I snow ski as a hobby.
I go to the same place every year and ski with friends. Skiing isn’t easy. A lot of people make the mistake of trying it without instruction. I was one of those folks.
After trying things on my own for a few years, I finally got a coach. Over the last few years, he has guided me into competency.
This week is my week to ski and I have been on my own most of the time. As I skied without the coach, I realized how much I value the coaching and missed it.
The coach stands outside the process and observes. He sees what you can’t see. I found myself wondering if I was doing the right things, skiing with the right technique. That feedback is very useful.
The coach helps identify the next area for improvement. Yesterday, I had my first hour with the coach. He immediately tweaked some things I was doing wrong, affirmed what I was doing right and challenged me to try some new things.
Affirmation given well inspires better performance for the person being coached.
Consultation delivered the right way inspires improved performance.
Reviewing activity to maintain a high standard, to make sure ground is not being lost, helps assure excellent performance.
A great coach affirms, consults and reviews. Consistently.
I am writing this to encourage myself as much as anybody. I realize that as much as I admire good coaching, I could be better at it still. I am confident in my ability to coach. I just know that I can do it more.
It is my conviction that our company prospers based on how well we coach. We have a good number of folks entering our company each week who don’t know how to do what we do, haven’t worked as hard as we work, and haven’t experienced the joy of working on a team to get things done.
It is up to us to teach them. To coach each one to a better level. If we are good at this, PalletOne will be a great place to work. If we are good at this, we can leap beyond our competitors.
Take stock of how you coach and, better still, how often you coach. I know that I am.
