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Speaking the language of the people around you can be a much more difficult task then you could imagine. Not everyone has the charisma to captivate an audience of 1-1000 with ease. That is why listening is one of the most important things you can do as a leader. All too often, leaders of today are so confident in the abilities that got them where they are that they expect those around them to mold to fit them. Several companies have enlisted the help of external consultants and educators to attempt to "teach" people how to listen. Unfortunately, no amount of practicing asking questions and para-phrasing someone's comments can really teach someone how to "listen". Those drills are for Management 101. I thought about this while watching that reality show about Corporate CEO's that work a few days in the "trenches" to gain a different perspective. They gain an understanding of both their people and the way their company really operates. In re...

As with coaching, it is just as important to understand the person you are talking to. The result will be much more significant if the discussion is tailored to the individual. Even more important though is understanding your employee's ability to receive criticism. Some people welcome criticism openly, as they understand it is only designed to improve performance. Unfortunately, most people just don't like being told that they are not doing something correctly. When counseling an employee, it is very important to convey that you are simply trying to correct or improve a behavior or an action, you are not attacking them as a person in any way. The easiest way to accomplish this is to simply discuss just the action in question. It is best to avoid using directed words like "you", or stating other employees opinions about the action, because that makes the conversation about the employee and not the behavior. It is much easier to counsel an employee on an action ...

Coaching and Counseling are the two strongest tools a manager has to increase the productivity of their staff. Typically coaching and counseling are discussed together as they pretty much go hand-in-hand. Here I will focus on the Coaching aspect as "part 1" of this two-part article. First, I would like to identify the difference between the two. Coaching is a form of communication used to teach a new job skill, or to improve upon a current skill. Counseling, however, is used more specifically to help correct an observed behavior or a method of performing a task. For either to be successful, the most important part is being able to properly identify what form of communication would be most appropriate for the associate receiving it. I have usually seen employees grouped into 4 basic categories. 1. No Experience/New - It is this person's first job. They need the MOST communication. If you delegate them a task without thorough direction, they will not complete it ef...