From Manager to Coach: Feedback

"There's a client service manager position. I want to post for it, and I'm hoping you can put in the good word for me."

This is when I realized, I'd already failed this member of my team.

My team consisted of Project Managers who were helping clients implement our software. My failure: not being abundantly clear that I could not endorse this PM for the promotion he wanted to post for. To say that's an uncomfortable moment is dramatically understating it.

Here I sit across the desk from, we'll call him Jeff, and Jeff has his sights set on bigger things. Our lack of communication to this point (which is primarily on me) has put us both in the very ticklish situation where he wants to move on, and I know he's in no position to do so. Even though in my mind, that's abundantly clear, and we've had conversations about this, he still doesn't get it. Again, that's on me as the manager. That's why the manager job is the hardest job in the building...any building.

Jeff just didn't have any of the factors in his favor. His client satisfaction numbers were below average, his time to transition new business from implementation to our ongoing client service team was a lot longer than his peers, and when he did move new business to ongoing operations, I had more blowback due to issues with his set ups than with my other project managers. Jeff clearly wasn't ready for a promotion. The worst part was that though we had come conversations, the implications of his sub-par performance were still not a problem in his mind.

Feedback is the final step in the circular cycle of coaching employees, Each step, Analyze, Observe and Feedback are critical, but if you are great at the first two and fall down on the Feedback step, you wasted your efforts on Analyze and Observe.

How do we give feedback? I suggest 4 scenarios for giving feedback and all have their place; all are important.

In the Moment

Like a coach on a basketball team, a coach on a work team isn't going to wait for a one on one to give performance corrections. Do it like a coach, while it's in context. As you get used to doing this, and they get used to hearing it, you'll be able to do it in the very moment. At first, you might feel it necessary to take them away from other team members, and that's fine, but start to introduce correction and praise in the moment, just like a coach in sports would. Your team will get used to it and even start to welcome it.

One on Ones

For more detailed coaching discussions, one on ones are your best tool. This equates to watching game film in the sports world. This is where you'll pull out the data you've analyzed, any feedback from observations and go into greater detail and teaching. Helping them see where they can improve with examples will drive improvement. This is also a good time to go into greater detail in praise and recognition. If you can give recognition and tell them why what they did is so great, it will really stick and reinforce future praiseworthy behavior.

Performance Reviews

Where one on ones are more tactical, periodic performance conversations are more strategic. What I'm referring to here is what we used to call the annual review. Hopefully you're doing them more often than once a year. If not, make sure you're doing one on ones at least twice a month. Weekly is generally better.

In performance reviews you'll want to review progress since last time, and formulate a plan and goals for the next period. Where feasible, incorporate 360 degree feedback from you, the employee's peers and the employee.

Critical Moments/Tipping Points

This scenario describes the hopefully infrequent times when the train has run off the rails. The first 3 scenarios didn't work for whatever reason, and now it's time to take documented corrective action. In most cases, this scenario will never be necessary if you've been effective with the first 3 forms of feedback. If it does become necessary, make sure you have solid examples of the performance breakdowns with dates, data and whatever you'll need to fully explain why you're taking the action. Then it's important to document what action they need to take to correct the performance or behavior issue. Your organization will have procedures to follow on the delivery of corrective action.

The key to making this a productive experience, is how you handle the ending. Make sure they know they can come back to you at any time. I've usually made sure they have my cell phone number to call me at home, should they get home and really start to get upset. I've never had anyone call me at home, but when I've offered this I can see their whole demeanor change. They believe, for maybe the first time, that I really do care about them as a person. The last thing you want is for them to go out onto the floor and start telling the rest of the team how unfairly you treated them.

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I had to give Jeff the bad news. I had to be a lot more direct. I gave him examples. I had a feeling I'd lose him over it. He stayed for a while, but his performance didn't improve much. I continued to coach him, and he eventually left the organization. It's a shame that I let it go so far. It was after this experience that I created the tool I mentioned in the "Analyze" article I wrote for this series. I never had this problem again.

I hope you'll join me on Saturday, September 12 for the first in our 5 one hour sessions called "From Manager to Coach". I'll be sharing more information on the coaching cycle and we'll work together to put the concepts to use on your team. There is a fee involved, it's minimal but it will make you a better manager.

Ryan Houmand has consulted, coached, trained and been a speaker to senior leaders and managers all over the world. He has 25 years of management experience in corporate and retail environments. He's the author of "A Passion for Monday" and has appeared on FOX, NBC and CBS discussing "The 3 Mistakes That Make People Hate Monday".