The Coaching Habit summary

A lot of managers “coach” by feigning interest and nodding meaningfully as an employee talks. Such behavior isn’t productive for either side. To coach effectively, begin with the Kickstart question.

The Kickstart question is an essential tool in your coaching toolbox, and simply involves asking: “What’s on your mind?” Moreover, if you find yourself in a 20-minute discussion about the weekend with an employee you’re looking to coach, asking the Kickstart question will get you back on track.

It’s not always easy to identify what you need to do at work every day. Similarly, how can you coach an employee if she doesn’t even know why she’s speaking with you?

An effective coach knows how to determine an employee’s needs in any given situation. People are always driven by wants or needs and asking the Foundation question can help when a conversation starts going in circles.

Do you often jump at an opportunity without assessing the situation thoroughly? Here’s a couple of tips and key questions to help you better gauge the risks and benefits of any opportunity.

In short, it’s unwise to say “yes” to every single opportunity that comes your way. To ensure you give yourself time to think clearly, ask yourself the Strategic question: “If you’re saying ‘yes’ to this, what are you saying ‘no’ to?”

This happens to every coach. You try to hold your tongue, but then, you accidentally blurt out a bit of advice. That’s not coaching!

It’s parenting, or worse: it’s preaching. You now know that coaching is about questions, so how do you make sure your coaching practice stays about questions?

Learning what to do and doing it are two different things. Let’s go over some ways you can stick to the tips you’ve learned by making them a habit in your coaching practice.

It’s not easy to change behavior. In fact, according to a Duke University study, 45 percent of a person’s behavior stems from habit alone. And it’s difficult to change a habit if you don’t even think about it any more!