When you have a team of highly intelligent individual contributors or a handful of technical specialists, it is not easy to wrangle them together. They know that they are experts in their subject matter and therefore, you might find it hard to give them orders. However, your in-house experts are not bullet-proof. They do make mistakes and need to be coached from time to time.
Your high performers absolutely value precision and perfection and probably need very minimal intervention. They’re usually business-critical and are hell-bent on the perfect execution of a project. But when they do make mistakes, the business can take a critical hit. This is why it is important that they are coachable and that they listen to feedback when a pet project of theirs needs recalibration. So how do you coach an expert who does not take well to coaching?
Work towards a goal
When you initiate a coaching session with your subject matter expert, you have to have the end goal in mind. It could be: to work towards a better relationship with the rest of the team, to help increase your subject matter expert’s self-awareness, to realign your subject matter expert’s objectives with the objectives of the business, etc. Whatever the goal is, it has to be clear in your head. Otherwise, it would prove difficult to get your subject matter expert’s buy-in. Once you state your goal for the coaching session, it will make it easier for your subject matter expert to understand your point of view.
Get their perspective, then assert your own view
Speaking of point of view, it would be helpful for this and any coaching session if you can get the perspective of your subject matter expert. Ask them what steps they are proactively taking towards working on your shared goal. This way he or she will be able to identify and own up to their lapses instead of being told about their lapses. Understand their perspective before asserting your own. Be upfront with your observations.
Show them a few options
Ask them for suggestions on how they can do things better the next time around. Subject matter experts love action plans. Asking them for suggestions will give them a chance to draft their own “next steps” or a comprehensive “plan of action” list. This gives them ownership of the solution and therefore, they have more control implementing it. Nothing is stopping you from giving your own suggestions, too. Remember to keep a good balance of ideas.
Get them to commit
Once you get their suggestions, get their buy-in. Ask them which of their suggestions can they execute right away or which of the suggestions are they committed to move forward with. Ask for specifics: the when and the how. At the end of the coaching session, you should have your subject matter expert’s commitment to a suitable plan of action.
What are your coaching tips on handling difficult to coach employees? How do you coach subject matter experts? Let us know in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!
Written by Jaie O. TheHelp