A Coach too far....

When I looked at the dictionary definition of ‘Coaching’, I was surprised by what I saw. It simply read:

‘To train or tutor or to act as a trainer or tutor’.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Coaching is a widely used term in retail and is usually used to describe a more individual one-to-one training - and is normally completed on the sales floor rather than in a more traditional training environment.

So what contributes to ‘successful coaching’? As always, there is not a clear cut answer to this question.

It can be argued that it is good ‘business practise’ for a Retail Manager to spend time on the sales floor with their team. As most retailers can tell you about Managers who barely came out of the office – is it always what today’s employee experiences?

To really be a successful coach, you do need to find the time to work with your teams. You will reap the benefits. Successful coaches use their communication skills and will feedback quickly and simply to their team members and will always notice and give praise when they observe something has gone well. This to me is one of the main differences in a good or bad coach. It is always better to ‘catch someone doing something right...’

I remember watching a Manager in one of my stores ‘coaching her team’. She really hadn’t grasped the concept of what she was trying to achieve and it was very painful to watch. She also had failed to understand that a successful coach NEVER switches off and is always ready to feedback - both in a positive and constructive fashion. Her first mistake was to ‘coach’ a large group of people at the same time, who were all at very different levels. Her negative comments about a particular individual – though correct, were crassly expressed and had a very poor impact on the entire group.

The best coach I have ever seen was an Assistant Manager I worked with in a large fashion retail chain. He always seemed to be aware of what his team were doing and always MADE the time to comment on it. Watching him ‘work the team’ was really a big lesson in how effective coaching can be if it’s done in the right manner!

He would never walk through the sales floor without making comment to staff on what he saw – the effect of this was to create a team that really strove for his approval and had a desire to get things right. He had, almost unconsciously, created the very best environment to train and develop his team!

It is vital for today’s modern retailer to recognise when it is appropriate to coach a member of staff on a one-to-one basis and when it is more suitable to hold a training session.

How can you be sure that you are getting it right? Well the best coaches guide, inspire and motivate all through effective communication. Take the time to observe your team in action – catch them ‘doing something right’ and let them know you ‘caught’ them and see what results this can give you! You really will see the difference and your team will feel respected and respect you!

So – are you the best Coach you can be??