Coaching to Motivators
Keys to Success
1. The major success is to bring in the understanding of what motivates someone into your coaching conversations. First, you must understand what motivates someone by asking them what’s their end game, or what’s their ideal state, or what they’d like to be doing more now than what they’re currently doing. Once you understand someone’s motivation, it creates the emotional attachment to change. 2. The motivator is the WIIFT – What’s In It For Them. Often when we give people feedback, they become immediately resistant based on agreement or disagreement, yet the feedback becomes more palatable when we tie it to an area of WIIFT specific to What’s In It For Them. 3. The key approach is to lead with a statement or set of feedback and then insert the word ‘and’ specific to their motivator. Here is an example: “John, one area you could really improve is your ability to follow through on your tasks, and I think about you improving in that area and how that might help you achieve your goal of becoming a first-time manager.” This seems very simple yet when bringing in his goal of becoming a first-time manager, it offsets his immediate potential trigger for resistance to the feedback and creates a more accepting mentality and attitude.
Phrases to Use
1. State + And: “Susie, you have an opportunity to increase your ability to handle conflict, and I think about that improvement and how that might serve you specific to your goal of...” (fill in the blank). 2. State & “Hearing That”: “Kenny, I think you have the ability to become more comfortable presenting the data and analytics going forward. Hearing that, what do you think we need to do to improve in that area and what could I do to assist you?” 3. Motivator + Question of Challenge: Here is a brief example of this technique: “Sam, I love you want to become a first-time manager and I think about you increasing your comfort with conversations of conflict and how that might serve you well?” Suggestions 1. The major suggestion is to have separate conversations with each of your team members at your individual coaching sessions and truly find out what motivates them. A common mistake is managers trying to motivate on their own belief systems, and that sometimes creates discord unnecessarily and unintentionally. 2. The simplest suggestion is to lead with a statement that is strength-based, and it can also be challenging in nature. In your statement, insert the word ‘and’ right afterward and simply insert the words such as: “How do you think an improvement in that area might serve you well specific to your goal of...” (fill in the blank). 3. A major suggestion is to write out these things to create this language as a second innate habit that you can deliver conversationally and fluently. 4. Have conversations every quarter specific to each team member’s motivators. Ask them questions such as where they feel they are progressing and where they feel there are barriers, and what help they might need. Just asking these questions builds a greater trust, and you have immediately become a leader that’s going to be tough to leave.
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