Introduction 1

Bad Apple Group Activity 2

Why do we Avoid 3
Providing Coaching and
Feedback to Employees?

Balancing Positive & 3

Negative Performance
Communication

Coaching vs. Feedback 4

What Should Coaching 7

Communication Sound
Like?

Coaching Plan 11

Blind Coaching Activity 13

Conclusion 13
Organizations of every size are looking for new ways to increase employee
engagement and elevate performance of employees at all levels. As a leader, it’s not
just about your individual performance; it’s about your ability to manage performance
and coach the behaviors of others.

Coaching is a leadership skill that has delivered results in creating engaged

employees and improving an organization’s overall performance.

Alternatively, not providing coaching to employees can lead to the development of

some bad apples on your team. You know who we’re talking about. The employees who
show up late, under-produce and generally have a bad attitude.

According to a study by Will Felps, Associate Professor of Organization and Personnel

Management at Rotterdam School of Management, groups with bad apples performed
30 to 40 percent worse than groups without a bad apple. Also, having a bad apple on
the team results in less communication between others and can cause other good
employees to exhibit bad apple behaviors.

Coaching bad apples and turning them into productive employees is much more cost-
effective than finding new employees. In a study conducted by the Center for
American Progress, the cost of losing an employee can fall anywhere between 16% of
salary value for hourly, entry-level employees, to 213% of salary value for highly-skilled
employees.

Still not convinced that bad apples can impede the performance of your team? Try this
next activity.
 BAD APPLE GROUP ACTIVITY

Put employees into small groups (6-8 employees) and ask them to complete a task.

Prior to the meeting, recruit one person in each group to secretly exhibit the classic
bad apple behaviors below:

THE JERK THE SLACKER THE DEPRESSIVE PESSIMIST

• Cocky, rude • Leans back, feet up • Head down on the table/desk

• Chooses personal • Texting another person • States that the effort is
attacks over in a meeting unenjoyable
constructive criticism • Commonly says, • Overheard saying, “This work won’t
• Says things like, “Are “Whatever.” matter when we’re done anyway.”
you kidding me?” and • Often overheard saying, • Body language slackens and
“Do you have any idea “I don’t care.” hunches down
what you’re doing?” • Will ultimately be heard • Lots of eye rolls
• Lots of eye rolls claiming, “This job
doesn’t matter. Let’s just
get it done.”
• Lots of eye rolls

Put employees into small groups and ask them to complete a task.

Task Ideas:
• Complete a crossword puzzle
• Build a Lego set
• Research a topic
• Solve a common business problem in your organization

Observe the groups and note how long it takes for the bad
apple behaviors to begin to rub off on others.

Bring the whole group back together and ask each group to share their experience to
see if anyone brings up the bad apple.

Reveal the bad apples to the team and talk about how their behavior spread in each
group.
 WHY DO WE AVOID PROVIDING COACHING
AND FEEDBACK TO EMPLOYEES?
If you’ve been a leader for a while now, you’ve likely been responsible for
communicating with an employee about his or her performance. Depending on the
type of communication, you may have experienced a defensive, or even argumentative
employee.

Why does this happen? Our brains cannot distinguish between a real threat and a
perceived threat to our survival. A real threat, such as a bear attack, triggers the same
neural response as our boss telling us, “I need to talk to you.” This means that as
leaders starting a feedback or coaching session, we need to be aware that employees
are already on edge. Be patient and do your best to make them feel comfortable.
Emotions are likely running high, but if you can demonstrate that you genuinely care
about their success, you will already be on the right path.

The best way to combat this

uncomfortable feeling is to have a plan
and execute it. The more often you have
coaching discussions with employees,
the easier they get and the more skilled
you will become. It still won’t be fun, but
you may begin to feel a sense of
accomplishment when your plan is
successfully executed and your
employees’ performance starts to
improve.

BALANCING POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

PERFORMANCE COMMUNICATION

Creating a company culture where both positive and negative performance

communication is common will help fight those natural fight or flight responses from
employees. This can be a difficult habit for leaders to develop, but the rewards are
many. Employees will respond better when you focus on and develop those behaviors
that enhance their experience, rather than always addressing negative behaviors. You
will have an easier time molding employees into top performers with positive
feedback than you will with negative feedback. That being said, don’t be afraid to
clearly and quickly address and manage behaviors that take away from your culture
and fall below expectations. When you see something, say something.
 COACHING VS. FEEDBACK
Coaching and feedback have been confused, misused, and misunderstood by leaders
for years. When feedback and coaching are used together appropriately, they provide a
powerful tool for leaders. Here are some of the differences between coaching and
feedback:

FEEDBACK COACHING
Feedback focuses on the past Coaching focuses on the future
“Your performance numbers from last week “At this rate, you are on track to close out the
were...” quarter at...”

Coaching always includes feedback

Feedback doesn’t always include coaching
“Your attendance has been poor. This is not a
“You were 20 minutes late.”
usual behavior for you. What’s going on?”
Coaching references feedback as indicators of
Feedback provides snapshots of strengths & improved future behaviors
weaknesses “Your project numbers are consistently above
“Your project numbers are above average, but average. What skills are you using to exceed
you customer satisfaction ratings are not those expectations? Would utilizing the same
meeting expectations.” skills help you improve your customer
satisfaction ratings?”
Feedback ensures standards are met Coaching develops team members to adapt to
“Our policy requires that unsatisfactory changing circumstances
ratings are handled by…” “What options do you see?”

Coaching creates/communicates a vision for

Feedback sets objectives the future
“Today’s individual performance targets are…” “As you continue to meet or exceed your
individual performance numbers, it will put you
in a position to receive…”

WHAT IS FEEDBACK?
Feedback is telling, it requires minimal training and skill. It is a communication
exchange that is generally one-way communication to the employee. The message is
controlled by the leader with the end in mind of changing behavior or results in an
employee. The message is focused on past behavior, data, information and is reactive
to a situation.
WHAT IS COACHING?
Coaching is asking, rather than telling, with the
objective of helping your employees self-actualize
their own potential. Coaching is purposeful and
requires a leader to ask the right questions to prompt
self-reflection and motivate the employee to consider
his or her own potential. The leader serves as a
facilitator as he or she asks open-ended questions to
help the employee think about and work towards
meeting his or her highest performance potential.

WHEN SHOULD I PROVIDE FEEDBACK?

If an employee is falling short or making errors, the leader needs to have a
feedback conversation with the employee to promote self-awareness and provide
clear descriptions of consequences for non-adherence. Ensure these
conversations are timely and are not a backlog of past incidents.

WHY SHOULD I PROVIDE FEEDBACK?

Leaders who do not have feedback conversations leave

themselves stuck with low performers who will continue to
fail to meet expectations. For more information about
providing feedback to employees, check out our on-demand
webinar, Performance Communication Made Easy.

WHEN SHOULD I COACH?

Coaching is appropriate when the employee has consistently taken responsibility
for what they’re doing and appear ready for more responsibility. Coaching should
occur when the leader believes the employee has the ideas and/or the answers
that, if given the opportunity, might be uncovered.

WHY SHOULD I COACH?

Coaching helps facilitates growth when you want to develop your employee’s
knowledge and skill set.
WHAT SHOULD COACHING COMMUNICATION SOUND LIKE?

Most of us don’t start our day with the goal of upsetting our teams. However, by not
recognizing the importance of good interpersonal communication skills, you may
be hindering your ability to effectively coach your employees. Below are a few
steps to help improve your coaching communication skills:

CHECK YOUR STATE OF MIND AND CONSIDER YOUR

LANGUAGE CAREFULLY

Before beginning a discussion about another’s behavior, consider your own mental
and emotional state. Coaching must be given in the right spirit, with a goal of
helping the employee improve and become more effective in their role. The
language you use to discuss your employee’s behavior and performance is
important. Be clear and concise, and focus on controllable behaviors.

Before you start the communication process, ask yourself the following questions
to ensure your message will be well received:
 Am I aware of my biases and personal preferences?
 Am I conscious of my goal to help my employee develop and improve?
 What language will I use that is clear and unbiased?
 How will I focus on controllable behaviors, using observable facts as
support, not personality traits?
 What outcome do I hope to see after delivering the message?
 What impact will this message have on our relationship?
 DEVELOP YOUR MESSAGE

It’s easy to jump right into the concern that led you to this coaching moment
without considering the long-term effects. By taking time to consider the message
beforehand, you will have an opportunity to create a message that addresses your
concerns and without damaging your relationship. The message template below
provides a guide for crafting your coaching message:

MESSAGE CREATION STEPS EXAMPLE

Behavior Not meeting deadlines
Prepare Specific Examples Missed 3 project deadlines this past quarter
Describe Behavior to Employee “You have missed 3 project deadlines in the
Provide examples of what you have observed. last 90 days.”
Provide Interpretation “It seems to me that managing your time
Explain your interpretation of the behavior. has been difficult.”
Provide Explanation “Your work role involves contributing
Share with the employee why his/her behavior important work to a team project. When you
is of concern. do not meet your deadlines, it impacts the
next stage of development and puts the
overall project at risk.”
Check for Understanding Can you help me understand?
Allow Response Time Pause and allow your employee to speak.
Don’t be afraid of silence. Provide space for the
employee to gather thoughts and respond.
Ask Clarifying Questions “Am I correct in understanding…?”
Ask questions to ensure that all concerns that “Is it your perception that…?”
might be impacting performance come out “Are you saying that…?”
during the exchange.
Develop an Action Plan “What do you think will help you with…?”
Allow the employee to develop their own plan. “What would you have done the same and
Serve as a support and ask questions that allow what would you have done differently?”
the employee to determine how to improve. “How will you know if you’re doing well?”

Determine Outcomes “You will have your project work completed

Set specific, measurable results tied to specific on time. If you think you will not be able to
dates. meet the deadline, you will reach out to the
project leader 3 weeks before hand and...”
Restate the Plan “Your performance last quarter was a result
of__________. The changes that you will
make to improve this are ________.”
 COMMUNICATE WITH THE EMPLOYEE AND
DOCUMENT THE COACHING PLAN

Once you have prepared your message, have a conversation with the employee. All
performance communication should be done in private, not in front of the
employee’s peers.

After you’ve had the coaching conversation, it’s important that you document the
communication and agreed upon plan. In some situations, it may be helpful to
have a witness available, but he/she should be another member of the
management team. Use the template on the next page to document your coaching
conversations.

EVALUATE ONGOING PERFORMANCE

Based on the schedule agreed upon in the performance improvement plan, follow
up with the employee to discuss results:

REDESIGN – IF EXPECTATIONS NOT MET

If the plan is not followed or the desired results are not achieved, complete
steps one and two to prepare for the follow-up communication. Based on
the plan and the determined outcomes, redesign your performance
improvement plan to address any new concerns or disciplinary action. It’s
important that your message is consistent and you are clear about any
disciplinary consequences.

REINFORCE – IF EXPECTATIONS ARE MET

If the expectations set forth in the performance improvement plan are

met, follow steps one and two to prepare for a follow-up recognition
communication. Let the employee know specifically what you appreciated
to reinforce the positive changes in their performance. Check out our
Employee Recognition Toolkit for ideas for recognizing and rewarding
positive employee performance.
 COACHING PLAN TEMPLATE
TAKING EMPLOYEES FROM GOOD TO GREAT!

EMPLOYEE INFORMATION

Employee Name: _____________________________ Date: _____________________________________

Position: ____________________________________ Supervisor: ________________________________

DETAILS
Describe potential growth opportunities:

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

IMPROVEMENT PLAN

Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4

Growth Opportunity
Objectives: What specific
growth opportunities does the
employee have? Detail each
objective. (completed by the
supervisor)

Expected Growth Opportunity

Performance Standards:
What are the expected
standards of the growth
opportunities? Detail the
expected performance
standards for each objective.
(completed by the supervisor)

Action: What specifically will the

employee do to succeed with their
growth opportunity performance?

How and/or when will the growth

opportunities be achieved?
(completed by the employee)

FOLLOW UP
A follow up review meeting will take place ____________________________

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Employee’s signature: ______________________________________ Date: _____________________

Supervisor’s signature: _____________________________________ Date: _____________________

 COACHING PLAN SAMPLE
TAKING EMPLOYEES FROM GOOD TO GREAT!

EMPLOYEE INFORMATION

Employee Name: ____Robbie Coltrane__________ Date: _______1/1/2018__________________

Position: ______Customer Service Rep.__________ Supervisor: ___Maggie Smith_________

DETAILS

Describe potential growth opportunities:

Robbie does well with customer service. He has growth potential to help upsell additional products to

customers, as well as provide additional services to our clients.___________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4
Growth Opportunity
Objectives: What specific
Provide additional
growth opportunities does the
services to our clients
employee have? Detail each Upsell product to our
and build up
customers.
objective. (completed by the relationships with
supervisor) them.

Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4

Expected Growth Opportunity
Robbie can follow Robbie can close the
Performance Standards: the script from the call by asking every
What are the expected sales team to help client if there is
standards of the growth upsell the product to anything else he
opportunities? Detail the our customers. He can do to help them.
can also direct This will help him to
expected performance customers to specific gain a better working
standards for each objective. parts of the website and service
(completed by the supervisor) to show them where relationship with our
product is located. clients.
Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4
Action: What specifically will the
employee do to succeed with their
I will build a service-
growth opportunity performance? I will get a copy of
orientated
the script from the
relationship with our
How and/or when will the growth sales team and clients and ask them
opportunities be achieved? utilize that to help
how I can help or
(completed by the employee) sell our products.
better serve them.

FOLLOW UP
A follow up review meeting will take place ____2/10/2018__________

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Employee’s signature: ____Robbie Contrane__________________ Date: _____1/1/2018___________

Supervisor’s signature: ______ Maggie Smith _________________ Date: _____1/1/2018_______

 BLIND COACHING ACTIVITY

You may conduct this communication activity with your leadership team,
all of your employees, or a combination of both. This fun activity will help
demonstrate the importance of coaching.

OBJECTIVE

Team members guide their blindfolded

teammate in throwing balls into a waste basket.

ACTIVITY

What You Need

• 10 tennis/golf balls
• Waste basket
• Blindfold

Steps:
1) Ask a team member to volunteer to stand in the front of the room.

2) Blindfold the volunteer.

3) Place the basket four feet in front of the volunteer.

4) Ask the rest of the team to provide instructions to the blindfolded volunteer on
how to make baskets. Instruct the group to yell “Score!” every time the volunteer
makes a basket so they know which of their attempts are successful.

5) Explain that the volunteer will have one minute to get as many balls as he or
she can into the basket using the directions and feedback given by the other
participants.

6) After one minute, stop the game and ask the volunteer:
• Which types of messages were most helpful?
• What messages did you not receive that would have been helpful?
• What would you suggest to improve the type of feedback given?
 7) Instruct the volunteer to put on the blindfold and try again. Repeat steps one
through six.

8) After one minute, stop and discuss the differences.

Ask team members:
• What did you do differently this time when providing instructions?

Ask the volunteer:

• Do you feel like the change in instructions impacted your performance?

CONCLUSION
Being an excellent leader requires the ability to coach your employees if their
performance gets off track. Just like most skills, being a good coach requires some
practice.

In the end, coaching is about “letting go” of advice-giving, and instead assume the
person being coached is whole, smart, and understands how to correct their
behavior. By contrast, when we give feedback, we believe that the person we’re
giving feedback to requires our advice to figure out the actions they need to take.
There is a time and place for feedback, as there is for coaching - but they are not
the same. If you have further questions or would like help implementing coaching
practices with your leadership team, reach out to our Human Resources team at 1-
800-748-5102 or [email protected].

The PDF versions documents and forms in the toolkit can be found at:
www.helpside.com/coaching-toolkit