Redeploy and delegate
One way to identify where changes can be made is to write down every task you do, including the length of time required, for three days, and ask yourself if they add value. If not, remove them from the schedule, but be mindful of what you do next with that time. “Be intentional about where you redeploy your [own] work; people have identified all kinds of things and started taking stuff off the schedule, but it didn’t fundamentally change what they did,” said Munch. “What happens is that other things creep into that time-saving spot. Fill it back with something more useful than you had before.”

Managers who feel overburdened also have the biggest work piles on their desk. “And the stack just gets bigger and bigger,” said Munch. “I’ve talked to a number of managers and they feel like they have to solve all the problems. No, use your team to help solve problems. Who on your team are people who show promise who might be able to eventually climb into a management position? Your role as a manager in creating an army of problem-solvers is to delegate and train so problem solving can occur on a grander scale than just yourself.”

Ask the right questions
Successful coaching involves asking powerful questions. Instead of telling people what should be done, allow them to arrive at their own solution, which is more likely to create enthusiasm for accomplishing goals and sustaining progress. What constitutes a powerful question? “Be very careful when starting a question with who, because that can get to blame and fear fairly quickly,” cautioned Munch. “The most effective questions are those that start with why, how or what. Why is that so? How would that work? What do you think should be our next step? Any question that can be answered with yes or no does not require any critical thinking skills to respond.”

Act in the moment
As Ben Franklin famously said, don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today; the same goes for coaching. “The best coaching moment is at the moment of struggle for the employee or team member,” advised Munch. “If you can observe and coach right at the moment, it’s much more powerful than something happening a month later. It’s not about having the right answer, it’s about asking the right question. That can be very powerful in change management as well. Every coaching moment should result in action. Based upon this conversation, what will we do now, when can we expect that to be done, will you take responsibility, or will I take responsibility?”

Listen intently
Allowing employees to speak — for however long they need to — leads to the right solution. “Let’s say somebody did something wrong and you go up to them, they could be quite defensive, and as you start inquiring about it, they might unload on you,” Munch said. “What I would advise you to do, if there’s some tension there, is allow them to unload. Allow them to experience catharsis of all of the frustration they have until they’re done. Because then, and maybe only then, are they able to be in a position to listen to the next question or advice you may give them. Your job is not to win an argument. Your job is to come to a mutually agreed-upon solution going forward. I read a paper once that said the average amount of time that it takes before a physician interrupts a patient on the patient’s story is 17 seconds. I don’t know if I can describe anything in 17 seconds.”

Business Affairs Homepage