Today, there are tons of theories and techniques on leadership, motivation, coaching and mentoring. Among these, people naturally need a technique that can be easily applied by almost everyone, can be used in all situations, and gives effective results. So, does such a technique really exist?
I will tell you about “coaching upJordan Fliegel, creator of the Model, says he distilled this model from the best methods of the most successful coaches, teachers and business leaders he studied. He emphasizes that it increases performance every time it is used and that it really works to inspire. Although the starting point of the model is sports coaching, you do not necessarily have to be an athlete coach, manager or be in the business world to benefit from it. You can also use this model as a parent. In this article, I will refer to the person you mentor or lead as a “mentee-actor.” Now let’s get to know the model in general terms.
Principles of the Coaching Up Model
Although this coaching-leadership approach is very effective, it has its own principles. It is possible to list these principles as follows:
- First of all, you should really care about your client and make him/her feel it. You don’t have to like him, but you should respect him.
- You should keep your emotional radars wide open to clearly feel both your own and your client’s emotions.
- In your Coaching Up conversation, you should have only one focus: Your client. You need to be fully engaged in the conversation, but you should also detach yourself. Because this conversation is all about your player, not you.
As Jordan Fliegel describes in his book, “Sports Coaching: Unleashing High Performance When It’s Needed Most,” the model consists of three simple steps:
- Establishing a reliable bond,
- Providing real support
- Providing short and concise directions
Now let’s look at the details of each step of the model.
Establishing a Trustworthy Bond
active for this communication is essential. The way to effective communication is to first be a good listener. For this WAIT (Why Am I Talking?) You can always remember the abbreviation. Remember, your client should be talking 75 percent of your speaking time. Apart from this most important factor, providing a comfortable environment for the conversation (You can get away from the business environment and walk in the park), greeting your client warmly (You can use nicknames as long as they are not sarcastic), starting the conversation with a personal connection rather than business (How did your aunt’s arm feel, has it healed?), Using humor and humility will also be your biggest supporters in establishing a trustworthy bond.
Providing Real Support
The reward of true support is to be a source of inspiration. This stimulates, encourages and encourages your client. The most common and easiest way to do this is to give positive feedback. We generally don’t have much of a problem with this. Negative feedback is what challenges us the most. Experience shows that negative feedback only works when it is given after a safe bond has been established and the coach has made his true support felt. Methods other than positive feedback are about removing obstacles to your player and offering a broader perspective. As Einstein said, “No problem can be solved with the level of consciousness that created it.” Seeing the solutions to problems requires looking from a different plane. Your client may be despairing, frustrated, or stuck in the problem. In this case, it is your duty to make him approach the problem from a different angle.
Providing Brief and Concise Directions
You can give your referrals directly, indirectly or through a mutual acquaintance. For indirect guidance, offer a general comment to which your client will respond to you with his or her own suggestion. For example, when you say, “We need to find a way to prepare this report by the evening,” your employee says, “I have an idea, let’s ask other departments for a similar report they prepared. This way, we can progress faster.”
Instead of asking a direct question to your player who seems more sluggish or bored than usual, you can ask his teammate what’s going on. In this way, you can gather information and prepare for the speech you will give.
As a result, the Coaching Up model is a model that includes bonding, support and guidance, consists of only three steps, and is easy to assimilate and implement. One of the nice things about this model is that you don’t have to follow all three steps repeatedly. For example, sometimes you can skip the connection part and move on to the support and guidance part. A Coach Up conversation can last hours or just five minutes. In addition, the model can be easily applied not only in the sports world, but also in the business world, at home, in the family, in short, in all areas of life.
