In my executive leadership coaching program I’ve found it very helpful to work with my clients to develop formal processes, procedures and professional standards so that these clients can manage the employees in their business more effectively.

These formal processes, procedures, and standards cut across a wide spectrum in a business – job descriptions, performance evaluations, employee handbooks, action plans, work forms, and work policies and procedures. 

As an executive leadership coach I’ve continually found that many clients engage me mainly because they want to learn more about how they can increase their own performance.  What I’ve also found however, is that our initial coaching sessions invariably focus upon how they can get their employees to be more productive and effective. So I’ve learned to ask several questions as we start our program.

Do You Have Job Descriptions For Each Position?

This sounds pretty basic, right?  Well, you’d be surprised at the answers – “sure, they know what they’re supposed to do,” “we don’t need to write it down; why bother, they never do what they’re told,” or “we’re a small company, we all know what to do.”

Then, why did a recent client ask me if I could write job descriptions to clarify who did what, when, and for what purpose? Because this client knew he was missing something – a procedure.

Do You Use Performance Evaluations?

More often than not my executive leadership coaching program requires that I speak with a cross section of employees.  When I casually do this I get asked about job descriptions, and, you guessed it, performance evaluations.  It’s my observation that employees always want to know how well they are doing, if they are doing what is needed to help the business be more successful, and, surprise, can they do better.

Most clients don’t like going through the evaluation process – it takes time to set standards and expectations, to observe, mentor, and coach employees how to achieve and surpass those standards, and it takes time away from servicing customers to evaluate an employee’s performance.  Yuck.  But you know what? Companies that consistently and fairly evaluate their employees see better performance.

Can I Review Your Employee Handbook?

“What? Look, we’re a small company, we don’t need those things!”  Yes, one client said that to me last year. After she brought up a number of employee issues in our third coaching session which related to the use of smartphones, absenteeism, and theft of company property, I asked her again if she thought it made sense to formalize some policies to guide employee behavior – she agreed.  And with the recent change in Massachusetts law regarding earned sick leave - as well as the proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act for exemptions, does it make sense to review your policies?

Does It Make Sense To Review Your Action Plan?

“Uh oh, he’s going to ask us to review our goals and objectives!” “He’s going to ask us if our company hit its sales target for the year.”  That’s right. 

Ben Franklin said many years ago: By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. 

It’s still true today that every business needs some goal, some focus.  How do you think that a sports team can win a championship – by chance?  Goals are set; strategies are developed to help achieve those goals, and action programs result. Executive leadership coaching programs help business owners and managers to develop these plans.

Work teams, divisions, departments, and employees all participate in the development of these action plans.  They all have a stake in its success – or its failure.  My experience as a manager, executive, and leader of a variety of different organizations consistently has demonstrated that the successful development of a plan effectively engages all employees within a business.

If you are participating in an executive leadership coaching program and are developing the formal processes, procedures and professional standards needed for your business then you are well on your way to managing smart. I always offer interested executives the opportunity to take an executive leadership coaching program assessment to help them learn a bit more about their ability to establish effective processes, procedures, and standards. 

Do you have the courage to start?

Originally posted by Warren Rutherford on July 6, 2015 at 10:27am