Leadership for Intelligence Professionals   

Some Suggestions for Coaching and Counseling

It has been asserted that the Leader must know each person as an individual.  That is especially true when it comes to knowing each individual’s continuing performance level, both for assignment of tasks and formal evaluation.  Thus, a Leader should keep an informal set of notes in some fashion on the performance of each person in the organization.  Whenever, instances of exceptional, good, average, poor performance come to the Leader’s attention they should be noted down.   

Coaching for Poor Performance

 When a single failure occurs or single area of poor performance becomes evident and is noted, after providing an informal critique, because of the seriousness or type of failure, the Leader may, on occasion, decide to schedule a more lengthy session with the person or group.  At that session, the Leader must:

-Adopt an approachable and helpful demeanor.
-Let the person(s) provide a diagnosis of why the failure occurred.
-Give suggestions for improvement, provide encouragement, and show confidence in the person’s or groups ability to improve.
-Offer and arrange additional training if required.
-Promise,  the person or group the opportunity to try again.

Such a session requires more than just a note.  It requires documentation of the performance problem, of the diagnosis and the action taken.  Following that session, the Leader will usually turn further coaching for improvement over to a specialist in the area for which the person or group needs more work.  One of the best forms of coaching is “on-the-job-training” in the form of teaming new hires or new members of an organization or any other person who needs coaching with a more experienced individual for regular coaching sessions in their common area of work or expertise.  By having them occasionally work together on issues or problems the more experienced person can show and tell the individual requiring help.  This is also one way to keep the longer-serving, more senior person feeling respected and valuable as well as both maintaining ongoing expertise and capability on an issue that may require day-to-day effort in response to requirements.  Meanwhile it is building the long term capability in that area or issue.

However, it may be that training is required.  And, it is the Leader’s responsibility to see that the direct manager of the individual authorizes, schedules and sees that the training is completed. 

Counseling for Repeated Work-Related Problems

When a person is observed to exhibit continually poor performance or have other serious work-related issues or problems, the cause is more likely to be attitude than apptitude. The cause of the poor attitude may be evident, or it may not be.   And the real attitude problem may be caused by factors largely beyond the control of the individual.  A counseling session is required to get to the root of the problem.

For counseling, the Leader needs to:

-Provide a calm, objective and non-judgmental review of the continuing performance problems.
-Set the stage for the discussion; “Help me to help you.  Tell me everything that you are willing to tell me about what is causing those problems”.
-Ask questions to determine the underlying cause.

--Is it an organizational problem, unhappiness with the job, the supervisor, the workplace, etc. that is causing the poor attitude toward your work?  or

--Is there a personal problem, a difficult family situation, an inter-personal problem  that is distracting you from your work performance?

-Once the underlying cause has been determined, the Leader has two options.

--If it is an organizational problem, the Leader can continue the discussion and consider with the individual what steps both can take to resolve the problem that is causing the poor attitude.

--If it is a personal, family, inter-personal problem then the Leader will normally schedule a person to see a specialist and agree to allow some down-time while the problem or situation is being resolved.

-Nevertheless, make it clear that improvement is expected and performance will be monitored to see if further action is required.

A counseling session requires sensitivity to the individual and caution on the part of the Leader.  Normally, the session should be attended by the individual’s immediate supervisor along with the Leader who will sign an evaluation.  Or, by the Leader authority and another senior member of the personnel or administrative part of the organization such as and EEO officer, a career counselor, or other qualified person.   The reason for this is that some people may approach a counseling session in a defensive mood because of having previously faced age, gender, racial or ethnically-based evaluations or perceived unwarranted criticism in the past.  Others may just be naturally argumentative when confronted with what they perceive as criticism. If the Leader knows the individuals of the organization well, it is possible to plan for such a situation and avoid the session turning into a confrontation or resulting in accusations against the Leader or the organization.  For the same reasons, a summary of the counseling session should be drafted and documented by having each of the attendees signing it.

That does not mean that people should be spared counseling out of fear of repercussions or that the counseling should be different in substance. All people should be treated equally and get counseling when they need it.  Sensitivity does mean, however, that the delivery of that equal counseling should be tailored in a way that it will be most willingly accepted and responded to by the individual.