A supervisor who is effective at training and coaching employees will skyrocket the team’s productivity. The idea is simple: a well-trained team is a good team.
Want to build a team of self-motivated workers? The key is in training and coaching. Training and coaching your team will certainly take additional time, but it’s a worthwhile investment when you start seeing results. Bob Nardelli, CEO of Home Depot, once said, “Without a coach, people will never reach their maximum capabilities.” The following guidelines will help you become a great coach to your team!
Provide Feedback on Performance
Routinely set aside time to sit down with your employees and provide constructive feedback. Often employees wonder, “How am I doing or how can I improve?” Take this time to share with them your thoughts and offer suggestions where changes are needed. Feedback should not solely come from one’s supervisor. It would help if you also encouraged your entire team to provide positive and helpful feedback to each other.
Listen to Input
Not only can employees learn from one another, but as a supervisor, you can learn from them as well. Be open-minded when talking to employees and frequently ask those who are doing the work about ways to do their job more effectively and efficiently. This shows the employee that you are willing to listen and try to improve efficiency and productivity.
Don’t Do Their Work
Have you assigned an employee a task and not seen the results you thought you might see? You might be tempted to take the task off their hands and do it yourself. This might help in the short term, but it doesn’t help the employee in the long term. We all learn from trial and error, and sometimes doing things wrong will help us grow. Instead of trying to do the work for employees, try to help them navigate and get the task back on track.
Build Confidence
A confident employee is more likely to be productive and happy in his or her job. They feel they have a support system in place. As you coach your employees, make sure to praise them for things they have done well and build their confidence. Praise should be given both in private and public so that others will take note. A confident employee will be set up for success.
Turn Failure Into Learning Opportunities
Mistakes happen. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan, and that is a part of life. How you respond as a supervisor is what truly matters. When appropriate, a supervisor needs to tolerate and accept minor failures so that you can move on to the next task at hand. Understanding how you can reset expectations and work through finding a solution will go a long way.
The bottom line is this: If you take the time to invest in your people, the future of your business will reap the rewards.
