Things occur to me at the oddest times and for the strangest reasons. Last night, I was emptying the dishwasher and listening to music when an artist who has been scrutinized over the years by the media started playing.
Through that scrutiny, the public gained much unnecessary knowledge of his many relationships. Could it be that he is just too much of a prima donna? This thought crossed my mind then, just as quickly, my mind flashed on a conversation I had with a manager years ago.
I was training this manager on our coaching system. I wanted to review an assessment report (the Core Capacity Index (CCI)) and discuss how she can use this as a coaching tool.
She chose to look at one of her multi-million dollar producing agents, whom she referred to as a "diva" and at times very difficult to work with (this is not a judgment against all multi-million dollar agents, I am just speaking to this one manager’s experience). This agent would not comply with certain protocols and methods that make the office run smoothly. Instead, she chose her own strategies for her own purposes.
The first thing the manager told me was that the CCI report was spot on. This manager was always fighting an uphill battle and was very frustrated. We discussed conversing with (not telling) this agent from her (the agent's) perspective.
This is what I now refer to as the "understanding point." Speaking with this agent in such a way that she felt she was part of a solution vs. being told what to do, what not to do, and/or what she didn't do.
Certainly, an assessment like the CCI helps shine light on the coaching relationship. But the more important lesson is simple--step out of your skin, look at those whom you want to help succeed and work from their perspective.
This will not only help the agents you coach, but it will also make your job much easier because you will fight fewer uphill battles.
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Editor's Note: Lee Gray is the Senior Account Manager at Tidemark Inc. Lee is a guest contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. .
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