How to fly 'coach'

A new generation of employees has entered the workplace armed with a new set of expectations, and, as a result, has turned the conventional supervisor/supervisee relationship on its ear. Out is the “boss.” In is the “coach.” And, said Bill Hoopes, former sales training manager at the Scotts Company, supervisors who don’t make this transition are setting themselves up for failure.

Speaking at the recent GIE-Expo in Louisville, Ky., Hoopes, who is now president of Grass Roots Training in Delaware, Ohio, said Generation X and Gen Y employees want to be taught, not told. “Mature managers find it hard to change with the times,” he said, “but if you don’t make the change, you’re going to have a hard time dealing with the new mindset employees have these days.”

Hoopes said the process starts with understanding this “New Age” worker, which is much more self-absorbed than its predecessor, and which, consequently, needs to see value behind moves that come from management. Basically, knowing how to get this employee to buy in to what the company is doing ensures a better opportunity to get the most from him or her.

Communication is key, said Hoopes, who added that he’s talking about real communication and not just the old “because I said so” boss tack that served as gospel in the past. “Effective communication contains answers to the questions ‘what,’ ‘when,’ ‘where,’ and ‘how,’” Hoopes said. “Then comes follow-up with hands-on coaching to help the team form habits that lead to success. When employees understand, they buy in, and they become motivated.”

Here are some examples Hoopes offered of how a good coach will trump a bad boss every time:

• Coaches teach people how to succeed; bosses assign tasks
• Coaches use positive motivation; bosses use fear
• Coaches put workers and supervisors together; bosses polarize positions
• Coaches have faith in people; bosses say people are lazy
• Coaches build team synergy; bosses rely on stars
• Coaches reduce turnover; bosses drive people away
• Coaches maximize leader influence; bosses isolate a leader to the point that the staff can’t stand him
• Coaches begin coaching from Day One; bosses say “get to work” without properly outlining expectations and teaching the ways of the job
• Coaches confirm skills and then assign tasks to fit those skills; bosses assign tasks without any regard to the employees’ particular skills
• Coaches follow up on the job; bosses react if—and sometimes only if—there’s a negative result
• Coaches treat people as individuals; bosses see people as a resource
• Coaches listen to, respect and involve their employees in the success of the company; bosses dictate, demean and isolate

Hoopes said his experience in dealing with human resource matters over many years convinced him that coaching is the only way to go. “It saves headaches for sure—for everyone involved,” he said. “But more importantly, doing everything right benefits the employee and the company. And that’s really what everyone wants when you get down to it.”