Edition 001
Learning Tree
Management Insights
Expert Advice from Today’s Top Professionals
Getting High Performance
from the “Middle 80%”
Even if you haven’t reached official management
status, you’ve probably had the opportunity to take
the lead and be in charge of others—managing a
project or serving as team leader. Looking back,
did you find yourself investing 80% of your time
with just 20% of the people you were leading? Did
you find yourself immersed in micromanaging the
bottom 10%—your problem children—while spend-
ing the rest of your time catering to the needs (and
whims) of the 10% who were your star performers?
It’s tempting to give all of your attention to people
at the top and the bottom of your team: But don’t
do it. Your success—and the success of your company—
depend on developing and motivating the other
80%. You need a tool that helps you efficiently
engage the “middle 80”—helping them develop
their skills while improving team performance...
Coaching is that tool.
Coaching Focuses on Developing, Not “Fixing”
Coaching is a fluid relationship that can be initiated
by either the person who sees an opportunity to
help or by the person looking for help. It can be
done at any time and doesn’t require a manager/
subordinate relationship to be effective. In a
coaching relationship, both parties decide if the
relationship should continue. Coaching focuses
on developing, not “fixing,” the person being
coached—creating individuals with improved
skills who can contribute more effectively in a
team environment and on their own.
Coaching is much more than just an informal
conversation with another staff member. It depends
on clear expectations that are communicated well
and supported with timely oversight. Regardless of
whether you’re a manager coaching a new employee
or team member coaching a peer, formalizing some
of the coaching process is useful. When goals and
expectations are clearly defined, employees in the
“middle 80” are given the tools to perform above
their previous potential.
Jean Corson
CorsonWolff Consulting
In this month’s Management Insights, Jean Corson discusses how to get
high performance from the “Middle 80%.” It’s tempting to give all of
your attention to the people at the top and the bottom of your team.
Don’t do it! Use a tool that helps you efficiently engage the
“middle 80”...coaching is that tool.
CALL 1-800-843-8733
OR VISIT www.learningtree.ca
 Learning Tree
Management Insights
Expert Advice from Today’s Top Professionals
Getting High Performance from the “Middle 80%”
Implementing Coaching
Before effective coaching can take place, a
Coaching Development Plan must be established
that you and the person you’re coaching co-create.
The key term in the previous sentence is “co-create.”
Rather than you writing a plan, both of you need
to jointly identify a set of goals and activities.
Co-creation ensures that both parties will be invest-
ed in the plan’s success (think about how dedicated
you’ve been to anything that you’ve helped create).
Co-creation also moves you away from the boss/
employee relationship and towards the peer-to-peer
relationship of coaching.
Your Own Coaching Needs
You may need some coaching on the skills that
a coach requires. For example, one of the keys
to successful coaching is the ability to foster self-
motivation. This requires a coach who understands
the elements of motivation and de-motivation and
their impact on behaviours. If this is an area where
you lack skills then you may want to seek out a
coach for yourself.
By moving to a coaching role for the “middle 80,”
you begin developing your next generation of
leaders, since individuals who have experienced the
benefits of coaching will look for opportunities to
assist others in their growth. As successful coaching
collaborations grow and thrive, your work becomes
more productive and less stressful—knowing that
all of your employees are being given the tools and
support they need to take the organization to the
next level.
About the Author
Jean Corson of CorsonWolff Consulting is an organizational
behaviour consultant specializing in executive coaching, developing
emerging leaders and building high-powered teams by focusing
on workplace behaviour, communication and performance. She teaches
Learning Tree’s Course 224, “Coaching Employees to Their Potential,”
Course 904, “Responding to Conflict,” Course 294, “Influence Skills,”
and Course 292, “Communication Skills.”
jcorsonwolff@comcast.net
0812CA Mgmt Insights_Edition 001
Edition 001
7 Steps to Building a
Coaching Development Plan:
1st Set the tone. If you’re initiating the relationship, establish
that coaching isn’t a sign that the other person is lacking in some
critical skill or doing something wrong. In fact, coaching means
that you see untapped potential in the other person and are
invested in that person’s success at work.
2nd Establish the goals. You and the other person must
set the goals for the relationship. As the coach in the relationship,
you have two responsibilities in goal setting. One is to identify
the goals you would like to see the other person achieve. The
other responsibility is to solicit from the other person what goals
they want to work toward. Without your active solicitation, you
may end up being the only person setting the goals, which
moves you back to the boss/employee relationship.
3rd Set responsibilities. The two of you must then decide
how you can help each other develop. As a coach, you have
an additional responsibility beyond what you agree to in this
part of the plan. You must also model the desired behaviours
you want to see—you must “walk your talk.” If you don’t model
the behaviour you want to help develop, then your credibility
and your effectiveness as a coach are diminished.
4th Define the process. At a minimum, the two of you must
decide when, where and how often you’ll meet to check in with
each other. One caveat: coaching isn’t about friendship. You can
be friendly, but coaching is about improving performance at work.
As part of deciding how you’ll work together, you must also
decide how you’ll address conflict (and there will be conflict).
5th Acknowledge what you will get. You’ll probably learn a
great deal from the coaching relationship. Make sure that you
acknowledge the benefits that you expect to get. For instance,
being able to conduct “difficult” conversations (conversations
that include criticism) is an invaluable skill. If you intend to
develop that skill as part of this coaching relationship, point out
that you will be using this opportunity to practice in a safe
environment.
6th Establish benchmarks. The plan must include clear “measures
of progress” and a schedule of when those measures will be met.
Benchmarks provide both of you with markers to determine how
well things are going. However, be aware that not reaching the
benchmarks isn’t a sign of failure—it just means that a timetable
adjustment or course correction may be needed.
7th Review the relationship. When looking at a course
correction or the achievement of a major benchmark, take the
time to assess if the coaching relationship should continue. If
you decide to discontinue the formal coaching relationship, be
sure to debrief both the work you did together and how the
coaching experience played out for each of you.
CALL 1-800-843-8733
OR VISIT www.learningtree.ca