The Power of Talent
 
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Manager As Coach
Blog of The Month
What's New at Torchiana Mastrov & Sapiro?
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Kristi Rocha
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Issue: 4
December 2013
Greetings!

We are wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year!

In this month's issue of The Power of Talent, we are pleased to share some of the latest thought leadership and research on the benefits of creating a coaching culture within your organization. Learn why one size does not fit all when it comes to helping your employees achieve their full potential.  

Employee engagement continues to be a top initiative as we head into 2014. Keep reading to find out why an engaged team is critical to the success of your organization.

Here at Torchiana, we believe that your people are your most valuable asset. That's why our staff of professionals has expertise in all facets of leadership development, executive coaching, career management and career transition/outplacement services to help your company grow.

Please contact us if you'd like to discuss how Torchiana can assist you or if you have questions about our new Manager as Coach Learning Series.

Happy Holidays,
Kristi Rocha & Lynne Saiz
 
Manager As Coach

In today's challenging environment, organizations need to put programs into place to help their employees achieve their full potential. One way of doing this is to create a coaching environment where employees are inspired, encouraged and rewarded for success. A benchmark study done between Cylient and The Center for Creative Leadership reveals leaders believe that when coaching is ingrained in the culture, the focus on developing others and managing performance increases, resulting in seismic shifts in organizational performance.

 

Coaching conversations between the manager and employee are a collaborative process which ultimately supports employee development, strengthens the supervisor-employee relationship and achieves business objectives. As managers are encouraged to adopt a coaching approach and style to their interactions with employees, one of the underpinning assumptions is that the manager believes in, and is dedicated to, the success of that employee.

 

To lead effectively, managers need to know when to manage and when to be a coach. By teaching mangers how to listen actively, reinforce positive behavior, and ask open-ended questions, you help them become better leaders.

 

The more employees are able to have an impact, the better positioned they are to be effective in future years. 

 

When it comes to coaching, one size does not fit all! Different employees need different coaching approaches. Hersey & Blanchard's Situational Leadership model defines four coaching styles summarized below:

 

1. Directing is for new employees or people who are struggling with a skill (or don't want to do it) and need a more directive approach.  There will be more "telling" involved in this approach. 

 

2. Coaching is a highly engaged approach which involves more teaching and demonstrating - a lot of participation from the coach. There is a focus on "asking" in this approach.  It's about partnering, teaching and offering lots of feedback. 

 

3. Supporting, an encouraging approach, is used with more experienced employees who usually already know what to do; they just need more support and follow up from their coach, and perhaps more pats on the back. 

 

4. Delegating is a hand-off approach used with highly skilled employees who need acknowledgment, recognition and check-ins to maintain their engagement. People at this level enjoy being delegated to as long as the delegation comes with true authority.  They still need an occasional coaching session, but the coaching is not to check up on them or micromanage, but to check-in and support.

 

Employees will need various approaches depending on their skill level, motivation and situation. And sometimes the same employee needs all of these approaches at different times in their development, or as they deal with specific situations. As such, managers need to develop the ability to flex coaching styles and coach employees based upon needs as they change behaviors, try new things, and develop new skills.

 

A study by Bersin & Associates found that organizations highly effective at teaching managers to prepare for a coaching relationship are 130% more likely to state that they have strong business results.   Additionally, managers who coach effectively foster increased alignment, retention, engagement, productivity and business results, enhance the ROI of all other training and grow development investments. 

 

To learn more about creating a coaching culture for your organization, contact us for details on Torchiana's Manager as Coach Learning Series!

 

Photo Credit: Dell's Official Flickr Page
Blog of The Month
Engagement Doesn't Just Happen

Employee engagement seems to be the trending business topic as of late and there's good reason for it. Engagement isn't just the latest catch phrase circling the corporate water cooler or some new business action that companies should be focusing on, but rather a strategy that needs to be put into motion to be effective.

Talk to Me

Perhaps the easiest way to engage employees is to seek and offer feedback. Gone are the days when a manager could schedule an annual review with his or her reports; instead, there needs to be an open line of communication in place that provides for frequent feedback and clear expectations. For employees to be truly engaged in their work, they need to see the value they offer to the organization and understand how they fit into the bigger picture.

It is also important for managers to be open and responsive to feedback from employees. When employees feel they are being heard and making an impact, they are more engaged in the workplace. Harvey Mackay, a New York Times bestseller and popular business speaker, expresses, "Employee loyalty begins with employer loyalty. Your employees should know that if they do the job they were hired to do with a reasonable amount of competence and efficiency, you will support them."

Meet Me Halfway

To accomplish true engagement, company and individual goals need to be aligned, and that sometimes includes catering to a new generation of workers who work to live, rather than live to work. Businesses are beginning to understand that their employees have busy lives outside of the workplace and their agendas may not fit into a tidy nine-to-five work day. By allowing flexible scheduling or telecommuting options, employers are finding that their staff, no longer distracted by outside obligations, is more productive and engaged while on the job.

Continue reading at the CareerPartners International website.
This article was provided by Career Partners International.

Photo Credit: planfund
What's New at Torchiana Mastrov & Sapiro?
Business people 1
 
Torchiana is excited to introduce The Manager as Coach Learning Series (MACLS). This program teaches leaders how to utilize effective coaching methodologies to build trust which is an important foundation for constructive conversations. These conversations are vital to developing and engaging employees to drive individual and organizational performance. The program is tailored to an organization's specific needs to enhance its relevancy, sustainability and impact on business performance.  

Please contact us for more details on this program.
 

 

Photo Credit: SCSSAPICS
Upcoming Events

Stay tuned for upcoming events in the January 2014 newsletter.
About Torchiana Mastrov & Sapiro

Established in 1980, Torchiana is the Bay Area's most experienced independent career management firm. Our staff of professionals have expertise in all facets of leadership development, executive coaching, career management and career transition/outplacement services. WE have established strategic alliances with select organizations to fulfill additional human capital and business needs.

We firmly believe that your people are your most valuable asset. Our offices in San Francisco, San Ramon and Santa Clara provide service to more than 300 companies and we deliver our services worldwide through Career Partners International (CPI).