As a successful manager, you understand the importance of timely and effective coaching to help your employees improve their job performance.

But, what makes for a good coach? What coaching skills are required of you?

According to a recent study, there are several clearly defined skills required to effectively coach employees. A team of researchers compiled a list of competencies known to result in more effective coaching and counseling. The list included such attributes as:

• Optimism about people's ability to change
• Analytical abilities
• The ability to come across as a genuine person.

Working from a rather lengthy list of attributes, the researchers set out to determine which ones truly make a difference. They studied people who had been coached, identified the ones who successfully achieved their goals following the coaching sessions, and then matched them with the various qualities of their coaches.

The findings were quite revealing. Two characteristics were found to be most important in predicting the likely success of the coaching sessions.

Competence #1 - Empathy

The first is the ability to empathize with the person being coached. According to the findings, effective coaches are more likely than their peers to relate to the feelings, concerns, and pressures faced by their employees.

Effective coaches are able to listen to and understand their employees. They are sensitive to the employee's issues, problems, and situation at work and at home.

In contrast, supervisors who are poor coaches tend to be unaware of the employee's views, situation, and needs. They are more likely to view the employee as a 'problem' individual. As a result, they often misinterpret the motivations of their employees and have a tendency to blame employees when problems occur.

Would you like to improve your ability, as a supervisor to empathize more closely with your employees? Here's how you can do it:

• Pay closer attention to the moods and feelings of your employees. Watch for signs that an employee is feeling frustrated, discouraged, or stressed.
• Actively seek the views, opinions, and feelings of your employees before making decisions that affect them.
• Share information and ideas with your employees and take an interest in their lives and problems.
• Try to predict how your employees will react to various situations, including your own statements or actions. Avoid making comments or taking actions that are likely to cause your employees to unnecessarily feel unappreciated or devalued.
• Try to place yourself in the employee's situation. Ask yourself how you would feel if you were in their position.
• Examine and try to understand the underlying causes for employees' attitudes, behavior patterns, and concerns.

Competence #2 - Emotional Self-Awareness

This refers to the ability to recognize and control your emotions. Supervisors who are angry, fearful, depressed, or otherwise preoccupied with their own emotions do not make for effective coaches. A good coach is able to separate his/her own feelings and values from those of the employee.

To improve your own emotional self-awareness:

• Monitor your emotions. Try to be more aware of your thoughts and feelings at all times.
• Examine your own words and actions. Consider how you would describe that same behavior if you observed it in someone else?
• Ask others how they see you. Can they tell when you are angry or upset? How do they think it affects your behavior and decisions?

If you want to delve more deeply into this subject, there is a technique called 'Focusing,' developed by psychologist Eugene Gendlin. For more information on this technique, you can visit his website at: www.focusing.org.

Other Important Competencies

While the study found that the two best predictors of an effective coaching experience were empathy and emotional self-awareness, several other competencies were also found to play an important role, as well. These other factors include:

• Initiative - the readiness to act on opportunities
• Analytical skills - the ability to recognize and assess several likely causes of events, or several consequences of actions
• Client awareness - the ability to anticipate, recognize, and meet employee needs.

Want More Information?

If you would like to learn more about this study, you can obtain a free copy of the researchers' report at: http://www.eiconsortium.org.