This is a question all supervisors should ask themselves, whether in the service industry or not. If your employees see you as coach as well as a boss, I can guarantee you’re doing a far better job of bringing out the best from them than if they see you as just a boss.

When you think of “Coach” what comes to mind?

You probably think of a person who actively helps another person – and challenges them – to become their best. A coach and the people they coach are aligned toward the same goal: excellence. In athletics, both the coach and the athlete recognize that each makes a crucial contribution. Each needs the other’s expertise and contribution.

Now think of the word “Boss”. What comes to mind? If you’re like most of us, that word has less than positive associations. Just a few seconds of thought, and we find ourselves thinking of the many disrespectful, overbearing, and clueless ways we have been treated by bosses.

OK… if I interviewed your staff right now, what would they say about you? Would they say things like:

“She shows interest in us as individuals, not just as tools to achieve her goals.”

“If I make a mistake, she takes the time to help me learn and improve, rather than just criticize.”

“He asks me about my professional goals and works with me on how I can achieve them.”

“He shows interest in my personal and professional development. If something happens that he thinks would be a good learning opportunity for me, he takes the time to explore it with me and help me learn from it. He shares his wisdom.”

“I appreciate how she pays attention to when we do things well, rather than just criticize when we make mistakes.”

If these are the kinds of comments they would make about you, chances are you have a motivated, engaged team who sees you as an ally and as someone worthy of respect and loyalty.

Let me give you a quick, simple example of “Coach Behavior” that comes from one of my all-time favorite clients – the NHHEAF Network out of Concord, NH. As a brief aside, you can sense the positive atmosphere in this company almost the moment you walk into their building. Very few organizations I’ve come across emanate such a positive emotional climate (Northeast Delta Dental is another stand out). I mention that because if you want to create the kind of climate that inspires great service, those are two companies worth studying.

Anyway… while working with their call center reps, I asked for examples of being a coach. One of the participants shared how one of the senior reps – Lynn Desjardins – will periodically email staff a set of questions. To answer them, CSRs need to sleuth their way around the company’s computerized knowledge base. This obviously helps them become even more effective at helping their clients – which leads to greater job satisfaction.

Lynn’s practice is a great example of the “Everything Matters” principle I write about. (Google “Everything Matters” and “David Lee” and you’ll come across a number of articles with the story behind this principle). The short version of this principle: Everything a supervisor or senior management team does, matters in terms of how they are perceived by employees and in terms of employee morale and engagement. Even the little things. Make that “especially the little things.”

By sending out those simple email questions, Lynn communicates that learning is important at NHHEAF and that she cares about the CSRs’ professional development. Also, doing this taps into one of the most fundamental intrinsically rewarding human drives: the drive to learn (not the desire to go to school, the desire to learn – think of infant’s and toddler’s never ending desire to discover, figure things out, etc.).

One example of “Coach Behavior” is tapping into that desire. By tapping into that intrinsically rewarding behavior – figuring things out, getting to use one’s brain – you increase employees’ energy level and aliveness. You also tap into what research shows is a major interest of today’s best workers: the opportunity to learn new skills and grow professionally

So… if you are wondering whether you demonstrate “coach-like” behaviors” and would like a complimentary copy of the Being More Than Just a Boss Self-Assessment, email me at David@HumanNatureAtWork.com

Also, if you want information on the upcoming seminar BEING MORE THAN JUST A BOSS: COACHING SKILLS FOR SUPERVISORS

on this topic, go to:
http://www.humannatureatwork.com/me2006.html
for info on the 6/9 seminar in Augusta
or
http://www.humannatureatwork.com/nh2006b.html
for workshops in New Hampshire

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