FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Tom Ellis
Jan. 13, 2004
Ellis Communications, Inc.
Phone: (417) 881-5635
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Managers who coach their staff make a significant contribution
toward the overall mission of their telecom. In fact, rank-and-file employees
who know how to serve as a coach to their co-workers also help the company
exceed customer expectations and increase morale, productivity and
profitability.
But do they know what the basic principles of coaching are?
“Such things as building trust and partnerships are key elements of coaching
but people need to understand that so they can apply those principles,” says
David Saxby, president of Phoenix-based Measure-X, a company that specializes in
helping telephone companies improve their customer service and sales.
Saxby offers the following 10-point test to help telecom employees understand
the essential elements of coaching. The answers are provided at the end of the
questions.
1.Effective coaches build high-performance teams by:
A. Emphasizing best practices
B. Creating relationships
C. Stressing ways to increase knowledge
2. An effective coach is someone who:
A. Mentors others
B. Tells personal stories to teach a lesson
C. Works through the process to help a subordinate
3. The most important strategy of a good coach is to:
A. Meet regularly
B. Forge a strong partnership
C. Always take notes
4. As a good coach, I should watch myself when it comes to:
A. Carrying the coaching into their personal lives
B. Valuing differences
C. Getting too close to the person I am coaching
5. During the coaching process:
A. Change meeting places to inspire creativity
B. Monitor progress and follow up
C. Let the person work things out on his or her own
6. When coaching individuals on their performance:
A. Tell them the best way to achieve their objectives
B. Discover how they view themselves
C. Get them to reveal something about their childhood
7. One sign of a lack of trust is:
A. Lip service to, but neglect of, agreed-upon agendas
B. Not taking notes during discussions
C. Hesitation in answering questions
8. As a coach, I should:
A. Ensure that employees complete their assignments
B. Be accessible
C. Help others achieve their potential
9. Performance factors that can be coached include:
A. Values and beliefs
B. Competencies
C. Experience and knowledge
10. High-performance teams have people that:
A. Are friends as well as associates
B. Usually agree on the outcomes
C. Are committed to a common purpose
Answers:
1. B. A team will be dysfunctional without trust. “Effective coaches find
ways to build trust by taking risks, being genuine and allowing the team members
to make mistakes with minimal consequences,” Saxby says.
2. C. A good coach establishes processes that help employees gain greater
competence and overcome barriers and that leads to improved individual
performance.
3. B. Coaching will fail without partnerships built on trust.
4. B. Effective coaches remain open minded about personal prejudices and
value people’s differences. “They’re also open to others’ opinions, seeking to
understand them without trying to change them,” Saxby notes.
5. B. As the saying goes, “You can’t expect what you don’t inspect.” Stay in
touch and be available during the coaching process.
6. B. Learn how others appraise their own skills and abilities. “What skills
do they believe they have?” Saxby asks. “Do they show self-confidence using
them? Figure out if they can change and if they think their development will
make a difference.”
7. A. Partnerships that lack trust promote suspicious behaviors, accusations
of hidden agendas or even neglect of completing agreed-upon tasks. “Territorial
self-interest, defensiveness and the blaming of others are sure to follow,”
Saxby says
8. C. Use your leadership traits to instill organization values in ways that
create energy and help team members evolve from where they are to the height of
their full potential.
9. B. Your employees’ observable competencies can be coached. These include
communication, innovation and leadership.
10. C. The definition of a high-performance team is a group of people that is
committed to a common purpose and to an approach by which they hold themselves
accountable. “The people on such teams usually have complementary skills and
function collaboratively,” Saxby says.
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Measure-X is a measurement, training and recognition company that specializes
in customer service and sales skills. For more information on Measure-X,
call 888-644-5499 or visit its Web site at www.measure-x.com.
