You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for today's lesson on reviewing progress in a coaching program.
Do you set goals for yourself?
More than likely, right?
And this is something we hear a lot about, especially in the new year.
Setting goals is a fundamental part of success.
And if you are in a coaching role, you've probably helped other people set goals for themselves.
But the real work isn't in setting the goals.
It's in following through and putting energy into meeting these goals.
And as someone's coach, your work isn't done once you help someone decide on some objectives.
The next step is following up, which typically means sitting down with the person you're coaching to review progress.
You ask them how things have been going and listen as they describe what they've done.
But sometimes the person hasn't really followed through.
What then?
That's when you prove your value by holding the person accountable.
And that might include reinforcing your company's values as you try to hold the person to their commitments.
Of course, the person might have encountered barriers, which you can ask about and discuss.
Still, those barriers shouldn't serve as excuses, and you may have to push the person a bit to reach their potential.
And, of course, a good coach remains supportive throughout this kind of process.
In today's dialogue, we'll continue listening to a conversation between two lawyers, Marion and Rachel.
Marion has been coaching Rachel as she adapts to her new job as a young attorney.
They've discussed some of the problems Rachel faces and set some goals.
Now Marion is following up and reviewing progress toward those goals.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What does Marion say when Rachel blames Jeff for some problems?
Two, what barrier does Rachel identify to improving her profile and network?
Three, after challenging Rachel to do better, what does Marion offer?
Right.
Okay.
So, I hear some murmurings about the hearing last week.
How do you feel things went?
Well, not sure what there is to say, really.
Jeff dropped the ball.
Didn't cover everything we needed in the client interviews.
And then, yeah, we were blindsided in court.
Jeff didn't cover everything you needed.
But you review the work.
And I have to be straight with you.
This is really on you.
It's your job to figure out when something's not right.
But he...
Okay, yeah, you're right.
I should have caught that.
Pretty frustrating.
I guess I kinda owe Jeff an apology.
Yeah, I would say so.
And listen, I don't want you to be too hard on yourself.
This is something we talk about as a company.
This attention to detail.
I know, I know.
The funny thing is that I was trying not to get too wrapped up in the details.
I guess it's not funny, but enough precision for the decision, right?
Yeah, it's a tricky balance.
But we have to learn to move forward.
And so, on another note, you've been getting out and about a lot more, right?
How's that working out?
Yes, I've been busy trying to build my profile and all that.
The thing is, it hasn't really translated into any new clients.
I see.
So, any ideas why not?
I mean, is this just about time or training maybe?
Well, relationships take time, like we keep coming back to.
But it's probably, in part anyway, a confidence issue?
I don't know.
I guess I just need to get over it.
Keep putting myself out there.
You guess?
I mean, did I say I guess?
Yes, for like the hundredth time.
But whatever.
You don't have to guess at any of this.
You just have to work on this confidence thing.
You're a problem solver, a good one.
So solve this one.
And start by trying not to say I guess all the time.
All right.
Deep breaths.
No more, I guess.
You're right.
I can do this.
I know you can.
And listen, Rachel, I'm here to help, anytime you need it.
I'm not going to sugarcoat things, but I'm here for you.
Yeah, I know.
And thanks, again.
I wish there was another way I could say that.
Well...
That case of wine worked quite nicely.
You know what I like.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Marion uses as she asks Rachel how things have been going.
She starts off by asking about some possible problems with a court case the previous week.
Right.
Okay, so I hear some murmurings about the hearing last week.
How do you feel things went?
Well, not sure what there is to say, really.
Jeff dropped the ball, didn't cover everything we needed in the client interviews and then yeah, we were blindsided in court.
When Marion asks about murmurings or rumors of trouble, Rachel immediately talks about someone else's mistakes.
She says that her paralegal, Jeff, dropped the ball or didn't fulfill his responsibilities.
Marion immediately sees a problem with this attitude.
Let's listen.
Jeff didn't cover everything you needed.
But you review the work.
And I have to be straight with you.
This is really on you.
It's your job to figure out when something's not right.
As Marion says, she wants to be straight with Rachel.
In other words, she wants to be totally honest and open.
It's not okay just to blame her paralegal.
When Marian says this is on you, she means that it's Rachel's responsibility to make sure everything happens right.
She's holding Rachel accountable for the problem.
And she says it's her job to figure it out.
A good coach knows how to be honest and hold people accountable.
So let's run through some more ways of doing this.
You can't just avoid the issue.
You have to accept responsibility.
It's your job to take care of these problems, not someone else's.
The real question is, what are you going to do about it?
How does Rachel respond to being held accountable?
But he... Okay, yeah, you're right.
I should have caught that.
Pretty frustrating.
I guess I kinda owe Jeff an apology.
Yeah, I would say so.
And listen, I don't want you to be too hard on yourself.
This is something we talk about as a company.
This attention to detail.
Rachel quickly sees that she hasn't been fair to Jeff and she accepts that it's her job to catch the mistakes.
And Marion connects the whole issue to the company overall.
She says that attention to detail, or taking care to do everything exactly, correctly and accurately, is important to the company.
In this way, she's showing how the company's expectations, Marian's expectations and Rachel's expectations of herself should all match.
What are some other ways we can reinforce company values when holding someone accountable?
Let's try some more examples.
And that would tie in with our emphasis on customer service.
I think what's important is that we think about our reputation for quality.
You know we talk a lot about diversity around here.
We believe that we must be responsive to customer needs.
Now let's get back to the conversation.
I know, I know.
The funny thing is that I was trying not to get too wrapped up in the details.
I guess it's not funny, but enough precision for the decision, right?
Yeah, it's a tricky balance.
But we have to learn to move forward.
And so, on another note, you've been getting out and about a lot more, right?
How's that working out?
Notice that Marian isn't too strict or bossy in this kind of conversation.
She's not punishing Rachel.
She's just holding her accountable.
And, like everything, it's a tricky balance.
We use this expression to say that an issue is hard to manage perfectly, just like coaching.
Now Marian wants to move on to talk about another one of Rachel's goals, which was to get out and about more or build a bigger network and a better profile.
So how's that working out for Rachel?
Yes, I've been busy trying to build my profile and all that.
The thing is, it hasn't really translated into any new clients.
I see.
So any ideas why not?
I mean, is this just about time or training maybe?
Rachel has been networking more, but her concern is that the networking hasn't led to or translated into any new clients.
What does Marion say about this problem?
She doesn't criticize, but rather asks why not.
She wants to know about the barriers to achieving the goal.
That is, what's stopping Rachel from turning new contacts into new clients.
In the first lesson in this series, we heard Marion try to help identify some problems.
Here again, as she reviews progress toward Rachel's goals, she's identifying barriers.
If she can help identify barriers, she can help remove them or find solutions.
Let's practice some more ways of discussing barriers when reviewing progress.
What do you think is making it difficult to get this done?
Do you see this as a lack of support, or is there something else going on?
I wonder, are there personality issues at play here?
What does Rachel think is stopping her from getting new clients?
Let's listen.
Well, relationships take time, like we keep coming back to.
But it's probably, in part anyway, a confidence issue?
I don't know.
I guess I just need to get over it.
Keep putting myself out there.
Rachel is trying to identify the problem.
She says it might be a confidence issue, which she should just try to get over or deal with.
But Marion picks up one particular word that Rachel used.
You guess?
I mean, did I say I guess?
Yes, for like the hundredth time.
But whatever.
You don't have to guess at any of this.
You just have to work on this confidence thing.
You're a problem solver, a good one.
So solve this one.
And start by trying not to say, I guess, all the time.
Sometimes people need to be pushed to achieve their goals or reach their potential.
Marion is telling Rachel to stop saying, I guess, because that's a sure sign of lack of confidence.
If Rachel needs to improve her confidence, then she shouldn't use expressions like that.
And notice how Marion compliments Rachel at the same time she's criticizing her.
She tells her that she's a good problem solver.
As you can see, coaching can be a very tricky balance.
We're encouraging and praising people, but at the same time we're pushing them to their limits.
Let's try some more ways of pushing people to reach their potential.
This is really great, Dan, but I know that you can do even better.
You've met your quota.
Now how much further can you go?
I don't think we've seen everything you can do yet.
You've done some good work, but let's see what your absolute best looks like.
So how does Rachel respond to this challenge from Marion?
All right.
Deep breaths.
No more, I guess.
You're right.
I can do this.
I know you can.
And listen, Rachel, I'm here to help anytime you need it.
I'm not going to sugarcoat things, but I'm here for you.
As we hear, Rachel is feeling inspired to do better.
Marion's efforts to push her are working, and Marion makes it clear that she won't sugarcoat things for Rachel, which means making things seem better than they are.
At the same time, she's offering her support.
She emphasizes to Rachel that she is ready to help any time Rachel needs it.
In this way, by offering support, we can build people up.
We want them to succeed, and the support of a good coach is crucial.
What are some other ways we can offer support to someone we're coaching?
If you need anything, just remember I'm here for you.
Feel free to call on me if you run into difficulties or just need to talk.
Remember, you're not alone in this.
You've got my support.
I'm happy to talk these things through any time.
Now let's hear how the conversation ends.
Yeah, I know.
And thanks, again.
I wish there was another way I could say that.
That case of wine worked quite nicely.
You know what I like.
Clearly, Rachel and Marion have a good working relationship.
And Marion has demonstrated that tricky balance of being tough and supportive.
Now, at the end of this difficult conversation, Marion is able to lighten the mood by talking about how much she appreciates Rachel's gift.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work as a senior manager with a marketing firm.
You're coaching a junior manager who's running a difficult team.
You'll hear a cue from the other person.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Start by saying that although it's frustrating, it's part of her job.
Answer Well, it might be frustrating, but it's part of your job.
Yes, I know.
I just think I could do it better myself.
Now say that that's not possible, and that collaboration is one of the company's values.
But that's not possible, and collaboration is one of our core values.
You're right.
I need to keep trying to get them to work together better.
Next, ask what she thinks is stopping the team from cooperating.
Answer.
Right.
And what do you think is stopping the team from cooperating?
I'm not sure, really.
Maybe we need to do more team building work.
Now tell her that she will have to figure it out and do whatever it takes.
Answer.
That might be it, but you need to figure it out and do whatever it takes.
Yes, it's difficult, but I can make this work.
Say that she can come to you for help when she needs it.
Answer.
I know you can.
And remember, you can come to me for help anytime.
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... I have to be...
I have to be straight with you.
This is not going to work.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Don't be too on yourself.
Everyone makes mistakes.
Answer.
Don't be too hard on yourself.
Everyone makes mistakes.
That's great.
And on another... Have they agreed to a budget yet?
Answer.
That's great.
And on another note, have they agreed to a budget yet?
I'm sorry everyone, but I've really dropped the... on this one.
Answer.
I'm sorry everyone, but I've really dropped the ball on this one.
If you made a mistake, then I think you owe Helen an...
If you made a mistake, then I think you owe Helen an apology.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the third in our series on coaching.
We've learned how to hold someone accountable, how to reinforce company values and how to discuss barriers to performance.
We've also looked at how to push someone to their limit and offer support.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
