you. Either way, one of the ways
in which to build effective teams
and motivate individuals is to use
the skill of coaching. Coaching can
help address problems even before
they occur.
In 2014, Monique Valcour wrote
in Harvard Business Review “the
single most important managerial
competency that separates highly
effective managers from average
ones is coaching.” In her article
titled, “You can’t be a great
manager if you are not a good
coach”, she goes ahead to point out
that having coaching discussions
with colleagues assists in building
relationships and helps enhance
positive energy.
In the same article, she outlines
5 tips for managers today. These
are fantastic tips for marketers
because they are actually in line
with one of the key skills practiced
by marketers, which is the ability
to get insights from customer
research. Think of this as ‘internal
research’.
Listen Deeply
Many years ago, an ENT surgeon
was giving a talk to a group of
young doctors. He
asked them
to listen.
‘‘Now when it comes to relationship building,
it would be pretty important to have people
skills. Ask any individual who manages teams
and they will tell you that this is not as simple
as it sounds. People are all different, having
different motivators, different strengths and
different aspirations. Managing people can
get very complex. Not only must performance
be managed but people must be trained,
motivated and their well-being addressed.’’
He pointed out that they may hear
what he would say, but he needed
them to listen. Listening deeply
is about paying attention to the
message, accurately receiving the
message and also about getting
to understand what is not always
verbalized.
In order to listen, one must be
present, one must silence the
mind and give all their focus and
attention to the person with them.
Observe the person, watch their
expressions and feel the emotion
from the tone and timber of their
voice.
Every single person
likes to be listened
to and values the
attention. A
marketer who
practices
listening
to others,
will be
valued as
someone
who
cares
and
therefore
it is easier
to build
stronger
relationships
and get killer
insights. Anyone
in marketing will
tell you, insights drive
20 MAL 17/17 ISSUE
key decisions and communication
messages.
Ask – Don’t Tell
One of the core competencies
of coaching is to be able to ask
powerful questions. Questions
that elicit great responses are open
ended questions, the kind that
begin with What, When, Where,
How.
What else do you think you could
do to close the sale? When will you
complete the report? Where should
you focus your efforts? How else
can you increase brand awareness?
Use Why sparingly to avoid
sounding judgmental.
Powerful questions can help a
marketer to build commitment, to
allow for teams to come up with
answers for themselves, thereby
driving self-motivation and
personal responsibility.
Support And Build An Alliance
The process of coaching is often
based on a principle of co-creation
which in simple words is about
working with a colleague to drive a
mutually beneficial outcome.
Supporting a colleague helps to
build the relationship, improves trust
and encourages mutual respect. It
reinforces the principle of working
together and team work rather than
an individualistic approach.