Performance coaching succeeds or fails long before any framework or template is used. The leader's mindset often determines whether performance coaching feels like a goldfield full of opportunity, or a minefield best avoided.
At the start of our coaching for performance coaching workshop for leaders we ask about the challenges that get in the way of their performance coaching. Across industries and leadership levels, we hear variations of the same themes:
Attitude/behaviour/approach is hard to change, some people just aren’t motivated to do a good job
If I give constructive criticism, it will could cause hurt feelings, which is awkward
It’s faster to just tell people what to do - coaching takes too long.
I’m not a natural coach
Performance coaching is only needed for under performance
It seems that not much has changed since my own early leadership days. I clearly remember those moments when I knew a performance conversation was needed and desperately hoping it might resolve itself. The minefield felt real!
Move performance coaching from minefield to goldfield - starting with mindset
Under performers only v.s. everyone should get it: If the focus is only on those who are struggling or falling short of expectations, coaching becomes punitive in the minds of leaders and their team. Hardly fertile ground for performance growth across the board.
With everyone participating, solid performers are helped to lift, great performers are challenged further and helped on the way to what ever is next for them. When performance coaching is part of your everyday leadership, employees see it as a sign that their growth matters.
Adopt a growth mindset: Coaching can be transformational when leaders go beyond assessing people solely on what they can do today and start investing what they could become tomorrow. This is the essence of Carol Dwek’s awesome work in this field.
If thoughts like ‘He isn’t leadership material", “she’s just not good with stakeholders" or ‘he struggles with communication" are resident in your head, you’re probably in fixed mindset territory. And like it or not, people usually pick up on these beliefs, and they quickly become the ceiling for growth.
A growth mindset is helpful for everyone in the conversation and it may take patience and consistency to build the necessary trust to explore performance growth beyond taking a cursory swipe at it.
Questions to try "What support would help you develop further to achieve…..?" "What strengths can we build on?" "What haven't you learned yet?" It might take more than one coaching session before these questions don’t feel awkward.
Replace assumptions with curiosity: Have you ever gone into a performance discussion believing you know what is going on? If the answer is yes, you are among the many, myself included.
A conscious decision to bring curiosity to performance coaching shifts the conversation from judgment to exploration. The moment leaders assume they know the answer, they stop discovering what's really happening. This can be a hard habit to break if your leadership style is characterised by being the one with all the bright ideas.
There is plenty of research that shows that when people are given the opportunity to identify the issues, and come up with the fixes, they are far more likely to implement the solutions. Genuine curiosity creates the conditions for honesty.
Go-to curious questions: “help me understand what's getting in the way." "What has your experience been with…..?” “What needs to be different?”
When I think back to some of my favourite managers, I don’t recall their coaching frameworks or templates. I remember a sense that they believed in my potential to learn and grow. They were curious. They asked lots of questions. They encouraged me to try new things even when success was not guarenteed.They prioritised the time to meet regularly, not just when things were going off the rails.
They were known for having highly engaged teams and delivering great performance - even in tough times, and growing talent.
At its heart, performance coaching sends a simple message: “I believe you’re capable of growth, and I’m willing to invest time to help you get there”
So, before your next performance coaching conversation, take a minute to check your mindset. Are you approaching the conversation with judgement or curiosity? That simple shift might be the single most powerful thing you can do to change your performance coaching game. Give it a try. Costs nothing and just might uncover a gold field.
Want performance conversations your people actually value?
If you'd like your performance review process to feel less like a tick-box exercise and more like a real growth conversation, we'd love to help.