#3 - Coaching - June 5, 2012

Today I got to do some coaching.  It is the best thing about my job.

I initially went to college to become a teacher, but became an engineer by accident instead.  Since changing from a field engineer to management, I have been able to teach sometimes at work.  It is wonderful.

Last week we had a traumatic event at work, a momentous decision that I had to make.  The lead up to that decision involved several other people, and it didn't work out exactly as it was supposed to.  As I thought about why it didn't work out, I realized that the other people involved did not know how to do it the right way.  And I had not taught them. 

So today was my chance to fix that.  I set up an appointment with one of them, built a training presentation, and we sat down for an hour and talked.  I told him how the system was supposed to work, why certain aspects of it were important, and what to focus on moving forward.  I was not reprimanding him for doing it wrong the first time.  The first thing I did in the meeting was apologize for not having this conversation months ago so he would be prepared for the situation.  He's a good student, and I'm glad he's on my team. 

It is true that a manager's most important responsibility it his team's safety.  His second most important responsibility is his team's growth and development.

It is also true that it is VERY easy to get caught up in the other daily tasks that demand attention while your team does good solid work without your intervention.  This constitutes a huge missed opportunity.  And I'm determined to miss it less than I used to.  I know some of the specific things my team needs, and it is my opportunity to deliver.