus
FEEDBACK
People need feedback about the
consequences of their actions if
they are to learn what works and
what doesn’t and then change their
actions to become more effective.
Carefully thought-out feedback
can increase performance and
positive personal development.
Applying feedback in the helping
process involves:
•
Describing observed
behaviors and the results and
consequences of those behaviors.
•
Assessing the impact of
the observed behaviors
in terms of organizational
vision and goals.
•
Predicting the personal
consequences for the person
involved if no changes take place.
•
Recommending changes the
person could make to improve
their behavior.
This sequence of actions applies
whether the type of help being
given to the person is coaching,
mentoring, or counseling.
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