How to Lead Your Team From Sidelines to Victory

　　“If you love somebody, set them free.”

　　I don’t know who said the phrase first. It might be an actual truism we should try to adhere to when it comes to romantic relationships, no matter how convincingly Sting sings it. But I do think if we were to tweak it a little and say instead, “If you’ve prepared somebody, set them free,” the phrase would certainly be one we should adhere to as leaders in the hospitality industry.

　　I don’t mean we should train people and then kick them out of the nest to see how well they can fly. In my book—or pop song, if I were to sing one (which, trust me, you don’t want me to do)—on-the-job training is just as important as initial training. What I mean is that once you’ve given your people enough training and tools to get the job done, it’s important to give yourself permission to step back, let them put into practice what they’ve learned, and coach from the sidelines.

　　Reinforcement coaching

　　By now, the terms reinforcement coaching and corrective coaching are commonplace in our industry, and yet, as a result of the myriad demands put upon leaders and managers, many of us neglect to put them into practice consistently. We think of them as things we should do when we have time instead of as an integral part of our everyday operations. When they’re not a part of our regular in-house interactions, it can be easy to forget their value.

　　Part of being a leader is being a strong communicator with a positive attitude. A strong communicator who believes people can achieve far beyond what they think is possible for themselves is going to have a much better chance of getting her people to gain an understanding of the vision, mission and big-picture goals of the organization. Through reinforcement coaching, you can inspire people to keep doing a job well done, share your vision and show by example it is possible to go throughout your day with your organization’s end goals in mind—and that doing so makes a real difference.

　　When I find myself talking about reinforcement coaching with hotel managers, or with anyone for that matter, I usually wind up mentioning Stephen R. Covey. The author’s idea of creating an emotional bank account can be applied to all kinds of relationships, and yet I can’t think of a relationship to which it can be applied to more transparently than to the one between manager and employee.

　　When you engage in reinforcement coaching, you are essentially making a deposit into someone’s emotional bank account. What if all you did was point out the instances in which people were doing things wrong? How receptive do you think they would be to your comments? If you correct people without making regular deposits into their emotional bank accounts, they’re going to become withdrawn pretty quickly when you try to correct them. If, on the other hand, you’re the type of leader who regularly looks for things employees are doing right and praises them along the way, odds are you’ve built up substantial emotional bank accounts, and, as a result, your employees are more receptive to correction.

　　The two most powerful words a leader can offer during reinforcement coaching are “thank you.” Simply saying thank you, however, is not enough. Real reinforcement coaching is stopping what you’re doing, addressing the employee by name, making eye contact, and taking the time to be clear about what it is that you’re praising and why you’re praising it. Be specific rather than general. State your observation, relate it to one of your standards, and then explain how the employee’s actions are benefiting the employee, coworkers, guests or organization as a whole. Say something like, “Thank you for using the guest’s name at each check-in, Maria. Meeting that standard really helps the guest feel a personal connection and makes them want to come back.” This example lets the employee know what she’s doing right and how her behavior is benefiting the guest and the organization. It doesn’t just pat the employee on the back, but presents her with a bigger picture and makes her more likely to repeat the performance that meets the standard.

　　Reinforcement coaching is all about trying to catch people doing something right. As a leader, you should constantly be looking for the little wins, the things employees are doing well and according to standard, so you can reinforce correct behaviors and develop an effective, efficient team that produces better results.[page]

　　Corrective coaching

　　The first thing leaders have to decide whenever employees stray from the proper path or away from the end goal is not to ignore it. This is often easier said than done. Acknowledging behaviors that don’t meet standards can be uncomfortable, particularly if a manager is new or has been newly promoted and is now responsible for staff members they consider peers. Many managers simply believe they’re too busy to point it out each time an employee’s behavior doesn’t meet the standard.

　　Solid corrective coaching techniques can make correcting behaviors that don’t meet the standards less stressful and less time-consuming. Some of these techniques include:

　　• using the employee’s name;

　　• making eye contact;

　　• acknowledging the behavior that didn’t meet the standard (without putting the employee on display);

　　• asking a “What is the effect?” question in order to get the employee to consider the consequences of their actions;

　　• acknowledging the things the employee is doing right; and

　　• letting employees know how a change in their behavior will have a positive impact in the big picture.

　　The next time you see someone engaging in a behavior that doesn’t meet the standard, pull them aside. Then, state what you observed them doing in the form of a question. Good questions force employees to consider the effects of their actions. Don’t ask, “Linda, what do you think you just did wrong?” Instead, say, “Linda, could you step over here for a minute? I was watching you check in those last five guests. When you don’t use the guest’s name during check-in, what do you think is the effect?” Pause and let the employee answer.

　　Whether you do it at the beginning, middle, or end of a corrective coaching moment, you should also acknowledge the things that the employee is doing correctly. You might say something like, “Thanks for meeting our timing standard and getting those guests checked in efficiently. I can see that your coworkers take cues from your example in that regard. If you remember to use the guest’s name every time, I know your coworkers will remember to do it, too.” A comment like this lets an employee know you appreciate the things they’re doing right. It also makes clear that even though you’re seeking to correct a certain behavior, you’re not doing it because you want to harp on them, but because correcting the behavior will have a specific benefit.

　　It’s been said the wisest leaders are those who make the most of the time they spend with their people. Set your people up for success through a structured training program, but once that’s in place, step over to the sidelines and become the coach. There’ll be no limit to the potential you and your team can fulfill.