Coaching, counselling, mentoring, one-on-ones; performance management, appraisal, review…I see managers spend enormous amounts of time talking to employees in an effort to help them improve their performance.
But with what results?
The logic starts with the assumption that there is an effective selection process in place that ensures people are placed in positions where they have the capability to be competent. If this assumption holds true, there should be only two outcomes of coaching.
The first, and most desirable one, is that the person reaches a competent level of performance in an acceptable space of time.
The second is that the person is removed from the position. Removal may mean a transfer to a position more suited to his or her capabilities, or may mean dismissal from the company.
It really is that simple. Endless coaching sessions that soak up management time and energy without producing any visible results, other than the illusion that the problem is being addressed, make no sense at all.
It’s good that organisations have moved away from an authoritarian style where firing someone was the only management response to poor performance. But sometimes I think we’ve moved too far to the other extreme.