Goal of Session: To take concrete tasks and examine how we as team leaders can coach and therefore Improve and get better at the tasks they are required to perform

For team leaders to have more recognition of the effect their use of language has on team members

• For staff leaders to embrace the different ways team members learn and to motivate and support them best.
• To realize and embrace the fact that the end point of their instruction is not that the team member’s learning (how to do something)
• To not just enable that team members to  complete the individual tasks but that the team member feels coached in relation to that task. That the change can be lasting and not momentary.

Activities:

Think of teaching a young child (aged 8 – 10) to use a washing machine. Write down what’s involved in the steps and what the child needs to know.

There are probably about 10 steps involved.

Explain how you would need to repeat what to do but also let the child do it and not all the steps in one go.

Explain how it’s a process and you need to coach the child rather than give instructions once and leaver him or her to it by themselves.

Each participant will write list of concrete tasks which their team members have to do and which they supervise e,.g how to put out the beds, circle time, meet and greet parents, move the children around the building. They will then select two tasks which are the most challenging  TO SUPERVISE (NOT NECESSARILY TO DO).

Here is a list (click to download)

We considered the following:

1. Think of a person who’s job it was to coach/supervise or even teach you and who was excellent and did it really well. They really helped your development.
2. Now think of the opposite. Someone who’s job it was to coach /supervise or even teach you but didn’t do it well.
3. Now compare them. What did person a) do which particularly helped you learn?   What did person b) do which particularly hindered you from learning?  What were the differences in their attitudes, behaviours, values and personalities?

Discussion: Which of the above factors made the difference and helped your development?

• Think about yourself as a coach/supervisor. Do you include these factors when you supervise?   If not, what gets in the way?
•  What do you demand or expect of one or two of the people you supervise, to which he or she responds negatively, or not as positively as you feel should be the case?

Key point: In coaching/supervising you don’t want to go round in circles. You also don’t want to leave them the “washing machine instructions” and expect them to just get on with it. Neither do you want to micro manage which is de motivating for staff.

Discussion:   Where do you talk to team members (public or private space?), does it have to be done instantly?, tone of voice, do you just achieve a change in what team member is doing there and then or is it a lasting change?

How to get a lasting change.  The 3D approach l: Diagnosing, Designing, Doing

Diagnosing: Clarify the difference between actual performance and expected performance.

These clarifications and questions are helpful for team leaders to ask team members when supervising :

• TEAM LEADER:  Clarifies what specifically is the difference between actual performance and that desired? (I’m dissatisfied because this is what you’re doing and this is what I prefer).
• TEAM LEADER explains: By you doing what you do, this is the  emotional/psychological/organizational price we’re paying. If you did it differently and we resolved this it would make a difference in the following ways…….
• TEAM LEADER asks: What’s stopping us working together to easily resolve/change this?
• TEAM LEADER helps team member to see if they have enough authority, information and resources to perform to expectations?
• TEAM LEADER needs to consider if the culture of the organization is affecting performance? (e.g. the right way to do this or the way it’s always been done?)
• TEAM LEADER needs to clarify with TEAM MEMBER which aspect of their experience, knowledge and understanding are insufficient – what does he/she need to learn or be able to perform better/improve?

These questions are helpful for team leader to ask team member when supervising. :

• Are your learning goals clear?
• Can they be written down or clearly explained?
• What needs to change or be learnt?
• Can this be written down or clearly explained?
• How can I help you be more motivated?
• What supportive approach could I offer which you know you would accept and learn from?  (And that would make you agree to change without feeling criticized or put down)?
• How would the you us to monitor the changes in the future?

These questions are helpful for team leader to ask team member which prompt ACTION:

• What have you learnt?
• What do YOU need to do next
• What needs to happen now in order for you to take some action?
• And  “Could you consider how this situation could be an opportunity in disguise?  Or could we brainstorm together how this situation could be an opportunity?

Summary

• Is something a threat or an opportunity?
• Instead of just feeling negative or overwhelmed by a problem, try to change the frame by which we view it.
• Story of two shoe salesmen sent to an African country many years ago. Seeing that the people walk around barefoot one sends a message back to his office
• “There’s no market for our product. I’m returning home”
• The other sees the same scenario and writes back to his office “There is obviously a huge market here for our product. Ship every shoe you can spare”

We never experience things in a neutral way. It is simply the messages we tell ourselves. If we give something a different frame, we will have a different experience of it.

Working With Parents

Later in the day, we considered the support that key workers may need when meeting with parents (With Emma Baruch)

We considered ways to support staff during meetings

We considered Things that Team Leaders need to deal with when supporting staff