Submitted by rmpugnier on
in
Forums
Is there a podcast planned for working with passive directs? By passive, I am referring to someone who DOES have the right attitude and aptitude for the position, but is lacking a certain level of confidence which ultimately impairs their effectiveness and ability to rise to their true potential. Addressing on how to coach them through these associated characteristics such as:
- doubting their abilities
- second guessing themselves
- not speaking up
- letting others "walk over them", etc.
I believe that some passive directs do have great potential, but I just do not know how to tap into it with this "barrier" standing in the way.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Rich
Podcast request - passive directs
Rich,
Like most other issues of management the most effective tools will be feedback, coaching and one-on-ones. With a person as you describe, I would not skip feedback, but I also wouldn't wait for it to work. Instead I would give feedback and immediately launch into coaching. The reason I say this is that a person lacking confidence will probably struggle to commit to the course of action they identify for themselves in the "What can you do differently?" stage of feedback.
The thing to remember about coaching is it is about working with the individual to identify the resources and then holding them accountable to achieving certain standards for improvement by a specific date. You, as the manager, are not meant to hold their hand every step of the way. In this case, there are a lot of resources that can help a person overcome the lack of confidence. I would encourage you to recommend Manager-Tools podcast and spend 5 minutes in your One-on-One discussing the most recent cast. I have found that the kind of professionalism and critical thinking that is inspired by the work of Mike & Mark has built my own confidence tremendously.