Coaching for improved work performance - By Ferdinand F. Fournies

My first day at one of my jobs was the worst experience ever. I spent my morning listening to the one who was “training” me talk about anything and everything other than the job itself (although I enjoyed our conversation - ha!). I was then thrust into a fast-moving afternoon with no instructions or point person to help me. My day then concluded with a guest slapping my rear as I walked by where he was sitting. I literally cried the entire way home. Now, many years later, I am able to comically reflect on that day, but if the circumstances in life would have been different than what they were, I am confident I would have quit after day one.

Unfortunately, throughout my years of coaching I see the same common issues in the workplace: 1) lack of training 2) unclear expectations, and 3) assumptions made. Ferdinand F. Fournies addresses each of these repeating job-offenders in his book Coaching for improved work performance as he helps the reader positively address each concern. He points out that one of the most common occupational hazards of managers is the “all-knowing” disease. This is when they think they know what is influencing the poor performance of an employee without truly finding out the facts involved or more importantly asking the employee directly.

Ferdinand highlights the importance of knowing that we don’t hire the person’s brains or values - rather we are renting their behavior. In order for them to understand the behaviors we want to see and the results such behaviors will provide, we must provide clarity as to what the expectations of such behaviors look like. Ferdinand shares that every employee is going to be different and therefore you have to treat each differently. Training isn’t going to be a cookie-cutter design but rather tailored to each individual in their learning styles, how they best communicate, and even identifying their motivational trigger. Ferdinand presents many ways in which an employee may be motivated, but dials in on the top influences being achievement or recognition.

Ferdinand goes on to comment on the lack of feedback employees receive on an ongoing basis. In efforts to overcome this setback, he provides a coaching analysis and even discussion plan to be able to walk through with the employee, thus providing clarity of expectations, open dialogue on challenges the employee is facing, and even goal-setting to best collaborate as employee/manager in attaining improved work performance and overall positive results in the workplace.

In the end, Ferdinand reminds us as leaders that our success depends on our success as a team, that an employee’s failure should be seen first as our own failure, and the riveting truth that we need our team more than they need us.

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