What’s the solution?
The easiest way for the employee to learn with the assistance of their manager is to have curious conversations.
Curious conversations use the skills of coaching without the formal process and key indicators that define coaching. That is to say, the process is there is no process.
Such conversations can occur in as little as 5 minutes or extend over longer periods as the conversation deepens through exploration, discovering new ways of doing anything.
Curious conversations create a space where managers can be open and non-judging, asking open questions to expand possibilities with one person or several, in meetings with agendas, water cooler happenings, coffee breaks, etc.
Such conversations are not positional, right or wrong. As a result, they allow employees to think for themselves and understand what will work for them.
Curious conversations create understanding, they help employees build confidence and be active in their development, and they hold everyone accountable.
Subtle yet powerful differences.
It’s also important to note that employees and teams feel WAY more comfortable having curious conversations rather than ‘coaching conversations’ for all the reasons mentioned above.
We realize that our thinking is not the norm. However, our experience has shown that managers who are curious about their employees and teams have far better outcomes than those who play the role of ‘coach.’
>> More collaborative
>> Less conflict
>> Less judgment
>> Disrupts getting teams out of ruts
>> Creates new ways of doing things
Connect with us HERE if you want to learn more about how you can use the Curiosity Skills to support your employees and team having curious conversations.