TAKEAWAY GUIDE

COACHING AND FEEDBACK

HOW IS GIVING FEEDBACK

DIFFERENT FROM COACHING?

FEEDBACK COACHING

Focus: the past Focus: the future

Reactive: reacting to past conditions, Responsive: looking to affect the future and
circumstances, and behavior achieve a different outcome

Focuses on specific, Focuses on more than behavior:

observable behaviors including attitude, feelings, perceptions,
hunches, and ideas

Oriented toward what is or was Oriented toward what can be

Requires observation Requires practice, skill, and commitment to

unlock potential from the individual

A one-way talk, usually A dialogue in which the coach asks a few

not a lot of discussion questions and does a lot of listening (30%
or less talking)

Data that reflects a person's A discussion that focuses on taking the

current status, identifies baseline person from where they are to where they
performance want to go

Identifying what's blocking goals A process for reaching goals

Telling Asking

Identifies performance strengths Asking the right questions, in the right way,
and weaknesses at the right time; requires intent
listening and curiosity

When to give feedback: Ongoing, but When to coach: When you want to
especially after a performance issue or develop the person's confidence,
positive contribution; as soon as possible commitment, skills sense of
after the behavior occurrence responsibility, and competence
TAKEAWAY GUIDE Coaching and Feedback
THE GROW MODEL:
COACHING
GOAL SETTING:
A goal has to be set in order to give direction
and purpose to the coaching session.
Ambiguous goals are usually never achieved.
Setting the goal first shapes your discussion
with the individual and sets the tone.
REALITY CHECK:
Both you and the individual must come to
terms on the current state or level of
performance or any issues that are causing
breakdowns. Getting to the bottom of the
problem begins with identifying it and claiming
it. From there obstacles are better identified.
OPTIONS DEVELOPED:
Here you and the individual explore action
steps that will help improve performance.
Usually options that are prefabricated by the
coach result in poor buy-in and missed goals. It
is critical that the individual suggest and
develop his or her own options.
WRAP IT UP WITH A PLAN:
Once you nail down an option or two, it is time to
write it down on paper. If it is not written down, it
won’t happen. Creating a well-defined plan is
essential to knowing the direction you need to go
and demonstrating success or failure.
2
CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK:
WHERE TO FOCUS
FOCUS ON ONE
ISSUE AT A TIME.
Avoid addressing multiple issues. This will
only cause confusion and frustration. Identify
an issue and set a plan to address it.
FOCUS ON
BEING TIMELY.
Do not wait to deliver feedback. The more time
passes, the less effective it will be. Your
employee may even forget what he/she did.
FOCUS ON OBSERVABLE
ACTIONS OR BEHAVIORS.
Avoid generalities. For example, do not say,
“You have an issue with time management.”
This statement is lacking an observable action
or behavior. Instead, you might want to say, “I
notice you spend extra time talking to other
employees on your way to meetings, making
you late to most of them.” The observable
behavior is “talking to other employees.”
FOCUS ON A PLAN TO
CHANGE THE BEHAVIOR.
Work together with your employee to come up
with a concrete plan for addressing the issue.
TAKEAWAY GUIDE Coaching and Feedback
Feedback Sandwich Method
PRAISE
OPPORTUNITY
FOR GROWTH
PRAISE
HOW IS COACHING
DIFFERENT THAN MENTORING?
COACHING
Focuses on one or
two skills at a time
Focuses on specific skills like sales
performance, customer satisfaction
scores, production levels, or
behavioral issues like tardiness
Works toward short-term tasks and goals to
affect a larger, long-term goal
The coach helps the employee set
specific goals and then works with
the employee to achieve them
The coach must know how to draw
solutions out of the participant and
help them achieve their goals; the
coach does not have to be
experienced in the tasks or goals to
accomplish this
Meetings are usually formal,
planned, and structured
Coaching is not just a relationship
between manager and employee;
it is often peer-to-peer
3
Steps to Building Trust
1. Maintain positive body language.
2. Listen intently and listen more than you speak.
3. Respect every individual, even when they are not present.
4. Keep things confidential.
5. Keep your promises.
6. Be honest and transparent.
7. Be confident.
8. Tell the individual that you believe in them.
MENTORING
Focuses on many complex areas of
development
Focuses on broad areas like leadership,
networking, negotiating, or managing
Works toward long-term goals that can
impact the employee's entire career
The mentor counsels the employee on
broad goals that may span the
employee’s career
The mentor requires experience in the
tasks or goals being worked on; this
experience is then shared with the
person being mentored
Meetings are less formal and less
structured
The mentor is usually a senior person
with more experience; the person being
mentored may or may not be in the same
department or industry as the mentor
TAKEAWAY GUIDE Coaching and Feedback 4

THE GROW MODEL:

MENTORING

GOAL SETTING:
A goal has to be set in order to give direction and purpose
to the coaching session. Ambiguous goals are not usually
achieved. Setting the goal first shapes your discussion with
the individual and sets the tone.

REALITY CHECK:
Both you and the individual must come to terms on
the current state or level of performance or any
issues that are causing breakdowns. Getting to the
bottom of the problem begins with identifying it and
claiming it. From there, obstacles are better
identified.

OPTIONS DEVELOPED:
Here, you and the individual explore action steps that will
improve performance. Options that are prefabricated by
the coach result in poor buy-in and missed goals. It is
critical that the individual suggest and develop his or her
own options.

WRAP IT UP WITH A PLAN:

Once you nail down an option or two, it is time to put your
plan down on paper. If it is not written down, it won’t
happen. Creating a well-defined plan is essential to
knowing the direction you need to go and demonstrating
success or failure.