The Coaching Effect Blog

In a previous blog, I went in depth on the topic of what makes some managers more effective than others.  The reason we're able to confidently state our findings is because we have the ability to measure the effectiveness managers have on their team members and team performance through The Coaching Effect Survey. 

Data that measures employee effectiveness is by no means new, especially in sales, where many companies track most every selling activity imaginable through tools such as customer relationship management (CRM)  systems. However, consider the following exchange and think if it applies to your company.

My team deserved better than what I was about to present them.

No, I’m not referring to presenting a power point on EcSell strategy or a keynote presentation on how coaching impacts team performance and growth.  To arrive at work without presenting MY BEST SELF is cheating them and creating unproductive, subconscious growth limiting behaviors in me.

Adapted from "The Coaching Effect"

We had many discoveries along the way as we sought to understand what made certain managers, leaders, and coaches more effective than others. These discoveries are the foundation of the coaching methods and best practices that we share in The Coaching Effect,buthereareafewofourmostexcitinginsights:

If your team’s physical environment is bordered with chalked or painted lines, you must be a coach. If your team’s physical environment has cubicles, desks, and conference tables, you must be a manager. If you have the large corner office, you must be a leader. If those on your team wear uniforms you must be a coach. If they wear khakis and polo shirts… I think you get it.

Great leaders know that completing a Career Discussion with each of their team members at least once a year is an important part of their role. After all, Career Discussions are often the only chance a leader, manager, or coach and their team member have to really take a step outside the daily grind and nagging demands to strategize for that forest instead of just blocking and tackling the trees.

“We know it’s not the smartest thing to do, but we promote our high performing salespeople into management roles.”

In the words of the infamous Bob Newhart, STOP IT! Everybody knows that this “worst practice” needs to stop, but almost everyone continues to abide by it. Why? Call it laziness or call it lack of discipline, but no matter how you slice it, promoting a great salesperson, or team member, into a management role that does not have both the skill and will to be a high-performing coach has huge implications.

I always say if you need something done, ask the busiest person you know. Or, if you want to learn the habits of a successful person, spend time with one to better understand what makes him or her tick.

Harry Hicks is exactly the person the EcSell Institute wants to learn from on how to create daily habits to help drive high-performance coaching.

He saw through my juvenile behavior which, according to him, was not masking my ability. And while in his class I was expected to behave like a gentleman, which seemed more achievable to me than getting an “A” on a test. My 8^th grade core classes teacher, Mr. Yahnke, saw talent in me that was not only missed by other teachers, but something I certainly didn’t see myself. And as a result, he was about to obtain vast amounts of discretionary effort from me.

Roughly 65% of people are visual learners. Visual learners understand, absorb, and recall best by seeing information. I’m one of these people. I take hand-written notes to help me remember what I’ve heard in conversations. When faced with most tasks, I jot down to-do items or draw out a quick diagram of what I expect for an end result. If I can see how something works, I almost always have a better understanding of its process.