Back in the day I had a coaching epiphany- don’t just listen to the words of your “players” but really pay attention to what’s behind their words. Observe their gestures, energy, and tone of voice to get to the meat of the conversation. Additionally, if it’s your player, and not someone outside your team looking for advice, you’ve got to be able to play dual roles in a corporate world- manager AND coach. Sometimes that’s challenging. Those with strong manager chops can tend to dominate coaching conversations which generally means that coaching doesn’t occur. When you’re “in the game” (i.e. a coaching session) and feel your inner manager coming out, remember the differences on how you should engage when managing vs. coaching:
We all have our ways of “switch-hitting” (going from manager to coach). What works for me, as I’ve shared before, is a small reminder on a corner of my office whiteboard which is simply, “W.A.I.T.” (Why Am I Talking?). I’ve got to remember to shut-up and listen when I’m “in the game”. After all, this game is not about me, it’s about the player.
As Yogi Berra once said, “You don’t have to swing hard to hit a home run. If you got the timing, it’ll go.”
W.A.I.T.ing is guaranteed to increase batting averages when coaching. You and your players may even hit a few out of the park.
So, one last baseball analogy… help your players approach the plate confidently, W.A.I.T for the right pitch and address the ball (their needs or questions) in a meaningful way.
Batter up!
-Nate Copeland