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How coaching can help managers with performance management issues.

In my previous article I looked at the role that management training programmes play in providing the context, policy and procedure base for good performance management. In this article I will look at how 1 to 1 coaching can help a manager to develop and implement an effective action plan to deal with underperforming employees.
A training course can cover the processes and theory and even relevant scenarios but it doesn't easily get into the individual details of specific cases and a review of the options and courses of action that the manager could consider.
This is understandable given the relationships, confidentiality and complexity that are involved in most individual performance management situations.
However a coach can help the manager focus on the individual details of a performance improvement situation and to encourage the manager to face up to the responsibility that they have in helping to guide the employee to improve or to take the appropriate formal disciplinary action that should follow if the employee does not take responsibility and effective steps to improve. The coach can be internal, the next level manager oe external but in essence their role is the same. They help the manager to look objectively at the facts, to consider any potential improvement options and to help the employee to put these into a plan, to consider other contributory factors or external circumstances that may be affecting performance. They should help the manager consider their role in this relationship and how much any of their attitudes and behaviours may be affecting the employee.
The end result of this coaching should provide the manager with an informed but objective view of the issue, an outline approach and ideas for an action plan, a view about how to approach this discussion with the employee plus the confidence to start to address it.
Once the manager has started the meetings process with the employee then the coach should be available to act as a sounding board as plans develop to help the manager address each stage of the performance improvement discussion as it progresses with the employee. Ideally this process will result in improved performance and a satisfied employee and manager - but if the employee cannot change their attitude/behaviour/results and performance then it is time to consider changing the employee!