coach Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

25
Feb 20
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Responsible Coach And The Engaged Trainee

Tags : accountability coach coaching responsibility

Are you a responsible coach? Are you serving as a mentor, a coach, or a teacher?

In your workplace role do you find yourself feeling responsible to help guide, motivate, or teach others?

Professional coaches spend decades honing their craft. They are in it to make a difference. Much of their inspiration develops from seeing the results in others.

Is it possible that the coach cares more than the trainee?

Making a Difference

Both formally and informally many workplace professionals find themselves assigned to help others. Is it working? Are you making a difference?

It is difficult to feed those who are not hungry. You can set a table full of delicious and nutritious food in front of them, yet, they’ll not indulge.

Is the food terrible or are they just not hungry?

It is true for most things in life. As a general rule, people will only participate fully when they feel the need or have the desire.

Someone who doesn’t want to learn, or see a need to learn, probably won’t learn very much.

Weight loss, exercise, or healthy eating, will mostly come from those who have some desire or a feeling of necessity to create the outcome. Very limited desire yields very limited results.

A Motivation Coach

Can you motivate as a coach? Absolutely, you can. The question often becomes, “For how long?”

Remove the stimulus and you may see the results dwindle.

One role of the coach is to help the person stay accountable. Yet, you likely cannot provide oversight every minute, of every day.

Often, this circles back to the trainee having or developing some level of self-motivation for the cause.

It seems that there must be a level of commitment from the trainee.

What is the responsibility of the coach?

Responsible Coach

Remember that coaches often gain their own satisfaction or inspiration from helping others succeed. A coached person or trainee who lacks the commitment to the cause may not accomplish much.

The responsible coach may show the path, guide, teach, and even motivate. Yet, they can’t be held accountable to helping someone who consistently fails to do their part.

Be a good coach. Be a good trainee.

A responsible coach won’t waste his or her time.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

18
May 17
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5 Factors for Being a Likable Leader

Tags : change coach leadership likability

As a consultant and coach, I have heard it many times. “I’m not here to win a popularity contest.” Does being a likable leader really matter?

You bet. Likability might be one of the most underrated factors for leadership success. There is usually a focus on revenue, the bottom line, and being visionary. Often only when things are going the wrong way is likability truly considered.

The most important outcome for being a likable leader might be the ability to build better relationships. What are some of the most common characteristics of being likable? What would you look for?

Success Factors

Leaders should consider or honestly assess some or all of these factors:

Flexible. Certainly, the job must be done and it absolutely must be on time, with quality, and with the highest efficiencies. However, being flexible in approaches, input, and being open-minded will gain more commitment and loyalty.
Generous. Of course, someone will bring up money. Money is important and appropriate compensation will always be a major factor. Don’t forget about giving time, spending time, and listening. Often overlooked these generosities might be a deciding factor.
Empathetic. This will always be on the list. Being understanding and patient sometimes feels like it only applies to motherhood or mortuaries. In a fast-paced, low tolerance world, having appropriate empathy is often a missing link.
Connected. Sure rubbing elbows with the right people is always beneficial for the organization. Social media connections might also have some value. Likable leaders form connections with people, with employees, in real life person-to-person relationships.
Open. Good listeners and being open-minded are first thoughts, and they are good ones. Change should also be mentioned, not just organizational change but interpersonal and professional change. Being known as stubborn, bull-headed or a bully is not likable.

Likable Leader

Being likable as a leader is not a sign of weakness. Instead, it is a sign of strength, courage, and commitment to the future success of the people and the organization.

The best part is that when we are on the job, especially as a leader, we recognize that we have work to do.

Sometimes that might mean working on us.

It only happens if you care.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a four-time author and some of his work includes, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce and Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours! Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

15
May 17
-

The Difference Between Mentor and Coach

Tags : alternatives coach habits mentor skills

In a recent article I wrote about how to find the right mentor. It sparked some additional questions. One important question might be what are the differences between mentor and coach?

When you are considering the idea of having a good mentor or coach in the workplace it is important to think about the end result. What are you really trying to achieve?

Outcomes and Experiences

You might want to use a mentor when you are trying to create any of the following:

Job shadowing
Developing specific skills
Learning the ropes
Following in the footsteps
Replicating

A coach on the other hand would be somewhat different. Consider a coach to help create the following:

Breaking new ground
Discovering alternatives
Exploring choices or direction
Replacing old habits with new
Connecting with purpose

Mentor and Coach

Mentoring might assume that the mentee is ready, willing, and able to take on a new job role. It would be used when you are trying to transfer the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the mentor to the mentee. In some ways you might also connect these same concepts with an internship or apprentice.

Coaching is different but it also assumes that the person is ready and willing to be coached. In some cases it might be viewed as an opportunity to get on the right track. In other cases it is to inspire growth. Coaching typically is not show and tell. It is more about discovery and direction.

Skill Sets

A mentor needs to know and understand the job requirements. They need experience in that role, or to be a good professional role model. A mentor would likely use examples of actions and behaviors that lead to job success. I sometimes suggest that it is an advanced form of job shadowing.

A coach may or may not have specific experience in the job. The coach often needs to be able to help the coached person discover alternatives, different paths, or new directions. Show and tell is less important. The ability to illustrate and ask without being seen as condescending holds more value.

Do some mentors use coaching techniques? Do some coaches have the ability to mentor? The answer to both is yes.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce and Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours! Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

12
May 17
-

How To Find The Right Mentor

Tags : coach finding mentee mentor

Mentoring seems to make its way up and down the popularity chart. Chances are good that mentoring helps, as long as it is the right mentor. How do you find the right mentor?

Mentoring is typically connected to the idea of pairing people together, one is the lead, the wisdom giver, the act to learn from and follow. The other is the mentee, the observer, the one who seeks answers to questions, and learns to replicate the desired behaviors of the other.

I think many would agree that the mentor and mentee relationship can make a significant difference. Choosing the right match might sometimes be challenging.

Right Mentor

Here are a few things to consider:

Receptivity. Most important is that the potential mentee is open and receptive to the concept that there is value in the relationship. If the mentee is close minded or stubborn about the process things might not end so well. In fact, it could be the kind of disruption that no one appreciates.

Generations. Pairing a millennial or gen Z (Gen 9/11, iGen) person with a traditional or baby boomer might seem logical since the folks who have been in the workforce longer might have more to share. Are you concerned about the turnover ratio of the most recent generations? Try pairing the best role model you have of that same generation with the new hire.

Expectations. You shouldn’t expect to have the end result be an exact replica of the mentor. Instead consider that the mentor can help the mentee discover all of the values, beliefs, and traditions and then be able to help the mentee incorporate those into their own style. Make sure the outcome expectations are realistic.

Mentor Not Coach

Keep in mind that while the words mentoring and coaching might be used synonymously they are likely two different processes.

In the workplace a mentor is typically a much more elite form of job shadowing, whereas coaching helps people adjust their behaviors and habits to improve their performance.

A mentor is more show and tell. A coach is more ask and consider. Technically they are quite different processes.

In either case consider progress is better than standing still, or worse, falling behind.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce and Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours! Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

26
Jul 16
2

Being Your Own Coach

Tags : coach performance personal growth

Coaching can be a very tricky situation. Often the goal is to help the coached person see new opportunities, close a skill gap, or re-channel energy and effort to be the best that they possibly can be.

Improve, make life easier, job performance better, or obtain new levels of competence and success, a good goal for anyone, or everyone.

After many years of helping people through training and coaching efforts I find that there are often two things stopping anyone from improved performance; the failure to see the difference between current performance and excellent performance, or the conscious or unconscious act of blaming someone else. People who can’t self-assess, are self-satisfied (seeing no need to change), or believe that others own the entire responsibility, may be working hard but going nowhere.

Hard work doesn’t mean it’s the right work and no one likes wasted effort.

So if you consider that the problem is not entirely someone else, but could in part be our own individual reactions to our environment, it seems that the best energy might not be spent on trying to change the other person. The best energy might be spent on changing our reactions to the environment around us.

Sometimes, you can be your own coach.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and coach that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is the author of the newly released book, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: coach

Feb 20

-

Making a Difference

A Motivation Coach

Responsible Coach

May 17

-

Success Factors

Likable Leader

May 17

-

Outcomes and Experiences

Mentor and Coach

Skill Sets

May 17

-

Right Mentor

Mentor Not Coach

Jul 16

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