Rick Olson :: Blog

Coaches often ask, “What do I talk about with my employees when we are in a one-on-one coaching session?”  Here are five key things that make up the core of what transpires between a coach and the employee being coached.

How are you doing?

There doesn’t always have to be an agenda.  Just staying in touch with the employee puts large deposits in their love banks.  Paul and Vern Anderson are good friends who are the owners of a 650 person manufacturing plant.  Every morning they begin the day on the floor, just connecting with all the employees as they come to work.  The employees truly feel valued by Paul and Vern.  Turn off your computer and show you care.

Unlock potential

As their coach, you will see potential in them that they themselves will not see.  By believing in them and challenging them, you are in a prime position to help bring them to a higher level.  Without one on one time with you, there is a good chance all that potential will never be realized.

Improved performance

A big part of coaching is to show what good behavior looks like.  Define your expectations so it is very clear to them.  Improved performance is why Tiger and LeBron James have coaches.  Invest time and help raise the bar.

Changed behavior

You can’t wish away detracting behavior, whether it be tardiness, excessive chattiness, or stirring the pot.  You must deal with the behavior.  You must hold the crucial conversation.  Don’t allow the employee to take shortcuts.   Don’t allow them to blindly go on doing things that could sabotage their career.

Career advancement

Your employee has a dream for their future.  And you are in the primary position to help them realize that dream.  Help them discover what it would take to get to the next level.  You are in the business of building dreams.

Today I would like to spend a few minutes on the difference between coaching and cheerleading.  I recently received an email from an HR director at a southern CU.  She was troubled by the response of a manager who was worried about the fear that some of her employees had concerning their soon to be rolled out sales and service culture.  The manager felt that each employee should only receive positive reinforcement.  Here is what the manager said, “I would like current employees to have one full year of coaching and only positive reinforcement techniques … You can’t learn, adapt, or succeed when you’re fearful.”

That manager has been hired to coach her employees, but she thinks that her role is to be the head cheerleader.  In competition there is a role for both, but she wants to be a cheerleader when she really needs to be the coach.  Cheerleaders are very gifted at encouraging and exhorting.  But coaches need to deal with both positive and negative behavior. 

In sports, the most effective coaches are able to inspire players to reach great heights and to also hold them accountable to high standards.  They are equally at home recognizing great performance and reprimanding poor performance. 

For many managers (coaches), their greatest undoing is not holding the needed conversations.  Issues don’t just go away.  They need to be addressed.

I wish you all the best as you effectively ‘coach’ your team.

March 7, 2008

Let me tell you a little bit about Grand Home Furnishings.  They are located in Roanoke VA and have 16 stores in 3 east coast states.  Last Friday, I spoke at their sales award program.  The top seventy-seven sales people were honored.  And my – how they were honored.  Beautiful gifts were given and a big ‘to do’ was made about each of them.  The seventy-seven were thrilled, and I know they were motivated to be sure that they are back next year for the same event.  (In Feb., I was vacationing in Hawaii and met Payton Manning.  He told me his wife tells him every year – “get voted into the Pro Bowl, because I want to go back to Hawaii.”  You see, even the Mannings respond to praise and recognition.)

Here is how I feel about incentives and recognition.  The people who grow an organization should be rewarded for their efforts!

Now, back to Grand Home Furnishings.  Here are a few keys I picked up on that really got my attention. 

The chairman of the board gave a somber report about what is happening in the furniture business.  Several companies went bankrupt last year.  Well known companies that you have heard about for decades had losing years.  When people don’t build or buy houses, the ripple effect is staggering.  You see it reflected in your mortgage department.  And people who don’t buy houses, don’t buy furniture.  But listen to the powerful statement the chairman made to his people.  “There may be a recession coming, but we choose not to participate.”  And Grand Home Furnishings had another strong growth year.

Every person who enters a Grand Home Furnishings store is handed a bottle of Coca-Cola.  They have done that for the last 50 years.  Last year, they gave out 1.4 million Cokes.  You may say, “How can they afford to?”   I have seen the results and would say “How can they afford not to?”

I met Nellie, Trish, and Meagan in their call center.  These ladies, as well as Marty and Kala, make sure that every customer is called on the evening of the day when their furniture was delivered to make sure everything went well and that they are pleased with their new furniture.  A lot of people are good before the sale, but not everyone is as good after the sale.

Every sales star in the company has been through extensive training.  They take it very seriously.  As I often say, training is expensive, but not training is really expensive.  Is your training room well used?

It is sometimes tempting to think that there are very few companies that still do it first class.  Smile – you just heard about another one who is doing it right.

Jan. 24, 2008

Today, I just need to brag about a Michigan city that really impresses me, and a Credit Union leader who has had a huge impact in that city.

Let me share some thoughts on Frankenmuth and Vickie Schmitzer.  One week ago, I was privileged to spend two days in Frankenmuth.  Vickie became the new chairperson for the Chamber of Commerce.  I spoke at their annual Chamber Banquet.

Vickie has immersed herself deeply into the fabric of that community.  Her imprint is leaving a deep impact.  Her giving presence in the community has made a great difference.  Her entire staff is community oriented and giving oriented.

I spoke at three events during my two days in town – a Rotary meeting – a Chamber leadership seminar series – and a Chamber Banquet.  In a town that has less than 5,000 people, let me tell you about the attendance at each event.  Rotary – 100 people; Leadership series – 280 people; Chamber Banquet – 250 people.

I do not ever recall being in a community that has more pride and more of a spirit of civic responsibility.  It felt great to be a part of the energy of that community for those two days.

Lessons for all of us:  It is not enough to have a nice looking building, friendly hours, and good rates and then expect the masses of would-be-members to flood on in.  Have a presence in your community, solve the unsolved problems, and be a difference maker!

Have you noticed how much less talk you are hearing about managing and how much more talk you are hearing about coaching?  What exactly does it mean?  And why are credit unions spending so much energy to help their managers become effective coaches? When most of the work being done in this country was focused on manual labor, all we needed was strong bodies to report for duty.  Dig coal, lay railroad track, or take care of your responsibility on the assembly line.  Someone was needed to manage the crew. Today, we don’t just need bodies to report to work, we need totally engaged people.  More than a strong back, we need their heads and their hearts.  Today, we need coaches who develop people, not just lead occasional staff meetings. John Maxwell, noted leadership author, points out that poor leaders add followers, while good leaders multiply leaders.  A traditional manager is always looking for another warm body to fill a slot.  An effective coach is in the people building business.  An effective coach develops leaders and retains talents.  Is there anything more important than that? Here are several things that highlight the role of an effective coach. 

A coach is 100% committed to developing the employee.
An employee can tell if your objective is to make you look good, or if your mission is to help them reach their full potential.  An effective coach says to an employee, “I am committed to making this the best job you have ever had and fully developing your potential.”

A coach works for the employee.
Who works for whom?  A good coach knows they can not be effective if their staff is not effective, so they put lots of energy into developing each staff person.  Their skills and energy are directed towards pulling out the potential in each one.

A coach removes de-motivating conditions.
One of the biggest contributions a coach can make is to remove de-motivating factors.  Bad systems stop good people – so fix the systems.  The employee who “stirs the pot” is killing morale – so have the needed conversation.

A coach looks forwards, not backwards.
A professional counselor will lay you on a couch and look deep into your past asking, “Why?”  A coach helps you create a preferred future and focuses on “how.”  The focus of coaching is not hand-holding, but creating action plans to reach new heights.   

A coach schedules time together.
A manager may meet as things come up.  A coach is pro-active and schedules time with each employee.  There is a consistent, deliberate plan to “grow big people.”  They don’t just meet with their “needy” people, they actually give their best time to their best people.

A coach asks good questions.
Questions tend to pull people close to you while statements tend to push people away.  Coaches ask good questions and not just in the pre-hire or exit interview.  They want their employees to stay, so they ask questions like, “What makes you want to hit the snooze button in the morning,” or “What makes you want to get out of bed in the morning?”

A coach is like a mirror.
One of the invaluable roles a coach plays is helping an employee see what he/she may not be able to see.  Others do see it and think it, but it may be a real blind spot for the employee.  So the coach plays a vital role in serving as a mirror – revealing both strengths and weaknesses so the employee can maximize their effectiveness.

A coach is in the people building business.
A manager may feel that the highest priority thing they do is to sit at their computer and work on schedules, reports, and procedures.   A coach knows the value of turning off the computer and investing time and energy into each employee.

A coach reproduces themselves.
The skills that got a person to the management level are not the skills that are needed to succeed at this level.  It used to be about you looking good.  Now it is all about them looking good.  There is no higher value thing that you do than to reproduce yourself in others. 

Nov. 15, 2007 

I am a Platinum flyer with one of the major airlines.  That means I fly at least 75,000 miles a year.  It means I get to see a lot of great places around America.  It means I get to routinely visit interesting, progressive credit unions.  It also means that I have to eat way more meals out than I care to.  And it means a whole lot of time is spent packing and unpacking suitcases. 

Today, I heard a phrase that I have heard on three of my last four flights.  After we landed and the plane was taxiing to the gate, the lead flight attendant said, “We thank you for your patience and do look forward to better serving you on a future flight.”  It is getting a little old and wearing a little thin. 

I am not a big fan of, “We thank you for your patience.”  What, exactly, were my options?  The mistake the airline made today meant I was about to miss my connecting flight and would have to rearrange my entire day.  The mistake they made last week meant I missed a good share of my first day of a short vacation with my wife.  I have great patience for “Act of God” situations that arise.  But company problems that keep arising erode my confidence a great deal.  Consistency attracts – inconsistency repels. 

Let me comment on the phrase, “…and do look forward to better serving you on a future flight.”  I look forward to that as well.  I have not been seeing it recently, but I do look forward to it.  I have had hope that “better service” is coming, but the phrase is beginning to sound like “wolf!” 

A part of world-class service is being gracious when things go wrong.  And that phrase is certainly a gracious phrase.  But another crucial element of world-class service is fixing the problems that keep occurring so they don’t continue to happen.  A kind smile and a gracious apology are good, but they are not nearly as good as doggedly going after the issue and making the needed changes so it doesn’t happen again. 

Be kind.  Be gracious.  And be good.  Really good!

Nov. 4, 2007

In my past travels to Michigan, I have often commented on many of your outstanding sports teams.  The Pistons have long been one of the top NBA teams.  The Red Wings consistently play at a very high level.  The Wolverine football team often is challenging for Big Ten supremacy, and sometimes for the national title.  And in the past few years, the Tigers have become a feared baseball team.  But I have been silent about the Lions.  I was taught that if you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all. 

But today I want to talk about the Lions.  Yesterday, they improved their record to 6-2.  Halfway through the season they are the talk of the NFL – the biggest surprise in the league.  They trounced the Broncos yesterday.  Sports fans all across the country smiled as they watched big – no, huge – Shaun Rogers intercept a screen pass, lumber 66 yards down the field, stiff-arm a would-be tackler, and dive into the end zone.

In the book Good to Great by Jim Collins (the business book of the year in 2003), Collins revealed the keys that helped 11 good companies make the leap to become great companies.  It is fantastic research, inspiring reading, and a road map for any company that wants to make an upward leap.

The Lions didn’t just move from good to great.  They moved from miserable to great.  It is the feel-good story of the year in the NFL, and it should be great inspiration for you.  They are moving from a culture of losing to a culture of winning.  They used to be the team everyone wanted to play.  Now they are the team no one wants to play.

The conclusion:  positive change can happen.  Your workplace can become a fun place to work.  Winning can become a way of life.  To bring about this positive change you must, like the Lions, focus a great amount of energy on our culture.  Steps should be taken to kill de-motivating factors that lead to a culture of losing, and you must create an environment of encouragement which stimulates the growth of a winning culture.  This is the time of year to focus on priorities for the new year.  Perhaps the priority most deserving of your best attention is the culture of your workplace.

PS – Yesterday, I watched one of the most remarkable athletic performances I have ever witnessed.  Adrian Peterson, the rookie running back for the Minnesota Vikings, set the all-time singl- game rushing record by running for 296 yards on 30 carries.  It was breathtaking.

But I think I saw an even greater athletic performance at 6:30 this morning.  I was sitting in the hot tub behind my house watching a squirrel doing about a half dozen death-defying feats every minute.  My yard is filled with tall maple trees.  This 3 pound athlete was running from thin branch to thin branch some 40-50 feet above ground.  Leaping from tree to tree, in a matter of a few moments he went from the south side of my yard to the north side, always 50 feet above the ground.

Second conclusion:  Not everything great is on TV.

Oct. 14, 2007 

Yesterday I had lunch with three managers from the Polish and Slavic Federal Credit Union in NJ.  All three had made presentations that morning as part of their fall Strategic Planning conference.  I would be on in the afternoon sharing strategies for enhancing their sales and service culture. They asked if I would evaluate their presentations and share any pointers on how they could have done a better job.  As we talked further, I discovered one had gotten up at 4:00 that morning.  She was nervous, her stomach was in a knot, and she wanted to pour over her notes one more time.  All three were thrilled that it was over and felt they could now enjoy the rest of the weekend. Here is what I told them. 

1. Lecterns are lethal, podiums are poisonous.  Remove any barriers that stand between you and the people you are speaking to.

1. You own the room.  Whenever I present, I see myself as the host, and all people in the crowd are my guests.  For that timeframe – that room is mine.  I can use it any way I want that will enhance the presentation.  And I am going to treat them as well and comfortably as if they were guests in my home.

1. The crowd wants you to do great.  They are secretly cheering you on, not rooting against you.  They want you to do well because they will have a better experience if you do.

1. Assume they like you.  This is the motto I live my entire life by.  I meet new people every week.  I can’t worry – do they like me or not.  If I did, I would be a basket case.  If you treat people like they really like you, 95% will reciprocate.

1. The crowd is the car, you are the accelerator.  And the car is not going anywhere unless you hit the accelerator.

1. Be confident.  People like to feel that you know what you are doing and you are taking them someplace good.

1. Speak up.  Put a little extra into you voice.  You don’t want people to lean forward, then turn to a neighbor and say, “What did he say?”

1. Make a point – tell a story.  If you barrage the audience with endless charts, graphs, Powerpoint insights, and facts, you will soon notice a glazed look in the eyes of your audience.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a story is worth 10,000 words.  When it is all over, it is that story they will remember.

Oct. 4, 2007

A good share of my life is about going somewhere.  Going by car or by plane, but going somewhere.  (This blog is written at 39,000 feet and I am looking down at St. Louis.)  Last weekend I didn’t go anywhere.  It felt great!  But it wasn’t a ‘do nothing’ weekend.  Some of my favorite people came to spend time with me and my wife at our home.  We hosted a leadership retreat.  Two terrific CEO’s from MI were among the group – Vickie Schmitzer and Karen Church. 

We spent the weekend looking at creative approaches to insure that we have a dynamic, engaged, world class work culture.  It is so easy to be absorbed in daily routines and schedules, that vital issues like this one sometimes get left on the back burner.  Voice mails, emails, meetings, deadlines, and an endless list of pressing items seem to keep important issues like our ‘culture’ far from the forefront.

Here is the way I prefer to do my learning:

• Creative people sitting in a living room looking at the falling autumn leaves
• Sipping apple cider and sharing stories of successes and concerns
• Break-times spent outside playing horseshoes
• Afternoon sessions on the pontoon – discussing Joe Callaway’s excellent book (Indispensable)

What came out of it?  Great new friendships were formed.  Each left with creative new insights.  A CEO from Texas was inspired by Karen’s approach to celebrating company successes and decided he was going to put a lot more into the idea of celebrating – not just always pushing to reach a new goal.  A CEO from Kentucky wants to fly to Frankenmuth to observe some of the things that are working very well for Vickie. 

3000 years ago, Solomon wrote “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”.  Is there time in your life for ‘iron sharpening’?  Would you benefit by getting away for a few days?  Don’t let your busyness keep you from connecting with people who really inspire you.  There never seems to be time for such things – you have to schedule the time.

September 25, 2007

It is Monday evening and I am returning from a very stimulating week on the west coast.  In fact, my assignment last week was one of my favorites of the year.  I was the facilitator for the World-Class Service Executive Institute.  It is an event for CUNA which was held at the Ritz-Carlton in Pasadena, CA.  For four days, we stayed at the Ritz and experienced what it was like to stay in a five star hotel and receive exceptional service.  We also took a field trip to Nordstrom.  Both places were fabulous about sharing with us their philosophies and strategies for achieving a very high level of service.

As both businesses opened up to us and shared their service "secrets," I was struck by their generosity.  It reminded me of the concept that Stephen Covey taught us in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – live life with an abundance mentality.  That mindset believes that there is enough to go around.  The opposite of course, would be a scarcity mentality. 

The Ritz and Nordstrom are both considered the best of the best.  Their willingness to share their success principles only makes them all the more attractive.  There were 60 attendees from across the country, and today, 60 people are sharing Ritz and Nordstrom stories with whoever will listen to them.  In fact, that is their marketing strategy.  They don’t put much money into advertising.  They do put a lot of time, money, and energy into developing their people.  Having well trained, empowered people is the core advertising/marketing strategy for both companies. 

It is a very healthy thing to learn from others outside your industry.  Keep your eyes wide open.  And don’t forget to be generous (there is enough to go around) and to put a lot of energy into developing the talent that you have within your credit union.