The point of my last post was that coaching is both necessary and complex. Thinking about complexity we were focusing on remote coaching of diverse individuals. Consider the complexity of coaching when you have individuals from different nationalities, work cultures, religions, geographies, ethnicities, economies, assumptions about working with supervisors, and so on.
Try these tips for coaching at a distance. They do not replace general good coaching practice, just help you with the special situation of diversity at a distance. (The term "coachee" refers to the individual who you are coaching.)
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In general, it is more important in these cases to listen actively. Being separated geographically means that it is more important to pick up on signals or ask the right questions when you are unsure.
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Make sure you know the coachee's understanding of the situation from the beginning. Explain briefly if the topic of the coaching session has not been discussed before. Then ask questions to confirm there is a common understanding - and acceptance.
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Validate signals you think you hear during the conversation so that you do not misinterpret. Ask the coachee questions such as
- What do you mean when you say….?
- Are you are frustrated given the circumstances?
- Does your work environment present obstacles ?
- Do you have the skills you need in this case? Does your team?
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Do you think you can make this change? Do you think you can be successful with the action plan we discussed?
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Ask open-ended questions. Remember the letter "W" as the beginning of great open-ended questions.
- What are your obstacles to performing as expected?
- What help do you need from me? How do you want me to provide that help?
- How do you intend to meet the obstacles? Fill the gaps?
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To develop next steps, ask questions such as What is your goal? What will you measure to know that you are improving? Document this information and manage towards it in case it is uncommon to the coachee.
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Avoid trying to fill in silence, be patient.
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Prepare to make your comments in a respectful and constructive manner.
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Communicate your feelings or judgements to make sure the listener is clear where you stand and not assuming there is a problem when there is not.
- I understand what you mean.
- I am happy that you are finding this satisfactory
- Let me repeat back to you to make sure I understand.
- I think these steps will be useful.
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Let the coachee select the medium of communication, whether it be phone, video conference of some kind. That will put the individual more at ease.
With this special preparation and interaction, you can take an important step to getting the performance you need from your diverse and far-flung project team.
