Lesson 5: Coach for performance (5.15)
Your analysis: I know you’ll turn this around
Take a moment to consider the techniques that Mina used to coach Tim. Feel free to watch the video again as you write your analysis.
• In your view, what was Mina’s intention going into the coaching session?
• What observations did Mina share at the start of the coaching session?
• What is the stated goal of the session?
• What questions did Mina use to explore the reality of the situation with Tim?
• How would you characterize Mina’s listening skills?
• What options or action experiments did Mina and TIm discuss?
• What’s your assessment of their next steps or way forward?
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In your view, what was Mina’s intention going into the coaching session?
It is difficult to assess intention from a person’s statements. In this case, Mina’s intention did not seem focused on helping Tim. She was very focused on gaining a commitment from Tim to improve, but did little to help Tim or support the improvement.
What observations did Mina share at the start of the coaching session?
Mina started the session off on a negative note, saying, "your underperformance year to date is dramatic." This immediately put Tim on the defensive. A better observation might have been, "you’ve been so strong in the past, I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve had a rough quarter…."
What is the stated goal of the session?
The goal of the session was clear: to identify ways to improve Tim’s performance.
What questions did Mina use to explore the reality of the situation with Scott?
Mina’s questioning was very limited to yes/no questions that gave her little new information ("Has something changed? Everything OK at home?")
How would you characterize Mina’s listening skills?
Mina listened to Tim’s responses and responded to them. Unfortunately her responses were somewhat dismissive, for example, "you’re only as good as most recent results."
What options or action experiments did Mina and Tim discuss?
Mina and Tim did not discuss any options or action experiments other than to "hustle a little more."
What’s your assessment of their next steps or way forward?
Mina’s closing statement ("I know you’ll turn this around. Let me know if you need any resources from the firm. We’re 100% behind you.") offers Tim no concrete actions or ideas for how to improve his performance.
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