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Train to Ingrain
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The Third Pillar of Reinforcement: Coaching
In leadership development, we’re talking about replacing a counterproductive habit that has been ingrained for decades with a brand new approach introduced in training. During a typical training course, motivated participants can absorb quite a lot of valuable content. However, the transference of this new knowledge into routine behavior takes time. This result is something that must be achieved on the job, after training.
A great deal of learning from experience is needed to make a new leadership skill habitual. An impressive amount of reinforcement is needed to achieve the level of comfort that makes a behavior familiar, comfortable and automatic. Along the way a learner can expect to experience awkwardness, failure and embarrassment, which can be discouraging. It makes a big difference to have someone to talk to, someone who can listen, understand, advise and encourage.
Coaching is the third vital component of an extended period reinforcement:
- Ongoing learning
- Ongoing feedback
- Coaching
- Accountability
An organization that wishes to make coaches available to its learners has several options.
Executive coaches. Some consultants specialize in performance coaching. Experts in the people skills dimension of leadership and teamwork, these individuals can be a high-quality one-on-one resource for the learner during the difficult period in which improved skills are ingrained. Their services are often expensive, but they’re usually worth it. Many organizations hire coaches for executives; to do so for the attendees of all training programs is typically cost-prohibitive. But there are other options.
Mentors. Other individuals, both inside and outside the organization, may be available to lend support to someone who sincerely wants to improve. This is an ideal role for a mentor, whether the relationship is one that evolved naturally or whether it’s part of a structured mentorship program.
Expert performers. A particularly effective kind of mentor is the sympathetic individual who is known to perform well in the skill area that the learner is trying to improve. The summary reports of 360-degree feedback can easily identify these individuals, because they will have scored high where the learner may have scored low.
Learning support groups. These groups can be informal or structured and can include team members, peers, 360-degree feedback respondents, or HR staff members. These individuals may be able to support the learner by giving feedback, listening, understanding, advising and encouraging. This kind of coaching can take place during “brown-bag lunches,” one-on-one meetings, e-mail, phone calls or private web forums.
Bosses. Not everyone in charge has good coaching skills. However, in our opinion coaching is a vital subset of leadership, and we believe organizations should expect leaders to learn how to coach effectively. Investing in this area of skill development for managers will go a long way to empowering follow-up reinforcement after training.
- Dennis Coates, Ph.D, CEO, Performance Support Systems, publisher of 20/20 Insight GOLD assessment software
- Dave Erdman, President, Vital Learning Corporation, publisher of The Supervision Series
Read more about reinforcement and it's importance
