Streamline Training & Documentation: Fostering Reflection

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Fostering Reflection

Whenever an employee is having trouble recognizing needed attitude and behavior changes, or an employee knows what needs to be done but can't seem to bridge the knowing-doing gap, a manager can help by coaching the person in reflecting on the performance issues involved.

David Dotlich and Peter Cairo, in Action Coaching: How to Leverage Individual Performance for Company Success suggest these questions (edited a bit):

Do you think you've changed in any way since you came onboard?

What is most troubling about the feedback you've gotten? Why?

In retrospect, what do you realize you'd like to have done differently? What would you change?

Why do you think the organization wants you to develop in the direction we've been discussing?

Before we finalize the action plan we're working on, let's consider one more time: Are there other doors to open that we've missed? alternatives to the actions we've penciled in?

What aspects of the action plan get you most excited about your career and your future here?

What scares you the most about the ways you're being asked to change?

What issues are we leaving to deal with later?

If we're sitting here three months from now [or some other suitable amount of time], what might we expect to have happened?

The key point: The entire coaching discussion is premised on recognizing that what matters is taking action — specifically, action that moves the employee toward agreed developmental goals while also furthering achievement of the organization's goals.

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Labels: Coaching

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