Coaching your staff is one of the most effective ways to help people rise to their potential. But first and foremost, you as the supervisor and coach must learn to see an oak tree, or even a forest, when you look at an acorn. And you must look at every staff person you supervise and visualize what the staff person would be like if he/she were able to strengthen current skills.

When you can do that, here are some tips to consider when coaching your staff:
 

• The purpose of a coaching meeting is not to reprimand an employee or threaten dismissal if an employee's performance does not improve within a specified time period. Rather, the goal of coaching is to help redirect an employee's behavior to improve future performance, while continuing to build a relationship of mutual trust with the employee.
• The Person being coached sets the agenda. You may have to help them do this, if they don't already come with an agenda. But guide them to do this, don't create the agenda for them.
• Help the Coachee identify the barriers. Be careful here not to spend a lot of time on lamenting -- your role is to help the person being coached to find strategies for positive change.
• Help the person focus on what she has control over -- and that's her response to any given situation. She may not be able to change anything, but she can decide on how to respond.
• Give questions such as "so what would you like your goal to be to experience some positive change in this area?" Help the Coachee identify at least one concrete action item.
• End a coaching session as the cheerleader -- communicate at least one really positive thing about your time together - her progress since last time, her positive approach, her willingness to grow - it can be anything. Most importantly it needs to be sincere and communicated in a way that she experiences affirmation from you as her supervisor.