Performance Improvement: Coaching

Desired Outcome:

Skill Development (Hard skills + Soft Skills)

Key Opportunities:

1. Reveal implicit/tacit knowledge (surface knowledge and processes that are stored in the minds of experts, which are not explicitly expressed) 
2. Encourage growth and self-determination 

Intentional Movement from Observation > Practice > Performance (toward Expertise)

Process (for Learner):

1. Observe Expert (where expert reveals insider info)
2. Perform Skills with Support (from expert or other resources)
3. Perform Skills Independently (unassisted) 
4. Self-evaluate and reflect (on-going, throughout)
5. Set goals and pursue them (on-going, throughout)

Key Components:

1. Cognitive Apprenticeship* on the Team 
   • Make knowledge explicit/record/write down team standards: time use and management, tools, culture, language, decision-making, processes, attitudes and goals
   • Make self-eval and coach review regular part of training 
   • New hire participates in goal-setting
2. Shadowing Opportunities (supportive observation of the new hire)
   • Mock/Live Audio Calls
   • Mock/Live Video Calls
   • Mock Chats and Case Audits
   • Email Correspondence
   • In-person presentations
3. Formal Coaching Follow-up after Training Courses – debrief, give context, answer questions, provide clarification, and suggest additional resources (people, tools, or documents)
4. Reflection/Discussion (encourage new hire to re-organize new knowledge and experiences to make learning personally meaningful)
   • Impromptu, as needed
   • Scheduled: use standard reflection or self-eval questions as a guide, following specified learning events or at regular intervals? (teaching self-eval, continuous improvement)
5. Self-determination – highlight opportunities to intentionally encourage **
   • Autonomy – by giving choice, allowing them to take action, determine direction
   • Competence – by providing structure/guidance that fades to independence, providing timely feedback
   • Relatedness – by fostering a sense of belonging and connection
6. On-going evaluation 
   • Reflective self-eval + Structured eval (for both Coach and New Hire)
   • Informal feedback
   • Continuous improvement (responses to feedback tracked/improvements made as a result of feedback), 
   • Shared feedback (Services Operations wants to be in this feedback pipeline)