Continuing with last post’s theme, lets explore another approach to coaching and developing your employees as a way of fostering and encouraging their growth and improvement. As you fill your professional toolbox, remember that the more options you have the better, so why not set yourself and your employees up for success.
The Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Model (Hammond, 1998) includes four stages: discovery, dreaming, design, and destiny. The first stage encourages recollection of the things that seem to have worked in the past. Contribution of ideas can come from employee and manager/leader alike. Talk to your employee – a brainstorming session is a good idea at this point. The second stage calls for looking into the future and defining what the employee would like to happen. Have your employee list some goals/desirable outcomes.
The first two steps set the stage for the third part of the AI Model – the design. This is where the employee formulates a plan of action based on what has worked in the past and what he wants to see happen. This can be as formal and detailed as he sees fit, but remember that the better defined the goals and plan of action, the clearer and easier the journey. The final stage calls for implementation of the plans. Repeating what has already worked and/or taking new, similarly effective actions will affect the outcome improving the chances of success. Encourage the employee to take certain actions and set deadlines. It’s a good idea for you to periodically check on his progress.
Clearly coaching and developing others is an ongoing process. Some methods and techniques will work better than others, so tailor your approach to what works best for you and your employee. Finally, remember what every great leader already knows – helping your employees to improve themselves and grow their talents will be to your benefit as it will translate into better chances for success.
Hammond, S. A. (1998). The Thin Book Of Appreciative Inquiry (2nd ed.). Bend, OR: Thin Book Publishing Co.
