I normally like Seth Godin’s take on business and whatever he decides to talk about for the day, but sometimes, I think that his “take” is just copy in order to put something out there on the Web. Blogging too often becomes “take some idea and argue the opposite, regardless of how ridiculous or useless the suggestion may be” type of thing.

The “Square One Underrated” point simply refers to the fact that if you find yourself lost, go back to the original place where you knew which way to go or had a chance to go the right way. I don’t agree with this because in business, square one is a place you have to get out of as fast as possible. Square one is nowhere. It’s the place where if you stay too long, you’re sunk, out of business.

Think about a trail, you start at the beginning and head out. Suddenly you are a mile out and 100 yards off course. Do you start back at the beginning of the trail hoping to not get off course this time? No, make some corrections in your heading and try to get back to the trail. You’re not yet on the trail, but you’re heading back towards it, plus you’re always gaining experience along the way.

In business, ideas fail, projects don’t work, things break. But just because your project failed does it mean you scrap everything and go back to the drawing board? No, you make corrections and keep at it. Because if you scrapped everything you ever started that didn’t work, you’d rarely accomplish anything. Most projects and ideas don’t normally begin as the finished products. Changes and corrections will almost always be done along the way.

No offense, Seth, I like your thinking, but this time, we’ll have to agree to disagree.

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Employee coaching is the business art of helping each individual employee not only fulfill their responsibilities, but also be able to master their role within the organization. It may also be the most effective way to ensure that each employee is progressing in their role and are not becoming stagnant in the workplace.

Coaching is often an afterthought in the work place as many managers either don’t see the value in it, or fail to make the time commitments to following through with their coaching plans. It’s crucial that when managers begin to implement one-on-one coaching with their employees, that they understand that effective coaching requires a commitment to following through with each employee in order to see the maximum return.

Do It

Just staying committed to regular sessions with each employee will ensure that the employee knows that his or her manager is following up on the coaching items and that improvement will need to be demonstrated. Regular coaching sessions also allow for the making of minor corrections and adjustments in the work being done, which is much easier than trying to correct big mistakes that have been taking place for a long period of time.

Focus on the Positive

Much too often, coaching focuses on the negative things being done. Although correction needs to be done when appropriate, the key is “when appropriate”. Don’t let the individual management idiosyncrasies or personal styles force others to have to do things a certain way. Each employee may develop a pattern that is easiest or fastest for them, and this is ok. As long as the work is being done and in a timely manner, one man’s chaos, is another’s controlled pattern.

Guide Towards Empowerment

Too often managers want to exercise control, it’s the natural human tendency. You should build up your employees so that they can do their work almost without their managers intervention in day to day things. That’s the key to employee coaching, developing a master at their specific role in the organization, not drones that need to come for instruction every few minutes and with each individual task. As much as it may satisfy our ego as a manager, it’s poor management and furthermore, you’re not doing the employee any favors. In the end, you will find frustration with long-time employees who never seem to be able to take ownership of their day-to-day tasks and who never become fully comfortable with their roles.

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I think one of the most worrisome things to senior managers is bringing up a new manager in the company. This is especially true when you convert a professional into a manager in a company. When you hire a new manager from the outside, I think you can generally learn a lot about the candidate, their personality, management style, etc. A new manager, however, can be difficult to figure. You have little or no example of their body of work, just the hunch or the signs that the individual will be a good manager. It’s not until the new manager has begun to work and exercise his managerial influence that you can really come to understand if that person may truly be a good manager.

There are, however, some tell-tale signs that the new manager may not be up to par in the new role:

1) Is Not Original

Managers need to motivate their employees and need to generate action from those underneath them in the company. If their style of work is one that does not rouse the base, work can never improve. The organization will continue to trod along as it always has before, never reaching new, higher limits of success.

2) Blends In

Managers who do specific things to blend in and seem like “one of the guys” generally don’t muster enough respect to generate action from his employees. Simply put, when it comes down to it and decisions need to be made, employees will always second-guess the manager and chaos will reign in the organization.

3) Gets Desperate

I believe that the outward feelings and demeanor of a manager is magnified in the employees. Managers who are frustrated, desperate, disenfranchised, etc. will cause employees to feel the same way, often 10 fold. This then becomes the face of your organization.

4) Ignores Peers/Employees

While earning respect, managers also have to ensure that employees, the cogs of the organization’s machine are well-oiled and that each specific piece of the organization is working at its best. When individuals in the organization feel disconnected, not cared-for, or that they don’t have an advocate on their side, the entire organization begins to suffer.

7) Doesn’t Sweat Failures

Even though much of what will determine the organization’s success may be beyond the manager’s control. A manager who simply dismisses failures as “being their control” doesn’t have enough motivation and drive to make themselves better. Successful people often shoot to make everything work in their favor, those in their control and not. Additionally, when mistakes are made, successful people own up and take responsibility and use it as bitter lessons learned which are never to be repeated again.

Doesn’t Ask Too Much

There’s a myth that in order to get the most from people you have to leave them alone and not be demanding. Success is quite the opposite, it comes from setting a high bar for each individual in the organization and ensuring that each individual sees that their specific work is being measured and success is expected in their assigned tasks. Managers who demand the most, will in the end, end up getting the most. They may not get all they wanted from their team, but they will certainly be a factor in helping the team understand how critical they are and that they need to get the job done.

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