Focus Magazine - Spring 2012 - 42

5 QUESTIONS Kevin Kruse

5 Questions With…

Erika Andersen
oaching is a skill critical to all life science training professionals. It’s the most e ective tool you have as you develop learners at any stage of their development, and it’s a critical skill to teach district sales managers, too. To get an outside perspective on coaching, I turned to someone who has developed literally thousands of leaders. Erika Andersen is the founder of Proteus International, keynote speaker and an advisor to the top executives of numerous companies including MTV Networks, Turner Broadcasting, GE, and Cablevision. She is the author of Growing Great Employees: Turning Ordinary People into Extraordinary Performers and Being Strategic: Plan for Success; Out-think Your Competitors; Stay Ahead of Change. Kevin Kruse (KK): How would you di erentiate coaching from managing? Erika Andersen (EA): Managing is supporting someone to succeed throughout their “employee life-cycle” with you - getting him or her started well; setting clear mutual expectations; providing the information, tools, resources and feedback the person needs to get great results. Coaching is helping someone decide how they want and need to grow and how to go about doing it. KK: How can we maintain a good coaching mindset? EA: We describe the mindset of a coach as “believing in someone’s potential and wanting to help them grow.” If you can’t honestly say both those things about someone you coach – you will not be a good coach to them. Either nd a way to honestly believe in them and want to help them or free

them to be coached by someone who does! KK: What should we provide to new direct reports to ensure they get a strong start? EA: Anyone in a new situation wants to nd out three things: Who do I need to know? How do things happen around here? What’s expected of me? If you can provide the answers to those questions within the rst few weeks someone starts to work for you, you’ll be setting a solid foundation for them to be fully productive. KK: Tell us about the “camera check” method for giving someone feedback. EA: Quite o en, we think about employee problems in a highly judgmental way: e.g., “He has a bad attitude.” But “camera check” is a way to make your feedback neutral and behavioral. Here’s how it works: Imagine you have a video camera, recording the person’s actions. en play the “tape” in your head and notice what you see and hear the person doing. Give your feedback based on what’s “on the tape.” So, instead of “You have a bad attitude,” you might say “You o en focus on why things can’t happen vs. how to make them happen.” KK: Tell us about your book, Being Strategic. EA: If you want to learn a simple process and a set of mental skills for creating the career, the business, the relationship, the life you want – read Being Strategic. I

Erika Andersen, founder of Proteus International and author, “Growing Great Employees: Turning Ordinary People into Extraordinary Performers”

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Kevin Kruse is the executive director of SPBT and co-author of the New York Times best-seller, We: How to Increase Performance and Pro ts through Full Engagement. Email Kevin at kkruse@spbt.org.

FOCUS | SPRING 2012 | www.spbt.org

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Focus Magazine - Spring 2012

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