August, 2009

9 Tips for Selecting and Training Peer Coaches

By Barbara Burke. August 31st, 2009

Sometimes the new Plan “B” is even better than the old Plan “A.”  I was working with a large customer service center training their service reps to transition from reactive “order taking” to using a more proactive “solutions” approach with their customers.

To insure that the skills taught in class will stick long-term, I planned to train the supervisors to provide the necessary post-workshop coaching. Not this time. The center’s manager informed me that there was “no way” he could afford to have his supervisors leave the floor to attend a training class that day.

Clearly, this was the time to implement Plan “B.” Trouble was — I didn’t have one. That’s when I saw the opportunity to put my favorite quote from management guru, Peter Drucker into practice:  Even in routine work, the true expert is the person who does the job. I decided to train a team of “peer coaches” to fill the void.

As it turned out, these talented reps did a phenomenal job of helping their co-workers apply the skills presented in class. In fact, that team of Peer Coaches turned in better results than many supervisor teams. I was so impressed that I integrated Peer Coach Training into my standard Consultative Service curriculum.

9 Tips for Creating an Awesome Peer Coaching Program

1. Select the right people.
Some of the traits I look for when selecting Peer Coaches are: a positive (glass is half-full) attitude, consistent above-average job performance, emotionally mature, self-starter, respected by co-workers, team player, eager to try something new, a quick study, and a True Believer in the approach they would be supporting.
2.  Create an application process.
Generate a positive buzz right away by asking reps to apply to be considered as a Peer Coach.  I ask candidates to write 250 words or less on why they believe they’d be an effective Peer Coach and submit their essay by a certain date. If they miss the deadline or submit a less-than-convincing essay, I take them off the list of potential candidates.
3. Encourage good people to apply.
Many of the most effective Peer Coaches needed to be encouraged to apply. Conversely, some of the least effective Peer Coaches clamored to be considered. Avoid selecting the “usual suspects” and playing favorites.
4. Train them well — include lots (and lots) of practice.
To be successful the new Peer Coaches need to not only learn coaching techniques but learn how to make the tricky transition from being a peer to coaching their peers. Practice (and then practice some more) likely coaching scenarios until they feel comfortable. Don’t skimp on training. The more prepared your Peer Coaches are, the greater the likelihood of success.
5. Coach the Coach
It is a mistake of assume that if they went through the initial classroom training that the Peer Coaches have been “trained.” The real learning occurs when your Peer Coaches apply what they learned. Debrief your new Peer Coaches throughout the process, particularly in the crucial first three days.
6. Help Peer Coaches gel as a Team
The most successful Peer Coach teams are those that take ownership. These teams learn to listen to each other and take the initiative to solve problems on their own. Ideally, the Peer Coaching team should function without constant intervention from  management.
7. Capture the Lessons Learned.
Consider the first round of Peer Coaching a learning experience. That is the perfect time to get the team involved in documenting “best practices.”
8. Rotate membership.
Measure success of the Peer Coaching program in two ways: 1. By meeting the goals and objectives. 2. Other service reps are eager to become a Peer Coach. Keep it fresh by changing the line up periodically.
9. Celebrate success.
Give the Peer Coaches the recognition they deserve for stepping out of their comfort zone and trying something new. For many, it took an enormous amount of courage make the leap.

If you are a manager thinking about creating a Peer Coaching program, I offer two pieces of advice: First, make it clear that the program is crucial to the center’s overall success and has your wholehearted support. Second, insure against mediocre results and failure by committing the time, and budgeting the funding that is necessary for success.

If the project fails, it will be many years before you can resurrect the idea. As the saying goes: “An elephant never forgets.” Employees’ memories of a failed project can be almost as long.

Mr. McCue and his Melon Drama

By Barbara Burke. August 24th, 2009

I don’t usually get orders for The Napkin, the Melon & The Monkey from a school so I thought it was interesting when an elementary school and a middle school in the same town in Florida placed orders last March.
So, I called up Rob McCue, principal of Cypress Ridge Elementary School, to find out more. Rob told me that Aurelia Cole, the Assistant Superintendent of Administration,heard about the book from her friend, Audray Lewis-Adams the call center manager at Progress Energy’s Bayside Center in Tampa. Aurelia introduced the book at a recent principals’ meeting. During our conversation Rob told me that his school , like the others in his district, had experienced severe budget cuts. His dedicated staff was facing a possible lay off and feeling the stress of having to do more with less. He believed he could use the ideas in the book  to help his employees connect and support each other during these tough times.
When I heard that he had a large staff but could only afford to buy 10 books, I sent him a box of 54 books with my compliments. The only thing I wanted in return, I told Rob, was to that he keep me posted on how he and his staff was using the book.
I completely forgot about it. That was  until I got a note from Rob two weeks ago. His staff loved reading the book, he said, and decided that once school started in August each team of 10 (a mix of instructional and non-instructional staff) would pick one of the 22 Aha!s from the book and present it at the monthly staff meeting.
To start things off, Rob planned to do a dramatic reenactment of his favorite, Aha! #15 Remember we all share the same vine. This is the story of a farmer who was shocked when he heard the melons in his melon patch screaming and yelling at each other. Growing conditions had been so good that season that his melons grew to enormous size and were bumping up against each other, fighting for space in his small garden. He came up with a creative solution. Once he got the melons to quiet down he instructed them to feel what was on top of their head and then trace the vine until they reached the end. Suddenly the melons stopped fighting and started to accommodate each other. The melons understood that they were all growing on the same vine
The day after the meeting I was delighted to receive Rob’s email along with some photos. He said he gave his team various parts to play in his “Melon Drama” and that the story sparked even more ideas. “It was wonderful!  I have had teachers ask if they can borrow the vines to do class meeting circles with their students using the drama.”

Feel the vine. Tell a story.

To err is human. To admit it is divine.

By Barbara Burke. August 17th, 2009

Employees want a leader who is strong and resolute, not one who is wishy-washy. Managers believe that the more confident they appear the more likely their employees will follow their lead. But what if they are wrong? The best leaders have the courage to admit when they make a mistake.

My friend Ann manages a small company that was in danger of closing its doors and going out of business. The company had been successful for many years, but had been floundering since the company’s founder died four years ago. The company was a mess. There were no written policies and very little consistency in how things were done. Ann knew when she took the job that unless the small team of dedicated employees got more focused and organized they were doomed to fail.

Instead of charging in and making wholesale changes that would upset and alienate the employees, she charted a course for gradual, incremental change. The previous manager (the founder’s son) made it known it was “his way or the highway.” He discouraged independent thinking, making it clear that he was the decider. Ann’s approach was the exact opposite. She invited dialogue. She got crucial buy-in for change by asking the employees what they thought would work the best. As you can imagine, it took awhile for the employees to get used to assuming personal responsibility for outcomes.

A few weeks ago the staff had a teachable moment when two of the guys in the warehouse made a doozey of a mistake that cost the company several thousand dollars. The guys fully expected to be fired, but instead Ann congratulated them for taking the initiative to make a decision, even though it ended up to be the wrong one. At the next staff meeting they reviewed the situation and discussed how the error could have been avoided. She knew that she was making progress when the two guys who made the error volunteered to write up a procedure for handling similar situations.

Then Ann surprised everyone by admitting that she too had made errors in the last few months and had learned some important lessons. Why did she admit to her entire staff that she had made mistakes? Because as a leader, Ann knew that changing her company’s culture to one that accepts mistakes will not only make it easier for people to admit their errors and correct them, but it will foster an atmosphere of openness and honesty.

As a wise man once said ‘An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.’