I was talking with an Inside Sales Director yesterday about a meeting she had just had with one of her team members. She had called him into her to office because she was ready to put him on plan. As they reviewed his forecast together, she listened to his status updates and excuses on not hitting his numbers. He was defensive and it felt like a conversation they’ve had many times before. At that point, she tuned in to her intuition to realize there was something else going on behind his behavior. She quickly adjusted her approach and came in with razor sharp timing and asked him, what is really going on with you these days? Well, before she knew it, his eyes welled up with tears and he shared some personal information about his life that was severely impacting his sales. That’s compassionate coaching. We can get results a lot faster when we invest in listening to the other person instead of focusing on our agenda.
There are a lot of good coaches out there. Here are some winning qualities they share:
Excellent Listening–This is key and it must be active, empathetic, compassionate and non-defensive. Learn to effectively paraphrase what you hear.
Patience–People don’t change but behaviors can change; everyone has his or her own unique rhythm that takes time.
Supportiveness–Sometimes team members are just waiting for permission to be seen as the top dog on the team. Treat them like they deserve to be in that spot.
Flexibility and Adaptability–Managers must become agile in how they manage because every person is different. They must keep an open mind and become sensitive to differences.
Interest and Awareness–Take time to walk into team members’ cubicles and look around. Get to know their world because this will give you clues to what motivates them.
Perception–This is where your intuition kicks in. Trust it.
Energetic–A good coach motivates someone to change for the better.
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