July 21st Coaching Tip: Keep Doing It.
During one of my team coaching conversations today, I noticed a common thread that all five team members were mentioning: we are having crucial conversations and it’s working! So, I simply said, after listening to all of their examples for more than 20 minutes, to “keep doing it.”
They had a crucial conversation with a teammate who was way behind on work, and explained how it was impacting clients negatively and which was also leading to questions about his current and future role on the team. They had another key convo about processes that needed to be adhered to, and now they are adhering to their processes better. They even discussed compensation and how to get their thoughts and examples in writing.
Crucial conversations are worth it, if done with proper prep, calm delivery, and transparent thought. Leaders should not shy from having intentional and purposeful convos; these should definitely help the team meet goals, address problems, and help the entire team jump over barriers. Keep doing it, if it’s working.
July 22nd Coaching Tip: Ask For Help.
As co-guardians of my uncle, my mother and I have to stay on the same page with all things pertaining my uncle. It’s our responsibility to do that for his overall well being and financial affairs. We are getting some items more organized and reducing unnecessary clutter, but one small $800 issue has now drug on for the third month. We both were told that we needed to send in a notarized letter with our signature. I don’t have a lot of time to handle items like this during the workday, but when you need something notarized, I asked my lawyer’s assistant and she was very willing to help…and did it. We got it notarized efficiently. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
July 23rd Coaching Tip: Get Your Confidence Back.
In one of my coaching sessions today with two highly accomplished leaders of a team, I let them vent for more than an hour. It went something like this: “Now what do I do? I’ve tried everything. It’s just not working. I’m losing hope. My confidence is waning. Our colleagues are taking advantage of us. And I’m really good at what I do, I just want to be able to go do it.” By the 90th minute, I was ready to wrap up the call and I asked for next steps. Believe it or not, they had none. So together, we worked on next steps. We identified three for them to do; I agreed to sleep on it, and bring in two other colleagues that can give me insights on when they worked with these two leaders in the past.
When your confidence is low, reach up and ask for help. As my mother would say, “if you’re in a hole, quit digging. Put the shovel aside and use it as a ladder to get up and out of the hole.” Proud of these two leaders asking for my help and knowing that they needed help for themselves, and it should also help their entire team. The team is feeling overwhelmed, not saying much in team meetings, and not showing up consistently. It’s going to take some one-on-one conversations and a gathering of multiple inputs, but our goal will be to help them get their confidence back. If your confidence is dropping, change things up and ask for help.