Housing Giants - October 24, 2008 - (Page 16)

Sell they did, or what you thought they could do, or a combination of both? If I had to guess, I’d guess you hired your associates based on what you thought they could do. If you’ve hired right, a sales associate is like an acorn. The DNA is there. All you have to do is make sure that they’re fertilized, watered and cared for. And as a manager this means you must set sales associate expectations by defining what performance behaviors you want. That’s coaching. The CarroT and The STiCk Coaching has been a buzzword in business circles for some time now. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, it hasn’t caught on in the home building industry. Matter of fact, we seem to be going backward instead of forward. It seems that we’re more interested in training than making the training work. Coaching is the one and only thing that makes sales training work so that performance and results follow. John Whitmore, author of “Coaching for Performance,” has a simple definition for coaching: “Coaching is the skill of unlocking a person’s potential in order to maximize their performance.” Can a manager become a coach? The answer is yes, but it requires change. Traditionally a manager holds the key to an associate’s paycheck. While this is good, it’s also bad because this built-in tradition promotes a “carrot and the stick” management style, telling instead of listening. The habit of telling someone what to do is hard to break. Telling, as Whitmore says, promotes the feeling of control. And when that happens, you eliminate feedback, and that ends up creating “inperson behaviors” that are different than “out-of-sight” behaviors. There has to be an open feedback loop if a manager wants to become a coach. CoaChing for PerformanCe How many times have you implemented a training program and experienced lackluster results? Results end up being good or bad depending on your follow-up coaching. Your approach can either be directive or supportive. Directive coaching is about telling an associate what to do. Supportive coaching is about helping someone find their own answers. 16 hoUSing gianTS.10.24.08 www.hoUSinggianTS.Com http://www.housinggiants.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Housing Giants - October 24, 2008

Housing Giants - October 24, 2008 Contents Viewpoint News & Moves Sell Private Equity

Housing Giants - October 24, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.