Coaching is an important part of every supervisor’s job. Just as a skilled coach is vital to the success of a sports team, an effective coach is essential for a high performing work team.

What Is Coaching? Coaching is guiding employees to enhanced job performance by analyzing what can be changed and helping them learn how to make those changes. Not everyone can be a superstar, but everyone can learn to perform to their maximum potential.

What is the difference between feedback and coaching? Feedback is providing information on past behavior while coaching is helping an employee alter future behavior. However, feedback is an integral component of coaching because it is important for employees to understand what has worked or not worked in the past before they can change their future behavior. The basketball coach recalls a player’s triumphs or errors as the starting point for a discussion of what the player can do in the next game to score more points. The supervisor can also use examples of an employee’s past effective and ineffective behaviors to highlight the changes needed to maximize performance.

A good coach builds a bridge from current to improved performance by objectively identifying how employees can improve, providing candid feedback and assisting employees in planning how they can enhance their performance. Focusing on improvements and paying attention to the critical details makes the difference between winning and ho-hum performance.

When Should You Coach? Coaching is an ongoing partnership between supervisors and employees with the employee’s continual growth as the shared objective. Employees who have not yet developed the competence for the job may blossom into solid performers; solid performers may become master performers; and master performers may move to the next level of expertise.

Some situations are especially appropriate for coaching, including helping employees transfer new knowledge and skills learned in training to the workplace, preparing employees for a new or especially challenging assignment, equipping employees for career advancement, and leading employees from an upsetting failure or shortfall to being well prepared for the next opportunity.

How Do I Coach? Effective coaching begins with careful thought. If you formulate answers to the following questions before meeting with an employee, you should be well prepared.

• What is your analysis of the situation? What are the employee’s strengths and weaknesses? In what areas can the employee improve or change?

• What is the goal for the coaching session?

• What specific examples of past behavior (successes as well as failures) can you provide?

• Are there any obstacles to improved performance— what are they and what can be done about them?

During the coaching session, encourage the employee to share his or her perspective and ideas. This is a dialogue, not a monologue. Collaborate with the employee to develop a plan for moving forward and follow through on the plan over time.

Also, be tactful but be candid and specific about the behaviors that need to be changed and the expected impact of the changes. Remember, good coaches care about their people but they do not try to win popularity contests. They tell their team members what they need to hear even if a team member does not want to hear it.

Coaching employees means helping them maximize their potential through effective use of their talents, developing new skills and knowledge, and overcoming challenges to their performance. These steps will not only help the employee improve his or her individual performance, but they may also lead to greater morale, teamwork and productivity within the organization. ¯

Reprinted from Issues of Merit, a publication of the Office of Policy and Evaluation, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board.