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Helping employees perform at their best is exciting, but it isn’t always easy. Well-meaning mangers can sometimes counteract their own efforts by approaching employee coaching the wrong way. Giving feedback constructively can be invaluable to employees' career growth and can help them develop critical skills they will carry with them as they ascend toward roles of greater responsibility. Through thoughtful coaching—and by avoiding the leadership pitfalls below—you can help set up your employees for long-term success.
Mistake #1: Not Giving Feedback at All
It’s human nature to want to be nice and avoid rocking the boat. Few of us relish conflict, but giving feedback directly is critical for your employees to be able to improve themselves. They need your help recognizing where they have fallen short, as well as their areas of success, in order to grow and reach their potential. Without that information, they are likely to continue along the same path.
Mistake #2: Letting it Pile Up
Because providing constructive criticism is uncomfortable, some managers wait until there is a laundry list of issues that need to be corrected before they set up meetings to coach employees. This is unfair to the employee, because he or she may have no idea that they were doing anything wrong, and now they face a long and overwhelming list of errors they must correct. Delays in giving feedback set up employees for failure. Instead, check in frequently with your employees to let them know how they are performing and how they are pacing against the objectives for their role.
Mistake #3: Not Setting Clear Expectations
Employees should not have to be mind readers when it comes to what is expected of them. Coaching employees effectively includes working with them to clearly define what success looks like for their role. Having well-defined goals and expectations gives the employee the opportunity to plan ahead and maintain control of their own progress. With increased clarity comes faster, better results.
Mistake #4: Giving Vague Feedback
When offering your employees constructive criticism, make sure to always be specific and offer examples. If you tell your employee, “I really need you to learn to write better,” it will be very hard for the employee to correct or improve the behavior—what exactly does “better” mean? Instead, say something like, "Before you turn in reports, please make sure to proofread for spelling and punctuation errors. Your last report had several errors, which could have been avoided with a little more time and attention paid to accuracy.” Giving feedback of this kind lets the employee know exactly what you are referring to and what they can do to improve.
Mistake #5: Doing All the Talking
Mentoring and coaching employees should be a two-way process. Employees should be given the opportunity to explain themselves, ask questions, and provide ideas. By speaking with, rather than at, employees, leaders gain perspective and allow employees the opportunity to clarify feedback and solutions necessary to correct their performance missteps.
Mistake #6: Prescribing Solutions
You’ve been around the block, and you probably have great ideas to help your employee improve his or her performance. At the same time, no one solution is right for everyone. While your ideas will certainly be helpful, they should be offered as suggestions rather than directives. Allowing employees to devise their own plans of action also helps them learn to be more self-sufficient going forward, and enlisting their help encourages them to look at problems from a different angle.
When employee coaching is done in a positive and collaborative way, managers find that employees become eager for feedback rather than fearful of it. Great coaching empowers employees by providing clear paths to success and opportunities to build on their strengths.
Self-confidence is a quality that can affect almost every part of your life including peer perceptions, decision-making, job performance, and growth opportunities. Learning to feel comfortable in your own skin and believe in yourself can do much more than just improve your well-being, it can directly impact the course of your career. Having low self-confidence can prevent you from accepting challenges that might help you get ahead, stop you from asking for the salary or title you know you deserve, and hamper your journey toward roles of greater leadership and responsibility. Learning to build self-confidence and helping others develop their own self-confidence, can improve you and your team’s prospects for success. Learn how to build confidence in yourself and others with these helpful tips.
If you doubt your own qualifications or question whether you deserve your job, you’re not alone. What you’re feeling is called “imposter syndrome,” and it affects many successful people, from executives to founders, causing them to doubt their abilities no matter how many great accomplishments they have achieved. You have earned your place, and nobody can take away the work it took to get there. Here are a few small steps you can take to start acting like you belong right now: hold your head high, make eye contact when speaking with coworkers, and shake hands firmly. Body language goes a long way toward conveying to coworkers that you belong there, and not only will it build confidence in yourself, it will build others’ confidence in you, as well.
Confident people always seem to know what they’re talking about, and that’s because many confident people maintain a student mentality. They constantly seek out and absorb vital information to strengthen their expertise and provide more value to others. When you know your stuff, you’re prepared for tough questions, and your coworkers and team members will notice. Being an expert in your field holds a lot of credibility, and being knowledgeable helps your team members feel more confident about your leadership and about their own chances for success as part of your team.
Mentoring others can help you gain confidence in your abilities. Helping others master critical job skills forces you to hone your own knowledge of those skills, while also improving your ability to communicate essential information to others. Collaboration and coaching also builds confidence in others by helping them feel well prepared and informed to conquer the tasks ahead of them.
When someone lacks confidence, even the slightest mistakes can haunt them. When you or members of your team make mistakes, avoid placing blame or dwelling on what went wrong. Instead, work together to develop a strategy to move forward and avoid that same mistake in the future. The process will help boost your confidence as a leader or colleague, and it will help your team member feel supported and reassured that making mistakes is part of the learning process. Knowing that you have their back can make team members and colleagues feel more self-assured and confident about the work environment and their chances of success.
As you work with your team, you’ll see the value each of your team members bring, whether that be a skillset or mindset. Recognize team members’ individual contributions, and they will bring that value more confidently to the table. People love to be recognized for things they do well, and they appreciate being coached to overcome their weaknesses. By recognizing things your team members do well, they’ll do the same for you, helping to build confidence for the entire team.
People don’t like to admit it, but self-doubt is normal. Everyone has doubts and worries about not being the best, the smartest, or the most liked, and even the most confident people struggle to keep those doubts from derailing their goals. Once you recognize that, it levels the playing field. No longer is that keynote speaker an unapproachable business guru, he’s just another person trying to make it, just like you. Remember that your doubts and insecurities are just feelings, and they don’t define you or represent your real potential. Don’t let them stop you from stepping out of your comfort zone or going after your long-term goals and dreams.
Learning how to build confidence starts with just acting the part. Practice using confident body language, even when you’re feeling uncertain inside. Sometimes, the image we present on the outside, helps us begin to feel the part on the inside as well. Use the tips above to bolster your own feelings of self-confidence, and whenever possible, help to support others who may also be feeling uncertain. By focusing on others’ journeys toward growth, you distract from your own self-doubt while helping someone else achieve his or her goals. Throughout that process, you’ll discover that, not only will they become more confident, but you will as well.
What do your kids think you do at work? Ours will find out this Thursday, April 28th, when Cydcor hosts the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day program at our Agoura Hills, CA headquarters! On this day, Cydcor team members will have the opportunity to bring in their children who are between the ages of 5 and 18 so they can see how we work, where we work, and what we do at work. This is an amazing opportunity to model a career roadmap for these children and gives them a look at what their parent’s day-to-day is like here at Cydcor.
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year. Cydcor could not miss out on this great opportunity. This national event was launched in 1994, and it encourages girls and boys to think about their futures without gender limitations. The event’s organizers expect over 1,700 kids to participate across the country. Cydcor will host between 8 and 15 kids for the event in our office.
This nationally-celebrated day builds bridges between parents and kids, as well as between parents and coworkers. Kids learn what Mom and Dad do during the day at that mysterious destination called “the office.” They discover how their parents solve problems and manage responsibilities outside of the home.
During Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, coworkers develop a deeper connection with one another as they meet each other’s family members. Meeting family members allows colleagues an opportunity to learn one another’s personal story. This experience builds more meaningful connections, which can improve how teams work and solve problems together.
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is more than just a chance for kids to see their parents’ offices and have lunch together. During their visit here at Cydcor, girls and boys will be exposed to the important jobs their parents have. Children will have the opportunity to participate in multiple workshops and activities that will help them start thinking on their future careers. A group of dedicated team members will teach participants firsthand about different career possibilities at Cydcor, including the important role education plays in having a successful career.
During Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, Cydcor team members and their kids are invited to dress in casual attire since it will be a day chock-full of fun activities. A special schedule has also been arranged for participants and their parents, including a welcome breakfast, event program, workshops and will get to play games at a “Fun Zone.” They will be at Cydcor having a fun day at the office, and we can’t wait to get started!
Don’t miss out on the fun! Be sure to follow Cydcor on Facebook and Instagram to see photos and videos from this remarkable experience.
A mentor is a guide and counselor who provides career advice and support. This relationship—also a process—often involves a younger person seeking out the guidance of a more experienced employee or supervisor.
In some cases, a mentor provides this service as way to do good or “pay it forward.” Perhaps someone in their past took the time to help them out in their career development, and to honor the kindness and help they received, they seek to share their abilities with someone new.
Some schools, companies, and social organizations may have formal mentorship programs that match a more experienced person with a less experienced person.
One of the keys to a successful mentor and mentee relationship is enthusiasm. You should only pursue start the process if you’re honestly interested in developing your professional skills and committed to paying attention to the lessons a mentor has to offer. Before you seek out a mentor, review your goals and expectations.
A Mentorship Self Review
What do you want to learn from a mentor?
A mentor could teach you about the qualities required to be a good leader. A mentor might also teach you a technical skill—how to master a piece of sophisticated software—that will also take time to learn. A mentor could coach you on professional skills related to sales and business. Before you approach a potential mentor you need to know what you expect to learn and communicate those expectations to your mentor.
Are you ready to go back to “school”?
Finding a mentor and improving your professional skills is a great idea. You need to listen to what your mentor says and do what they tell you to do. It’s a bit like being back in school because you must be willing to follow their orders. You have to do your “homework” or you’re wasting your time and—even worse—your mentor’s time.
Do you have the time to commit to learning something new right now? Calculate the amount of time you’ll work with your mentor weekly. Figure out how much time you’ll need to study and practice your new skills. You’re going to need to schedule time for reading and studying. To sum it all up—do you have time to work with a mentor and commit to learning a new skill?
Important Qualities to Look for in a Mentor
Wisdom This quality covers a lot of ground. You want to find someone with experience that relates to your career path. But, more than that, you want someone who has the ability to review their own experience and pick out lessons that are important to share. The mentor needs to be able to identify key lessons insights that you will be able to learn from.
Authentic Working with a mentor involves an honest exchange of information, questions and answers, and sharing experiences. You’ll learn about your mentor. Your mentor will learn about you. He or she should be interested in hearing about your experiences, interests, and questions. If your potential mentor is only interested in telling stories about their success, you won’t have an authentic experience. It’s a waste of your time.
Trustworthy Asking someone to become your mentor can be risky. You might approach someone who you’ve worked with closely in the past and whose character you understand. You may also recognize that there is a colleague from another department or someone you know from your professional community. Working with them in an honest way may require that you confide in them and share some of your professional ideas and work experiences. Is the mentor you have in mind worthy of your trust?
Engaged You’re selecting a mentor based on their knowledge and experience. You’ll benefit most from a mentor whose experience is informed by a complete understanding of past and current practices in your industry. You want to improve your skills and build your mastery of a skill or process. This isn’t a history lesson. Your mentor must be engaged, open-minded, and love learning just as much as you do.
Learn more about Cydcor and what we do by checking out our latest videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Cydcor