Apply coach's skills to business environment

Coaching principles apply whether managing a team of baseball players or a group of workers.

Change is considered the norm, not the exception.

Six steps make change easier for the players:

1. Communicate the pain and problems occurring in the area that needs to change. Explain why the change is necessary. Players do not have to agree, but they do need to understand.

2. Build team support by talking about the positive results that will happen due to the change. But, don’t hide the negative aspects.

3. Personalize the benefits of the change to each player, as well as the problems that will be experienced.

4. Provide any needed training.

5. Ask for and openly listen to player concerns and frustrations. Players may see problems you have not anticipated. Follow up with each player regarding steps being taken to rectify the issues he or she identified. Reduce any fears with honesty. Ask the team members for help in making the change work. Be supportive.

6. Let players talk informally to share information and feelings. Be visible so team members can talk to you one-on-one. Remember, players will be in different stages of accepting the change.

Opportunities are seen in problems. A coach identifies a problem before the issue worsens and addresses the problem as fast as possible.

He finds the root cause. He establishes goals, commits to his decision and implements the solution in an effort to avoid, or at least minimize, the problem in the future.

Actions and verbal communication skills are fine-tuned. A coach knows that 55 percent of his message is conveyed to players by his nonverbals, 38 percent by his tone of voice and only 7 percent by the words he says. He does not pace, cross his arms, clench his fists, drum his fingers, rub his eyes, scratch his head, shift his weight, stand like a statue, put his hand on his chin, rub the back of his neck or cover his mouth while speaking.

Also, he does not squint, stare fixedly, blink rapidly, swallow often, avoid eye contact, wrinkle his forehead, use insincere smiles, clear his throat often, press his lips together tightly or shift his head and eyes a lot. From a verbal standpoint, he does not ramble, talk too loudly or wander off topic. Instead, he uses simple words, speaks clearly and concisely, watches for players losing interest, communicates information in a logical order and ensures the players understand what he is saying.

He adjusts the volume, pitch and rate of his talking to maintain the attention of the players and enable team members to comprehend the depth of his feelings.

Correcting player behavior that needs to be improved upon is a daily event. A coach notes the problem, gathers facts and develops a solution before speaking to the team member. He meets with the player as soon as possible, states the problem in a direct manner, provides his expectations, encourages the player to develop solutions and states what he will do to help the player succeed. He pumps up the team member by communicating his confidence in the player to change the behavior.

He also reviews all of the positive skill sets the player possesses. Afterward, he catches the player performing correctly and provides positive feedback. The minute he notes an inappropriate behavior, he meets with and coaches the player again.

If the team member does not change over time, the coach makes one of two decisions. He will determine if he needs to change his coaching style to better match the management style needed by the player, or if he needs to cut the player from the team.

Handling positive performance. A coach is continually watching for good performance from players. He immediately provides specific and positive feedback.

He details how the behavior of the team member helped the team, the coach and the player himself. The coach is the personal cheerleader for each player.

As a manager, begin applying the behaviors of coaches and have a winning season this year.

Lynne Haggerman is president/owner of Haggerman & Associates, a firm specializing in management training, retained search, outplacement and human resource consulting. She can be reached at lynne@haggermanandassociates.com.