1.5 - About University

13.2 C OACHING H IGH-PERFORMERS:A N O VERLOOKED E LEMENT OF S UCCESSContributed by George Campbell and inspired by Chris Argyris, Geoff Bellman, John O’Neil,Lyle Sussman, and Richard Finnegan.Coaching high-performers, an obvious yet powerful source of organizational improvement, isa neglected area. The very fact that they are high-performers somehow seems to negate theirneed for coaching. Leaders frequently misdirect their coaching efforts to poor or mediocre performers,leaving high-performers to find their own way. This tool clarifies the differencebetween problem-based coaching and high-performance coaching, and provides steps to developinga style for coaching high-performers.The leverage achieved from helping high-performers is extraordinary. When high-performersgrasp new concepts or new ways of working, their drive for accomplishment and abilityto implement create powerful momentum. Their success draws the rest of the organizationin the same positive direction—an example of a rising tide raising all boats. High-performersreject coaching from the traditional, problem-based mode. It doesn’t meet their needs.Coaching needs to feed their appetites and expectations. Like elite athletes and master musicians,high-performers embrace coaching that fits their fast-moving, success-filled world.Coaching needs to support their optimistic and forward-thinking attitudes, and challengethem to set and attain lofty goals.Problem-based coachingFollow the squeaky wheel theory.✔ Offer coaching to people who are causing trouble; helpbring their performance up to standard.Work with the known.✔ Help poor and mid-level performers bring their workup to an expected level of achievement.Work toward solving a problem.✔ Coaching starts with the definition of a problem oridentification of a performance gap.Think short-term.✔ Focus on the steps needed to close the performancegap.Construct a linear process.✔ Agree on a logical, step-by-step process for closing theperformance gap.High-performer coachingFollow the springboard theory.✔ Work with people who are already successful; help acceleratetheir already stellar progress.[☛ 3.2 Sigmoid Curve]Work toward the unknown.✔ Help the high-performer become a lamplight for new ideas,new ways of performing. Help them discover new capacities,new ways of applying knowledge and skills.[☛ 1.6 Boards of Play]Work toward achieving a vision.✔ Coaching starts with the definition of a vision. Currentperformance is not really the issue; defining the vision andfinding a route to its achievement is the key.[☛ 2.4 Visioning]Think long-term.✔ Focus on career, business breakthrough, and life ambitions.[☛ 14.2 Rethinking Your Thinking]Build a nonlinear, quantum-leap process.✔ Encourage leaps, keeping the long-term map in mind. Highperformerswill fill in the spaces between the leaps.[☛ 1.9 Paradigms]SECTION 13 TOOLS FOR LEADING PERFORMANCE 395