As J Willard Marriot (Founder of Marriot Crop.) said “Motivate them, train them, care about them and make winners out of them…they’ll treat the customers right. And if customers are treated right, they’ll come back”.
The Role of Leaders.
Effective leaders wear many hats, including one of coach and mentor. They play an important role in staff development. Therefore it is critical to equip leaders with the right skills and framework to succeed.
Inspiring and encouraging their employees, keeping up morale, staff engagement and increasing motivation are signs of good leaders and this is especially important for managers of front-line and client-facing staff. Manager-led coaching has many benefits for the team, especially when the manager actively demonstrates the soft skills and mindset required to perform the role in the best manner.
Managers in industries such as retail and hospitality not only have to hire the best candidates and delegate well but also need to retain staff and ensure that they are fulfilled at work. Good leaders are vital in bringing together a group of often disparate individuals, turning them into a team where everyone has a shared sense of purpose and vision to be able to represent the business in a consistent and professional manner. Coaching all your staff is important, but it is vital for front-line staff as they interact with the guest or client most frequently and also represent the image of your brand.
Training or Coaching?
While training has its place by directly delivering information that the employee needs to know, coaching is more facilitative, it gives both the manager and the employee the opportunity to reflect on their performance and work together to overcome any challenges. Coaching, as opposed to traditional training, is becoming increasingly popular as often, front-line staff can give direct feedback from clients or guests to their managers and this can improve processes for the rest of the team. This in turn can improve staff motivation and morale as coaching in a less formal environment will make it easier for the employee to feel relaxed and more open to being coached and mentored and to provide honest feedback to their manager.
By implementing a coaching programme you can engage with your employees regularly and not just at one off training events. Even the best intensive training programme may not necessarily help employees change their habits, behaviour and perspective in a way coaching does. Also a coaching programme takes place over a period of time so that new habits and behaviours can be formed and maintained.
Invest in Yourself.
To be most effective coaching needs to infiltrate the business as a whole despite the level of any individual employee. As part of your personal development as a leader it is vital to incorporate coaching into your agenda. Provide help to develop skills, knowledge and behaviour by regular ongoing feedback and acting as a sounding board for your team. Invest in a coach who will equip you with the right tools to learn how to effectively coach your team and pass on the benefits of coaching to them.