The Coaching Manager: Part 6 – SET SCOPE – Deep Dive (Long Post)
In the last segment I discussed the general format of the Coaching Manager and Client (Direct Report) session. The three high level sections are 1) Set Scope 2) Constructive Dialogue and 3) Accountability. If a coach, or coaching manager only has this general flow in mind, it can provide great help in driving a successful session. But to get the full benefit of the session structure, we need to get to the next level of detail. It is time to ask the question, do you want to be an amateur coaching manager, or a pro? By understanding this next level, and with some time, and effort, we pass the ranks of amateurs, and take on the commitment to become a professional coaching manager.
The first step under the section SET SCOPE actually happens before the session. The coaching manager asks to client (direct report) to prepare an agenda for the session (the one on one) in advance. Assuming the session will be no more than an hour, in my experience as a professional coach, you most likely will not be able to discuss more than two topics in enough detail to have real value. The client (direct report) should not be discouraged from identifying, and capturing topics, but if the agenda contains more than three, or four, the coaching manager should ask the client to prioritize topics. The most pressing, the most urgent topic needs to come first.
At the start of the session, a good coaching manager will take a read of the client (the direct report). Just asking “how are things going?” or “how is your week going?” can give the coaching manager important cues to the mental, or emotional state of the client. The best case scenario is where the client (direct report) is forth coming with any issues, or circumstances that are impacting their job, or goals. Unless there is a strong bond of trust, and an understanding of openness between the coaching manager and the client, this most likely will not happen. So the coaching manager needs to listen to what is said, and what is not said in the first 5 minutes of the session to uncover if there are issues outside the planned agenda that needs to be addressed. Some physical cues that indicate stress, or emotional discomfort are redness of the face, lack of eye focus, unusual breathing, lack of eye contact, and a closed body language. None of these signs by themselves are a sure sign of trouble, but a good coaching manager needs to watch for these cues, as they may indicate client distress.
In the rare case where there is a situation that is more pressing than the topics listed on the planned agenda, it is the Coaching manager’s job to call this out. Together the coaching manager and client (direct report) need to decide if there exists a more urgent matter than the planned agenda topics, and decide if it is better to depart from the planned agenda and deal with a more serious, and urgent issue. This does need to be a joint decision, as the issues may be so personal that the client (the direct report) may not be comfortable discussing with the coaching manager. The coaching manager does have the right to ask if any given personal issue is bothersome enough that it is effecting the client’s job performance. If the direct report (client) is visibly upset, the coaching manager needs to ask this question. Even if the coaching manager may not have the training, or credentials to resolve all personal, or emotional issues, the coaching manager should provide suggestions on who best to see to help with a problem, be it drug or alcohol abuse, relationship problems, or personal loss. A good coaching manager understand the limits of their skills, and knows when to hand off to another helping professional.
In most coaching manager direct report sessions, these serous emotional, and personal issues are fairly rare. It is much more common to have a client that is simply having a bad day, or a temporary small setback. If this is the case it is worth asking for a little detail if the client is comfortable in doing so. Here the coaching manager has an opportunity to build empathy, and trust with the client by sharing a similar experience, and offer encouragement. By saying “I can emphasize with what you are going through, I went through something similar a few years ago…” or “I can relate to what you are describing, I am confident you will come out the other side of this stronger, and smarter…” the coaching manager can help put at the client at ease, and also strengthen a bond in the relationship.
All of the above may appear to take up a lot of session time, but unless the decision is made to vary from the Agenda, the quick read of the client (the direct report) only takes about 5 minutes. In most sessions it is best to take a quick read of the client, ask for a little detail, make a statement that builds empathy, and trust, and then move on. It is the coaching manager’s job to set guardrails and keep the session moving forward.
Once the topic(s) for the session has been established, it is best coaching practice to mirror back to the client (the direct report) what the goal(s) of the session will be, and what deliverables are desired from the session. An example of what the coaching manager might say could be “so what we agree to work on today is to discuss the progress of the new hire, and come away with 3 specific ways to get them up to speed quickly, is that correct?” Another example of what the coaching manager might say could be “what I think I am hearing for today’s topic is how to improve processes with your internal client, and you want solutions to include something you can do today to get things going in the right direction. Does that sound right to you?” When the coaching manager has actively listened to the client, and provided guidance that the topic is appropriate for the session, and established any deliverables that are desired the segment I call SET SCOPE is done.
To break the pieces of SET SCOPE into an outline the steps of SET SCOPE can be captured as:
SET SCOPE
In the last segment I discussed the general format of the Coaching Manager and Client (Direct Report) session. The three high level sections are 1) Set Scope 2) Constructive Dialogue and 3) Accountability. If a coach, or coaching manager only has this general flow in mind, it can provide great help in driving a successful session. But to get the full benefit of the session structure, we need to get to the next level of detail. It is time to ask the question, do you want to be an amateur coaching manager, or a pro? By understanding this next level, and with some time, and effort, we pass the ranks of amateurs, and take on the commitment to become a professional coaching manager.
The first step under the section SET SCOPE actually happens before the session. The coaching manager asks to client (direct report) to prepare an agenda for the session (the one on one) in advance. Assuming the session will be no more than an hour, in my experience as a professional coach, you most likely will not be able to discuss more than two topics in enough detail to have real value. The client (direct report) should not be discouraged from identifying, and capturing topics, but if the agenda contains more than three, or four, the coaching manager should ask the client to prioritize topics. The most pressing, the most urgent topic needs to come first.
At the start of the session, a good coaching manager will take a read of the client (the direct report). Just asking “how are things going?” or “how is your week going?” can give the coaching manager important cues to the mental, or emotional state of the client. The best case scenario is where the client (direct report) is forth coming with any issues, or circumstances that are impacting their job, or goals. Unless there is a strong bond of trust, and an understanding of openness between the coaching manager and the client, this most likely will not happen. So the coaching manager needs to listen to what is said, and what is not said in the first 5 minutes of the session to uncover if there are issues outside the planned agenda that needs to be addressed. Some physical cues that indicate stress, or emotional discomfort are redness of the face, lack of eye focus, unusual breathing, lack of eye contact, and a closed body language. None of these signs by themselves are a sure sign of trouble, but a good coaching manager needs to watch for these cues, as they may indicate client distress.
In the rare case where there is a situation that is more pressing than the topics listed on the planned agenda, it is the Coaching manager’s job to call this out. Together the coaching manager and client (direct report) need to decide if there exists a more urgent matter than the planned agenda topics, and decide if it is better to depart from the planned agenda and deal with a more serious, and urgent issue. This does need to be a joint decision, as the issues may be so personal that the client (the direct report) may not be comfortable discussing with the coaching manager. The coaching manager does have the right to ask if any given personal issue is bothersome enough that it is effecting the client’s job performance. If the direct report (client) is visibly upset, the coaching manager needs to ask this question. Even if the coaching manager may not have the training, or credentials to resolve all personal, or emotional issues, the coaching manager should provide suggestions on who best to see to help with a problem, be it drug or alcohol abuse, relationship problems, or personal loss. A good coaching manager understand the limits of their skills, and knows when to hand off to another helping professional.
In most coaching manager direct report sessions, these serous emotional, and personal issues are fairly rare. It is much more common to have a client that is simply having a bad day, or a temporary small setback. If this is the case it is worth asking for a little detail if the client is comfortable in doing so. Here the coaching manager has an opportunity to build empathy, and trust with the client by sharing a similar experience, and offer encouragement. By saying “I can emphasize with what you are going through, I went through something similar a few years ago…” or “I can relate to what you are describing, I am confident you will come out the other side of this stronger, and smarter…” the coaching manager can help put at the client at ease, and also strengthen a bond in the relationship.
All of the above may appear to take up a lot of session time, but unless the decision is made to vary from the Agenda, the quick read of the client (the direct report) only takes about 5 minutes. In most sessions it is best to take a quick read of the client, ask for a little detail, make a statement that builds empathy, and trust, and then move on. It is the coaching manager’s job to set guardrails and keep the session moving forward.
Once the topic(s) for the session has been established, it is best coaching practice to mirror back to the client (the direct report) what the goal(s) of the session will be, and what deliverables are desired from the session. An example of what the coaching manager might say could be “so what we agree to work on today is to discuss the progress of the new hire, and come away with 3 specific ways to get them up to speed quickly, is that correct?” Another example of what the coaching manager might say could be “what I think I am hearing for today’s topic is how to improve processes with your internal client, and you want solutions to include something you can do today to get things going in the right direction. Does that sound right to you?” When the coaching manager has actively listened to the client, and provided guidance that the topic is appropriate for the session, and established any deliverables that are desired the segment I call SET SCOPE is done.
To break the pieces of SET SCOPE into an outline the steps of SET SCOPE can be captured as:
SET SCOPE
- AGENDA: Client is asked to prepare an Agenda with no more than 3 topics, and any desired deliverables for each topic.
- READ CLIENT: The Coaching manager takes a quick read of the client, and asks questions to assess the client’s current state of mind, and emotional state.
- EMPATHY: The coaching manager actively listens to any concerns or problems the client is experience at the time of the session, and establishes empathy.
- RESTATE TOPIC: The coaching manager actively listens for the topic, or problem the client wants to work on, and restates the topic and deliverables back to the client.
- AGREEMENT: Together coaching manager and client refine the language of the topic(s) and deliverables and capture both in concise, and simple language.
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