High-Performance

Coaching for Managers

“In a world that has become increasingly complex, organizations are look-
ing to their managers to set higher standards of performance for their
employees. William Rothwell and Behnam Bakhshandeh do a stellar job
of explaining how to do this through performance coaching by describing
what it is and how it can be used to achieve results. This book provides
practical and research-based guidance on coaching employees regarding
what they should do, how they should behave, and how best to measure
success. This will be a great resource to any organization attempting to
increase overall productivity and performance on the job”.
Marsha G. King, PhD
Director, Leadership Coaching Certification Program
Center for Leadership and Organization Effectiveness
School of Management, University at Buffalo

“In today’s world, there has been an unprecedented influx and demand for
coaching, where self-proclaimed professional and personal coaches can be
found in every other corner.  Even without an official title most managers
and leaders, need to play the role of coach to fully unleash their people’s
performance and potential.  Whatever your role may be, many coaches lack
a structured approach and practical tools to deliver effective coaching. High-
Performance Coaching for Managers gives managers and coaches alike a
unique practical step by step paradigm to unleashing high performance from
their employees and is a must read for anyone looking to take their coaching
to new heights.”   
Rani Salman
Managing Partner at Caliber Consulting

“I am excited for this book to be published and to be shared with the

full spectrum of managers, clients, and talent development professionals.
Rothwell and Bakhshandeh focus on a very specific use of performance
coaching, and I believe the profession will benefit and come to understand a
facet of coaching in a much more concrete way”.
Ethan S. Sanders
President and CEO
Sundial Learning Systems, Inc.

“If you think of someone you’ve worked with or for that you consider to be
a great leader, they were also likely a great coach. Great leaders are great
coaches. High-Performance Coaching for Managers provides a comprehen-
sive and practical approach to building a culture of coaching in order to
unleash the full potential of today’s workforce.”
Steve King
VP, Chief Learning & Talent Officer
Rich Products Corporation

As a person who operates in the various states of coaching outlined in this

book, I found each chapter insightful and intuitive. The text will serve as
an excellent fundamental foundation for new and experienced coaches.
Rothwell and Bakhshandeh have provided a roadmap for those walking
on the coaching path!
Jamie Campbell
Assistant Dean, Diversity Enhancement Programs
Smeal College of Business
CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellow
 High-Performance
Coaching for Managers
A Step-by-Step Approach to Increase
Employees’ Performance and Productivity
William J. Rothwell
647 Berkshire Drive
State College, PA 16803
Phone: 814–441–4087
Email: williamjrothwell@[Link]
or wjr9@[Link]

Behnam Bakhshandeh
195 Crystal Park Blvd.
Greenfield Township, PA 18407
Phone: 760–518–9804
Emails: Behnam@[Link]
or bzb9@[Link]

With a Foreword by
Ethan Sanders
President and CEO
Sundial Learning Systems, Inc.

ROUTLEDGE/ A PRODUC TIVIT Y PRESS BOOK

First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 William J. Rothwell & Behnam Bakhshandeh
The right of William J. Rothwell & Behnam Bakhshandeh to be identified as authors of this work has been
asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by
any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
ISBN: 978-0-367-74060-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-74058-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-15592-8 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003155928
Typeset in Garamond
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
William J. Rothwell dedicates this book to his wife Marcelina,
his daughter Candice, his son Froilan, his grandsons Aden
and Gabriel, and his granddaughters Freya and Lina.

Behnam Bakhshandeh dedicates this book to his three

children: his daughters Poneh (Renee) and Shima and his
son Behzad, and his two beautiful grandchildren: grandson
Gabriel (Behrouz) and granddaughter Darya.
Contents

Foreword .......................................................................................... ix
Preface............................................................................................ xiii
Acknowledgments ......................................................................... xvii
About the Authors .......................................................................... xix
Advance Organizer ....................................................................... xxiii

BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HIGH-

PERFORMANCE COACHING JOURNEY
1 The General Concept of Coaching ...............................................3
2 Performance Coaching...............................................................31
3 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance .........................75

PHASE ONE—BUILDING RELATIONSHIP

AND RECOGNIZING THE SITUATION
4 Step 1: How to Establish Relatedness and
Building Rapport? ...................................................................109
5 Step 2: What Is the Issue at Hand? .......................................... 145
6 Step 3: What Should Be Happening? .......................................189

PHASE TWO—ANALYZING THE GAP

7 Step 4: What Is the Measurable Gap? ......................................239
8 Step 5: How Important Are the Gaps? .....................................291
9 Step 6: What Are the Root Causes of the Gap?........................325

vii
viii  Contents

PHASE THREE—ANALYZING THE SOLUTION

10 Step 7: How Many Ways Can the Gap Be Closed? ....................349
11 Step 8: What Is the Most Effective Way to Close the Gap? ......367
12 Step 9: What Are the Consequences of Closing the Gap? ........383

PHASE FOUR—IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION

13 Step 10: What Are the Damages of Inaction? ..........................401
14 Step 11: How to Implement the Solution?................................ 415
15 Step 12: How to Evaluate the Successful Implementation? .....427

SUPPORT, MAINTENANCE, SELF-EVALUATION,

AND SELF-RATING
16 How Effective Are You? ...........................................................443

Appendix A: Sources for Education and Implementations.............489

Index .............................................................................................. 519
Foreword

I have spent a large portion of my career trying to convince clients that they
should keep three important concepts in mind: (1) Training is not a pana-
cea to all performance issues; (2) Classroom training is a small part of the
learning universe; and (3) If you put a good performer in a bad system, the
system wins every time (credit to Dr. Geary Rummler for this most appro-
priate of sayings). While I cannot trace these concepts to any particular
event in my career, I know that they crystalized in my mind when I had
the extraordinary opportunity to work on two ASTD Competency studies
with Bill Rothwell (ASTD Models for Human Performance Improvement in
1996 and ASTD Models for Workplace Learning and Performance in 1999).
Bill and I were literally trying to redefine the profession which was rapidly
changing and growing more complex by the moment. Without question, it
was my years working at ASTD and conversing with Bill that launched me
into a meandering journey to better understand how organizational systems
work, how leaders effect these systems, what the role of a consultant truly
is, and how do we affect change in organizations that are often entrenched
in counterproductive practices.
I have often wondered about the true success rate of performance con-
sultants. I have dreamt about a study that calculated the batting average of
all performance consulting projects in the past 50 years. The closest I got
to this answer was when I was fortunate enough to work for the US Navy’s
Human Performance center, where we attempted Performance Consulting
on a historic scale. While I witnessed a great number of successes, I also
saw countless interventions that were well conceived, well designed, and
utterly ignored when it came to implementation. For most of my career, I’ve
believed that success in consulting is primarily predicated on the skill and
the influence of the consultant themselves. However, in recent years, I have
begun to see that a lot of what dictates success is the temperament of the

ix
x  Foreword

client, the willingness of the stakeholders to change, and the availability of

data to answer fundamental questions about the goal and the root causes.
When I was asked to review this book, I assumed it would be a fresh
view of what makes coaches successful. As I reviewed the manuscript, I
was immediately struck by the discussion of “performance consultant versus
performance coach.” In my mind, coaching has always been one of those
“other learning interventions” beyond formal training, but it wasn’t necessar-
ily related to the practice of performance consulting. What I didn’t expect
was this idea that directive coaching is a specific technique that managers
(and consultants) can use to help their employees improve performance and
learn from the manager’s expertise. I should disclose that part of my mind-
set about coaching is influenced by the fact that I am married to a psycho-
therapist. Prior to this book I believed that like a great therapist, coaches
should not provide answers or insights; instead, they should lead people to
their own conclusions and discoveries. Essentially that should act as a mirror
by helping people reflect on their own mindsets and belief, until they reach
new insights. The more I delved into this book, the more brilliant I realized
it was. Perhaps, one of the reasons we struggle at times as performance con-
sultants is because we aren’t doing enough to help the client learn and grow.
The mere fact that performance consultant call their counterparts “clients”
and not “coachees” might indicate that we see our job as serving their needs
and interests, rather than helping them become smarter.
I’ve always been a huge proponent of Action Learning, and I believe
strongly that teams only get better when they get smarter. It is the reflective
nature of Action Learning (through the Socratic method) that helps the team
get smarter and ultimately to gain better insights and make better decisions.
Rothwell and Bakhshandeh have taken a similar idea and applied it in a
revolutionary way. As they point out in the opening chapters of this book,
it is the idea of one-on-one work between a coach and a coachee that truly
holds the promise of improving performance. Layered onto this idea is the
notion that the supervisor can act in this directive coaching capacity. On the
very day that I read Chapters 1 and 2 of this book, I was working on a man-
ager’s course for one of my clients, and we were discussing how realistic it is
to suggest that every manager could be a coach to their subordinates. Years
ago I had read some very interesting research that indicated that coaching
was highly dependent on “chemistry” between the coach and the coachee.
In fact, it was suggested that most people would need to try out multiple
coaches before they found one that they truly connected with (again, similar
to the advice we give people when seeking out a therapist). If this is true,
 Foreword  xi

then it is not realistic to think most managers will be the right fit to be an

employee’s coach, and in fact, a manager’s positional authority (in particular
that they have the right to judge the employee on their performance) might
actually preclude them from acting in a coaching capacity.
By introducing the notion of “directive coaching” versus “non-directive
coaching,” I believe that the authors have cracked the code on how coaching
can be appropriate in a variety of circumstances. When I think of my own
relationships with my team and how much of my effort is involved in coach-
ing versus “managing,” it all seems to make sense. For most of my employ-
ees, I am (and I hope they are) quite comfortable acting in this directive
coaching mode. I do have thirty years of experience in the field, I’ve seen
our profession from a variety of vantage points, and I enjoy seeing people
benefit from my experience. However, I also have a few employees who I
feel responsible for helping them figure out their career goals and aspira-
tions. One in particular began as my graduate student and then worked
for me in several organizations. In this relationship, we are comfortable in
both the directive and nondirective modes; with me offering my experience
around specific tasks and outcomes, and at times helping them reflect on
their career and their future. Of course, I would offer this same opportunity
to any employee who asked for my help, but it seems to have just grown
organically in this circumstance.
I am excited for this book to be published and to be shared with the full
spectrum of managers, clients, and talent development professionals. By
focusing on a very specific use of performance coaching, I believe the pro-
fession will benefit and come to understand a facet of coaching in a much
more concrete way. I hope that many talent development professionals will
weave these concepts into their courses and other learning experiences.
I feel fortunate to have known Bill Rothwell for so many years and I have
enjoyed getting to know Behnam as we collaborated on this foreword.

Ethan Sanders
President and CEO
Sundial Learning Systems, Inc
Preface

Coaching has grown to be highly popular. Many people find themselves

needing a helping hand or find themselves thrust in the role of offering
advice to others. That is especially true of managers who, while conduct-
ing performance reviews, may find a need to provide specific feedback and
advice about what to do to improve job performance to those employees
reporting to them.

The Purpose of the Book

This book offers a step-by-step, systematic approach to high-performance
coaching. While many approaches to coaching could help to facilitate per-
formance improvement, the authors of this book favor a planned approach
to coaching that is geared to helping others identify what they need to do to
improve their job performance.
An effective high-performance coaching effort meets the needs of the
organization and its people. It relies on a positive view of people and a
strong effort to encourage participation and inclusion in all aspects of the
coaching experience.

The Target Audience for the Book

This book provides a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to implement a
high-performance coaching effort for human resource practitioners, consul-
tants, managers, and others who are interested in managing and improving
human performance.
This book is thus written for anyone who seeks to improve human per-
formance for themselves or others.

xiii
xiv  Preface

The Organization of the Book

This book is organized in a step-by-step approach. It is meant to track
what a high-performance coach or a manager-as-coach must do to facilitate
coaching.
Examined in more detail, the book consists of a Preface to summa-
rize the book, an Acknowledgments to thank contributors, an Advance
Organizer to help readers assess chapters they may wish to focus, and a
summary of the Authors’ Biosketches.
The book is organized in six major parts. The first part sets the context
and is entitled “Building a Strong Foundation for High-Performance
Coaching Journey.” It consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 describes the
general concept of coaching; Chapter 2 defines and describes performance
coaching; and Chapter 3 describes the mindset, attitude, behavior, and per-
formance of a performance coach.
The second part is called “Phase One—Building Relationship and
Recognizing the Situation.” It is composed of three chapters. Chapter 4
describes the first step in performance coaching: How to establish related-
ness and building rapport? Chapter 5 describes the second step: What is the
issue at hand? Chapter 6 reviews the third step: What should be happening?
The third part is called “Phase Two—Analyzing the Gap.” In the three
chapters of this part, Chapter 7 (step 4 of performance coaching) poses
this question: What is the measurable gap? Chapter 8 poses this question:
How important is the gap? Chapter 9 poses this question: What are the root
causes of the gap?
The fourth part, called “Phase Three—Analyzing the Solution,” has
three chapters. Chapter 10 poses the question guiding step 7 of perfor-
mance coaching: How many ways can the gap be closed? Chapter 11 poses
the question guiding step 8: What is the most effective way to close the gap?
Chapter 12 poses the question guiding step 9: What are the consequences
of closing the gap?
The fifth part is “Phase Four—Implementation and Evaluation.”
Chapter 13, which reviews step 10 of performance coaching, examines this
question” What are the damages of inaction? Chapter 14 looks at step 11:
How to implement the solution? And, finally, Chapter 15 addresses step 12
of performance coaching: How to evaluate the successful implementation?
The sixth and final part of the book is called “Support, Maintenance,
and Self-Evaluation.” Chapter 16, the last chapter of the book, exam-
ines such questions as these: How effective are you? How do you know if
 Preface  xv

you are effective and productive? Maintaining and implementing learned

disciplines and providing opportunities for high-performance coaches self-
evaluations and self-ratings. An Appendix reviews sources for education
and implementations that will take readers to additional places that can
broaden and deepen their understanding of performance coaching.
Acknowledgments

William J. Rothwell would like to express his special thanks to Behnam

Bakhshandeh for establishing the project plan, setting up our deadlines, and
successfully managing the project to its completion.

Behnam Bakhshandeh would like to express his gratitude to William J.

Rothwell for his vast knowledge of organization development and all related
fields and his contributions to his growth advancement. Thank you for all of
your contributions to academia and all related field of Workforce Education
and Development.
Both authors like to express their special gratitude to Mr. Farhan Sadique
for his masterful work in compiling the Appendix of Resources at the end of
this book.

William J. Rothwell
State College, Pennsylvania
November 2021
Behnam Bakhshandeh
Greenfield Township, Pennsylvania
November 2021

xvii
Authors

William J. Rothwell, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, RODC,

CPLP Fellow
William J. Rothwell is a professor in the Masters of
Professional Studies in Organization Development
and Change program and also in the PhD program
of Workforce Education and Development at The
Pennsylvania State University. He has authored,
coauthored, edited, or coedited 127 books since 1987.
His recent books since 2017 include Organization
Development (OD) Interventions: Executing Effective Organizational Change
(Routledge, 2021); Virtual Coaching to Improve Group Relationships: Process
Consultation Reimagined (Routledge, 2021); The Essential HR Guide for
Small Business and Start Ups (Society for Human Resource Management,
2020); Increasing Learning and Development’s Impact Through Accreditation
(Palgrave, 2020); Workforce Development: Guidelines for Community College
Professionals, 2nd ed. (Rowman-Littlefield, 2020); Human Performance
Improvement: Building Practitioner Performance, 3rd ed. (Routledge,
2018); Innovation Leadership (Routledge, 2018); Evaluating Organization
Development: How to Ensure and Sustain the Successful Transformation (CRC
Press, 2017); Marketing Organization Development Consulting: A How-To
Guide for OD Consultants (CRC Press, 2017); and Assessment and Diagnosis
for Organization Development: Powerful Tools and Perspectives for the OD
practitioner (CRC Press, 2017).
He can be reached by email at WjRothwell@[Link] or by phone at
814–863–2581. He is at 310B Keller Building, University Park, PA 16803. See
his website at [Link], his videos on YouTube, and
his wiki site at [Link]

xix
xx  Authors

Behnam Bakhshandeh, PhD, MPS

Behnam’s formal education includes a PhD in the
Workforce Education and Development (WFED) with
concentration on Organization Development (OD)
and Human Resources Development (HRD) from the
Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree in
Professional Studies in Organization Development and
Change (OD&C) from the Pennsylvania State University,
World Campus, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology
from the University of Phoenix.
He is also the founder and president of Primeco Education, Inc. (www.
[Link]) a coaching and consulting company working with
individuals, teams, and organizations on their personal and professional
development since 1993. He has authored and published three books
in the personal and professional development industry. His last book
is Organization Development Intervention (Routledge, Taylor & Francis
Group, 2021). The other two titles are Anatomy of Upset; Restoring Harmony
(Primeco Education, 2015) and Conspiracy for Greatness; Mastery of Love
Within (Primeco Education, 2009). Besides these books, he has designed
and facilitated seventeen coaching modules for individuals, couples, pub-
lic, teams, and organizations; 9 audio/video workshops; sixteen Articles on
personal and professional development topics, and twenty one seminars and
workshops.
He is an accomplished business manager, known widely as a dynamic
writer, speaker, personal, and professional development coach and trainer.
Implementing his skills as a passionate, visionary leader, he produces
extraordinary results in record time. Behnam brings his broad experience
and successful track record to each project, whether it involves personal
development, implementing customer-focused programs, integrating tech-
nologies, redesigning operational core processes, or delivering strategic
initiatives.
Before designing Primeco Education technology, Behnam led educational
programs and later managed operations for a global education organization
based in two major US cities. During these seven years, Behnam worked
personally with tens of thousands of participants. He was accountable for
expanding customer participation, training program leaders, increasing sales,
and improving the finance department’s efficiency and management of the
overall operations for the staff and their team of over 400 volunteers, who
together served an annual client base of over 10,000.
 Authors  xxi

Behnam designed the Primeco Education technology in 2001. Since then,

he and his team members have helped countless businesses and individu-
als not only to achieve their goals but also to transform their thinking. His
proven methodology and approach are based on his extensive experience in
business and human relations. Behnam enjoyed expanding into psychology
as an addition to his already strong background in philosophy and ontology.
He particularly enjoyed and was inspired by Applicative Inquiry, Positive
Psychology and the work of many psychologists who used the Humanistic
Psychology approach for empowering and treating their patients. Behnam
finds these two psychological approaches very similar to his own work,
methodology, and approaches.
He can be reached by email at Behnam@[Link] and by
phone at 760–518–9804. He is at his office at 27 N. Main Street—Suite 202,
Carbondale, PA 18407.
Advance Organizer

Complete the following Organizer before you read the book. Use it as a
diagnostic tool to help you assess what you most want to know about per-
formance coaching—and where you can find it in this book fast.

The Organizer
Directions
Read each item in the Organizer in the following. Spend about 10 minutes
on the Organizer. Be honest! Think of performance coaching as you would
like to practice it to help others improve their job performance. Then indi-
cate what topics related to performance coaching you would like to learn
more about so as to develop yourself professionally. For each item listed in
the center column, indicate with a Y (for Yes), N/A (for Not Applicable),
or N (for No) in the left column whether you would like to develop your-
self in that area. When you finish, score and interpret the results using the
instructions appearing at the end of the Organizer. Then be prepared to
share your responses with others you know to help you think about what
you most want to learn about performance coaching. If you would like to
learn more about an item, refer to the number in the right column to find
the chapter in this book in which the subject is discussed.

xxiii
xxiv  Advance Organizer

The Questions
Circle Your I Would Like to Develop Myself to: Chapter in the
Response for Book in Which
Each Item the Topic is
Below Covered:
Y N/A N 1. Know more about the general concept of 1
coaching.
Y N/A N 2. Know about performance coaching specifically. 2
Y N/A N 3. Know more about the mindset, attitude, 3
behavior and performance to do performance
coaching effectively.
Y N/A N 4. Address this question: How to establish 4
relatedness and build rapport at the outset of
performance coaching?
Y N/A N 5. Address this question: What is the issue at 5
hand?
Y N/A N 6. Address this question: What should be 6
happening?
Y N/A N 7. Address this question: What is the measurable 7
gap? 7
Y N/A N 8. Address this question: How important is the 8
gap?
Y N/A N 5. Address this question: What are the root causes 9
of the gap?
Y N/A N 10. Address this question: How many ways can the 10
gap be closed?
Y N/A N 11. Address this question: What is the most 11
effective way to close the gap?
Y N/A N 12. Address this question: What are the 12
consequences of closing the gap?
Y N/A N 13. Address this question: What are the damages of 13
inaction?
Y N/A N 14. Address this question: How can the solution be 14
implemented?
 Advance Organizer  xxv

Y N/A N 15. Address this question: How can the success of 15

the implementation be evaluated?
Y N/A N 16. Address this question: How effective are you as 16
a performance coach?
Total

Scoring and Interpreting the Organizer

Give yourself 1 point for each Y and a 0 for each N or N/A listed above. Total
the points from the Y column and place the sum in the line opposite to the
word TOTAL above. Then interpret your score as follows:

Score
16–14 = Congratulations! This book is just what you need.
Points Read the chapters you marked Y.
13–11 = You have great skills in performance coaching already,
Points but you also have areas where you could develop
professionally. Read those chapters marked Y.
10–8 = You have some skills in performance coaching, but you could
Points still benefit to build skills in selected areas.
7–0 = You believe you do not need much development in
Points performance coaching. Ask others—such as mentors—to see if they
agree.
BUILDING A STRONG
FOUNDATION FOR
HIGH-PERFORMANCE
COACHING JOURNEY

It is an honor and a privilege for coaches to provide coaching for individu-

als, teams, organizations, and organizations’ leadership. In whatever capacity,
these individuals or organizations are placing their trust in the coaches, as
internal managers-as-coaches or as external coaches such as Organization
Development (OD), Human Resources Development (HRD), Workplace
Learning & Performance (WLP), Training and Development (T&D) trainers,
facilitators, or consultants. In all these cases, coaches’ skills and competen-
cies make a difference in developing the intent of coaching undertaken. The
primary purpose of this book is to:

(1) educate a performance coach or a manager-as-coach in the concept of

Performance Coaching and
(2) provide models, methods, and tools on how to conduct High-
Performance Coaching.

The following three chapters provide a coaching background and what

high-performance coaches need to know, develop, and deliver for their
subordinates and coachees during the high-performance coaching
journey.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003155928-1 1
2 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Chapter 1—The General Concept of Coaching

What Is Coaching and Its Influence and Presence of Coaching on
Organizations?

Chapter 2—Performance Coaching

What Is Performance, Performance Coaching, and Performance
Management?

Chapter 3—Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance

How Individual’s Mindset, Attitude, and Behavior Impact Individual and
Team Performance
 
Chapter 1

The General Concept

of Coaching
Behnam Bakhshandeh

Understanding coaching—what it is, how it works, and what is at work dur-

ing coaching—will help you convince executives how coaching will contrib-
ute to their professional growth. Coaching should interest any manager or to
anyone in the human resource fields.
This chapter offers you a summary of what coaching is and what place
it occupies in organizations. In this chapter, we define key terms and some
general information about how coaching contributes to organizational
productivity. This chapter shows how coaching can empower individuals,
teams, and organizations to be more productive. It will lead into Chapter 2,
which distinguishes performance coaching from other coaching categories.
Chapter 1 addresses:

◾ What is coaching?
◾ Performance Coaching versus Performance Consultant
◾ What are different types of coaching?
◾ What is a coaching culture?
◾ How should coaching be used?
◾ What role does coaching play in talent development?
◾ How is coaching used in talent development?
◾ What do selected survey results reveal about coaching effectiveness?

DOI: 10.4324/9781003155928-2 3
4 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

What Is Coaching?
During the last few years, coaching has become popular. Despite coaching’s
popularity, few research publications have appeared about it—or about per-
formance coaching. Still, many business writers tout coaching for how much
it can help to increase organizational productivity and improve individual
job performance.

General Definitions of Coaching

There are many definitions of coaching offered by varied professional asso-
ciations. For example:

◾ The Association for Talent Development (ATD) defines coaching as

“applying a systematic process to improve others’ ability to set goals,
take action, and maximize strengths” (ATD 2014a, 4).
◾ The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “using
an interactive process to help individuals develop rapidly and produce
results; improving others’ ability to set goals, take action, make bet-
ter decisions, and make full use of their natural strengths” (Arneson,
Rothwell, and Naughton 2013, 5).
◾ Whitmore (2017) defined coaching as “unlocking people’s potential to
maximize their performance. It is helping them to learn rather than
teaching them” (13).
◾ Cox, Bachkirova, and Clutterbuck (2014) described coaching as “a
human development process that involves structured, focused inter-
action and the use of appropriate strategies, tools, and techniques to
promote desirable and sustainable change for the benefit of the coachee
and potentially for other stakeholders” (1).
◾ Berg and Karlsen (2007) described coaching as “the process of chal-
lenging and supporting a person or a team to develop ways of thinking,
ways of being and ways of learning. The purpose is to achieve personal
and/or organizational goals” (4).
◾ Saporito (1996) stated that “[c]oaching can help the leader to better under-
stand and optimize her impact on the organizational transformation.
Coaching can also facilitate leaders’ commitment to the process and help
to connect all development activities—individual and organizational—
back to core business issues and needs” (96).
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 5

◾ Bakhshandeh (2009) described and defined coaching as “a highly effec-

tive tool for individuals and organizations who choose to have their
future realized now instead of someday. It is a systematic but non-linear
inquiry into one’s authenticity; it is for healthy, ambitious, brave, and
open-minded people who strive for excellence” (35).

While specific definitions vary somewhat, it should be clear that coaching

can be a powerful way to improve productivity. This book emphasizes the
value of coaching.

The Prevalence of Coaching

Coaching has emerged as an important area of expertise for managers and
human resource professionals. In 2004, while creating a competency con-
text as a foundation for certification, the American Society for Training and
Development (ASTD DBA Association for Talent Development 2014)—now
called the Association for Talent Development (ATD)—designated coaching
as a specialization area. Coaching remained one of ten elements of exper-
tise in the 2013 version of the competency model of ASTD (Ellinger and
Kim 2014). Coaching is widely used by business consultants, performance
consultants, and OD practitioners to assist organizations in shaping their
vision, achieving their missions, setting goals, carrying out staffing efforts,
and improving job performance. Since the 1980s, many studies have been
conducted on coaching in organizations. The findings of these studies have
refined the concept of coaching, and it is now widely understood to mean a
process in which a coach (personal or professional) and a coachee (an indi-
vidual, a team, a business, or an organization) work in partnership to formu-
late goals and establish plans for improvement (Vidal-Salazar, Ferrón-Vílchez,
and Cordón-Pozo 2012).
According to Arneson et al. (2013):

◾ Over 27% of organizations have effectively integrated professional busi-

ness coaching in their talent development portfolios.
◾ By implementing coaching practices, 47% of organizations have recog-
nized the skills of productive and successful managers.
◾ Fewer than 46% of organizations have ignored coaching.

Establishing coaching cultures in organizations is one effective way to engage

employees. A coaching approach to productivity improvement will enhance
6 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

an organization’s ability to leverage the abilities of the workforce. According

to Downs (2017) and ATD (2014b), these statistics are worthy of note:

◾ Eighty percent of employees engaged with coaching improved their

communication, productivity, performance, and business management
strategies.
◾ Sixty-five percent of employees in organizations with a robust coaching
environment grew more engaged with their work and other employees.
◾ Organizations that focus on building coaching cultures reported
higher revenue and employee engagement than those not focused on
coaching.

The ICF Global Coaching Client Study published by iPEC (2020) reported
that “[c]oaching is profoundly beneficial in the eyes of companies and indi-
viduals who hire a coach, with 99% viewing it as ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’
and 96% stating they’d repeat the process.” In addition, ICF Global Coaching
Client Study reported:

◾ Over 33% of Fortune 500 companies employ Executive Coaching as their

standard leadership development method (Source: The Hay Group).
◾ When combining coaching with training, average individual produc-
tivity increased by 86%, when contrasted to 22% when only provided
training (Source: The Personnel Management Association).
◾ Nearly 86% of organizations who have utilized coaching favorably rated
it for their investment in coaching, and their return on investment (ROI),
by affirming that at the minimum, at least the coaching investment has
paid for itself.

Many studies and reports are available for backing the use and benefit
of coaching and its positive impact on individuals, teams, and organiza-
tions. Given the purpose of this book, we are just mentioning some of such
reports that are related to productivity and performance.
On a special research and report conducted by Zhou (2020) on ROI of
coaching, she provides the following summary:

◾ Over 95% of coaching clients have rated their coaches’ quality as “good”
or “excellent.” (Source: 2009 ICF Global Coaching Study).
◾ Nearly 51% of organizations who established a robust coaching culture
reported noticeably greater productivity and revenue compared to their
industry peer businesses (Source: Human Capital Institute).
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 7

◾ According to a study conducted by the International Society for

Performance Improvement, coaching has a 221% return on investment
(Source: International Society for Performance Improvement).

According to Coetzee (2018), a coaching survey conducted by Clear Coaching

Limited in 2007 reported the following tangible benefits and increases in dif-
ferent areas from using coaching programs by a large range of organizations:

◾ developed new skills or improved existing skills by 50%

◾ teams working relationships and connection by 50%
◾ noticed and considered others’ perspectives by 47%
◾ clarity and improvement in work life by 43%
◾ increased individual motivation by 43%
◾ improved work environment by 40%
◾ increased sales and revenue by 23%
◾ attained their goals by 20%

Furthermore, regarding the general benefits of coaching and the positive

influence of coaching on individuals, Coetzee (2018) reported some statistics
from a survey conducted by The International Coaching Federation (ICF)
with 210 coaching clients about the use of coaching and values they have
received from participating in coaching programs.
In this study, 197 out of 210 participants were employed professionals.
All participants had at least nine months of an ongoing formal professional
coaching relationship with a coach. Over 80% of the participants had under-
graduate degrees, and over 33% had Master’s degrees or higher advanced
degrees. The study results:

◾ reported business coaching as “very valuable” 70%

◾ revealed sensitive information in their coach that
had not been confined to their spouses, best friend,
or even their therapist 50%
◾ opened up to their coach more than anyone else
at that time 12%

According to Coetzee (2018) and the study’s findings, and according to the
participants sharing information, some of the notable results of coaching
were as follows:

◾ designed smarter goal setting 62.4%

◾ established more balance in their lives 60.5%
8 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

◾ brought down their stress levels 57.1%

◾ developed more self-confidence 52.4%
◾ improved their lives’ quality 43.3%
◾ had more income 25.7%

Public Perceptions of Coaching

Coaching is often a term in search of a meaning. Many definitions exist
of coaching. It bears many similarities to other efforts to develop workers.
Coaching means working with individuals, teams, and organizations to cre-
ate new practices while retiring unworkable behaviors.
Research conducted by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) has
revealed that most people know coaching and have shaped impressions
about it (ICF 2011). Based on many studies’ findings, managerial coaching is
defined as an effective supervisory practice that enhances workforce learn-
ing and performance.

Performance Coaching versus Performance Consulting

Given the close proximity and similar characteristics between coaching and
consulting, there is some confusion among the public, businesses, and orga-
nizations about what Performance Coaching and Performance Consultants
are or do. This distinction lies in the overall concept and differences
between the terminologies of coaching and consulting. “Most dictionaries
will not offer any great distinctions between the terms consulting and coach-
ing. They are defined as the giving of advice, professional or otherwise,
or instruction to those practicing in a profession” (Strosinski 2003, n.p.).
However, both a consultant and a coach concentrate on assisting and help-
ing their clients to resolve their business problems; the distinction, however,
is their approach. Often, the lines between consulting and coaching get
blurry and therefore create ineffective situations that do not serve the client
and do not provide solutions for clients’ needs (Forbes 2018).
Here are some differences between coaching and consulting by several
professionals:

◾ “coaching is ‘done with you’ and consulting is ‘done for you’” (ValuProp
2021, n.p.).
◾ Coaching usually consists of the coaches working directly with one or
several individuals in an organization, but on a one-on-one basis while
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 9

consulting mostly consists of the consultants working with many people

in the form of teams, groups, departments, or organizations (Indeed
2021).
◾ Coaching involves developing the coachees’ competencies and abilities
by using tools and techniques to work out and resolve any issues by
themselves. However, consulting includes assisting the clients getting to
the bottom of their issues by providing consulting, training, and other
form of workshops and exercises (Indeed 2021).
◾ “Coaching can help turn an entrepreneur into a great leader. Consulting,
on the other hand, provides that much-needed expertise and assistance”
(Forbes 2018, n.p.).
◾ The distinction between a coach and a consultant is the means by which
they are informing and advising their clients. “As a consultant, your role
is to enhance leadership and organizational capacity. A coach helps
individual leaders develop clarity on what he or she needs to focus on
and create action plans to achieve those goals” (Jordyn 2020, n.p.).

The following are some distinctions between performance coaching and

performance consulting:

Performance Coaching
◾ Performance coaches work with individuals. They focus on the individ-
uals’ future potential and maximize the coachees’ performance with the
main goal of maintaining the coachees’ learning and retention instead
of teaching them. Usually, performance coaching is practiced and
delivered by managers-as-coaches, as an important tool or approach for
enhancing the coachees’ and employees’ capacity and job/work perfor-
mance (Strosinski 2003).
◾ Performance coaching and training programs will advance job per-
formance by “(1) improving individual abilities, (2) stimulating motiva-
tion, (3) matching individual ability to activity requirements, and/or
(4) matching the individual to contextual requirements” (Rothwell and
Kazanas 2003, 402).
◾ In the context of managers/supervisors and employees/workforce
relationship, performance coaching can be characterized simply as the
support which managers/supervisors provide to their subordinates in
appraising their job performance, including their behavior and attitude
in order to increase their productivity and improve their performance
effectiveness at their jobs and related tasks (Pfeiffer 1990).
10 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

◾ Performance coaching as a form of coaching and mentoring is increas-

ingly becoming more attractive to organizations and businesses, show-
ing more interest in developing their workforce in KSAs (knowledge,
skills, and abilities) and competencies (Mcleod 2004).

Performance Consulting
◾ A performance consultant analyzes and assesses an organization’s per-
formance inconsistencies and work environment discrepancies regard-
ing production outcomes and results. The performance consultants
assist the organization’s management to come up with a plan, or design
the applicable procedures, techniques, and tools for enhancing teams,
groups, and the departments’ performance for that entire organiza-
tion or workplace (Strosinski 2003). “The intended result often results
in increased productivity, decreased costs, efficient and effective work
practices and a safer working environment” (Strosinski 2003, 1).
◾ Performance consulting comprises recognizing and clarifying an orga-
nization’s needs and offering training strategies and models that poten-
tially would meet that specific need. However, not all organizational
issues can or will be resolved by training. That being said, recognizing
if training would be a solution is a critical process in conducting a per-
formance consult (Training Industry 2018).
◾ Performance consulting is a form of assessing and evaluating an organi-
zation’s current performance status of their operations, and it can offer
some new approaches, practices, and procedures that the organization
can implement in order to increase its productivity and become more
effective (Berg and Karlsen 2012).
◾ The objective of performance consulting is to examine, analyze, and
explain the process of the “how” and identifying the “what” that an
organization needs or wants to undertake or achieve, that eventually
would improve or increase the organizations’ overall productivity and
performance (Mcleod 2004).

Coaching Types
Coaching is based on trust. It can be targeted to individuals, teams, work
groups, departments, and even organizations. Coaching is often categorized
into two areas: (1) personal coaching and (2) professional coaching.
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 11

Personal Coaching
Some examples of personal coaching are: (1) life coaching, (2) couples
coaching, (3) relationship coaching, (4) health and velocity coaching, (5)
wealth and finance coaching, (6) spirituality coaching, and (7) mentorship.

Professional Coaching
Some examples of professional coaching are: (1) business coaching, (2)
managers coaching, (3) executive coaching, (4) career coaching, (5) leader-
ship development coaching, (6) team building, (7) performance coaching,
(8) communication coaching, (9) vision, mission, and values coaching, (10)
strategy and goal setting coaching, (11) feedback coaching, and (11) perfor-
mance coaching.
In the professional coaching category, content can be delivered by one-
on-one or group coaching. While sometimes called peer coaching, it is
associated where managers or experienced coworkers offer advice to other
workers. Coaching can also be offered to groups in so-called team coaching

Figure 1.1 Context and Process of Coaching between the High-Performance Coach
and Coachees.
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.
12 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

in which a manager or experienced coworker offers guidance to others.

Team coaching is sometimes delivered as a seminar to many people at once
(Berg and Karlsen 2012). One-to-many coaching can be delivered by an
internal or external coach.

Executive Coaching
This approach to coaching has become an essential tool for talent
development professionals as a practical strategy for leadership and
team development. Executive coaching finds its place in leadership
development programs within diverse industries around the world
(Gan and Chong 2015).

Team Building and Team Coaching

This coaching is an increasingly common approach for modern organiza-
tions using teams to achieve a competitive advantage in highly competitive
global markets (Hagen and Aguilar 2012).

Managerial Coaching
Among organizations, this approach to professional coaching is considered
a forward motion leadership creativity that can enhance the relationship
between managers and workers (Hsieh and Huang 2018).

High-Performance Coaching
As a general concept, this specialized coaching approach is an effective
team learning process to improve training and develop leaders for specific
projects and implement HPWTs (high-performance work teams) that differ
from other work teams. HPWTs are teams that can perform at the highest
level of effectiveness over long periods, accomplishing many difficult and
complex organizational goals (Hagen and Aguilar 2012). We need to note
here that as much as the topic of our book is similar to the topic of this
concept of coaching for high-performance teams, the approach and
direction focus on high-performance coaching for managers, such as high-
performance coaches’ or managers-as-coaches’ positions, both internally
and externally.
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 13

Feedback Coaching
This coaching is used for performance feedback, which is vital to performance
management. It is also used as an important communication vehicle by provid-
ing workers with feedback on their performance (Hsieh and Huang 2018). One
popular technique for feedback coaching is multisource feedback or 360-degree
feedback. In this method, the feedback comes from the managers and subordi-
nates, senior managers, peers, and even people from outside of the organization.

Use of Coaching in Management and

Leadership Development
Coaching could develop managerial skills among managers in organiza-
tions. When used in this way, coaching can directly affect individuals and
team productivity.

Managerial Skills
Coaching could develop leadership in teams and positively influence man-
agement behaviors and attitudes. In many organizations, the concept of
coaching became a natural approach to management skills training (Berg
and Karlsen 2012). This book sheds light on accepted among industry man-
agement and HR departments as reasons for poor worker performance and
reveals how coaching can be used for corrective action.

Developmental Skills
Coaching can inspire, motivate, and encourage personal development among
workers while indirectly nurturing the financial sustainability of the organization.
The coaching process is defined as a direct, interactive, collaborative, and confi-
dential process in which the coach and participants engage in effective ways to
achieve personal and organizational objectives (Vidal-Salazar et al. 2012).
Acquiring, developing, engaging, and retaining talent is growing more
complex. Workplaces are also accelerating, posing challenges for finding
suitable ways to speed up talent acquisition, development, engagement, and
retention. This harsh reality demands more creative approaches. Coaching
provides one such approach (Maltbia, Marsick, and Ghosh 2014).
14 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Coaching and Talent Development

Coaching is becoming one useful tool for Talent Development profession-
als. Vidal-Salazar et al. (2012) expressed their views of coaching as a tal-
ent development tool as “a particularly useful tool in the field of human
resources for small and medium enterprises (SME), as the work of many of
these companies depends on the learning of a job” (426).

Talent Development and Retention

Many organizations are shifting responsibilities that are traditionally connected to
talent development professionals’ work, such as coaching practices and develop-
ment activities, to operating managers. This is an apparent shift in responsibili-
ties of an organization’s leaders and managers from monitoring, managing, and
administrating accountabilities and control to acting as identifying talent and
developing human capital with coaching and mentoring to work toward an
organization’s strategy for managing and developing its workforce (Kim 2014).

Managerial Coaching Skills and Competencies

Given the option of using internal coaches, organizational leaders should
develop the skills of HR practitioners’ coaching skills and competencies.
Coaching competencies and skills can be developed through systematic
training by professional coaches or skillful managers (McLean et al. 2005).

Use of Coaching by Workforce Education

and HRD Professionals
Executive coaching, managerial coaching, performance coaching, and team
coaching are becoming new ways to empower managers and workers to
increase their productivity. Managers and aspiring talent development practi-
tioners should grow more familiar with effective coaching.

Coaching Culture
A coaching culture means a work environment in which organizational
members readily apply coaching with each other. A coaching culture, when
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 15

it exists, is not an isolated effort; rather, it is a central theme that runs

throughout the organization. Coaching culture shapes how workers inter-
act with each other. And using coaching in interactions is not regarded as
merely a dyadic (one-on-one) interaction. Instead, it is viewed as the perva-
sive use of a coaching approach in employee engagement efforts and a way
that shapes relationships among individuals and teams (Milner, Milner, and
McCarthy 2020). Vesso (2014) claims,

in a coaching culture, coaching flows in all directions from all par-

ties, making a networked web across the organization consisting
of many connections between people in the same departments,
across departments, between teams, and up and down and across
the hierarchy
(112).

Some Definitions of Coaching Culture

According to research done by Milner et al. (2020), these definitions can help
to understand coaching culture:

◾ Clutterbuck, Megginson, and Bajer (2016), “[t]he principles, beliefs, and

mindsets driving people’s behavior in the workplace are deeply rooted
in the discipline of coaching” (9).
◾ Vesso and Alas (2016), “[It is] an organizational development model that
provides the structure that defines how the organization’s members can
best interact with their working environment, and how the best results
are obtained and measured” (308).
◾ Jones and Gorell (2014), “[w]here [Coaching culture] people are empowered
and where coaching happens at every level. And not only does it happen
at every level, but it adds to bottom-line performance. It is the recognized
development tool that touches every part of the employee lifecycle” (16).
◾ Hawkins (2012), “[w]hen a [This] coaching approach is a key aspect
of how the leaders, managers, and staff engage and develop all their
people and engage their stakeholders in ways that create increased
individual, team and organizational performance and share value for all
stakeholders” (21).
◾ Lindbom (2007), “[a] coaching culture is one in which the regular review
of performance and just-in-time feedback is expected” (102).
16 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

◾ Clutterbuck and Megginson (2005), “[c]oaching is the predominant style

of managing and working together, and where a commitment to grow
the organization is embedded in a parallel commitment to grow the
people in the organization” (19).
◾ Hart (2003), “[a]n organizational setting in which not only formal coach-
ing occurs, but also, most or a large segment of individuals in the
organization practice coaching behaviors as a means of relating to, sup-
porting and influencing each other” (2). (Milner et al. 2020, 239).

Coaching cultures occur when individuals and groups adopt coaching to

make changes to improve individual mindsets, attitudes, and behaviors within
their work environments by implementing an official or unofficial coaching
relationship and collaboration (Milner et al. 2020; Bakhshandeh 2009).

What Key Elements Exist in Establishing a Coaching Culture?

Gormley and Nieuwerburgh (2014), after reviewing many publications, sug-
gest that these elements are essential to create coaching cultures:

◾ Senior managers must support and promote a coaching culture through-

out the organization.
◾ A coaching structure should target attempts by the senior managers in
all departments.
◾ Managers and workers should speak and act to support coaching.
◾ Organization leaders must express robust personal commitment by
conducting role-playing and developing their skills as an example of
coaching workability.
(Gormley and Nieuwerburgh 2014)

To create a strong foundation for a coaching culture, Hawkins (2012) sug-

gested that leaders concentrate on developing “a sustainable and meaning-
ful coaching strategy and culture” (Gormley and Nieuwerburgh 2014, 90).
This effort should incorporate a coaching strategy formed by collaborating
with the employees and stated in the organization’s vision, mission, and
strategy (Gormley and Nieuwerburgh 2014).
Figure 1.2 represents the relationship between creating an organization’s
coaching culture (on the background of the organizations’ visions, missions,
and values) and creating a high-performance organization that would increase
the value of the organization. Coaching culture could be a foundation for
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 17

Figure 1.2 How to Use a Coaching Culture to Develop an Extraordinary Organization.

Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

establishing an extraordinary corporate culture as a new norm (Bakhshandeh

2009). We will have more to say on this issue in Chapter 2.

Effectiveness of Coaching Culture

Research on coaching effectiveness has pointed to these benefits:

◾ increased interest in goal setting, commitment, and achievement attitude

◾ enhanced individual and team performance and productivity
◾ created deeper critical thinking and solution-focused behavior
◾ the increased positive environment of creativity and innovation
◾ enhanced optimism and hope for a better life through resilience and
self-effectiveness
◾ increased individuals’ cognitive endurance, mental and physical well-being
◾ created less resistance and more flexibility with workload and schedule
◾ reduced workplace anxiety, stress, burnout, and overall turnover
18 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

◾ increased abilities for accepting change and conversions

◾ advanced developing transformational leadership among managers
(Milner et al. 2020; Whitmore 2017; Gormley and
Nieuwerburgh 2014; Bakhshandeh 2009)

Potential Barriers to a Coaching Culture

Research has identified potential barriers to establishing and sustaining
coaching cultures. Among them:

◾ the organization’s current culture

◾ absence of a clear understanding of how coaching works and the
coaching values
◾ not seeing a coaching culture as significant for the organization
◾ senior management’s resistance and a viewpoint that establishing such a
coaching culture is costly or unnecessary
◾ overall low-level experience, skills, and competencies within the organi-
zation’s managers
◾ a perception that insufficient time, money, or other resources exist to
support the effort
(Rothwell, Stavros, and Sullivan 2016;
Whitmore 2009; Bakhshandeh 2009)

Coaching Delivery Approaches

There are two general approaches to coaching delivery: (1) Directive Coaching
and (2) Nondirective Coaching. The matter of which one is better or more
effective than the other is not the topic of this segment, but just to compare the
two delivery approaches side by side and then underline the delivery approach
that would fit for use by a high-performance coach or manager-as-coach.

Nondirective Coaching
In this approach to coaching, the coaches encourage the clients to form
their views of the issue at hand and come up with their own conclusions in
order to nurture the coaching relationship. On the other hand, this approach
involves coaches listening to clients’ stories, experiences and what they are
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 19

facing, along with all their challenges while at the same time conducting
inquires to provide openings and awareness for the clients to make their
own decisions through their inner growth journey (Wilson 2020; Whitmore
2017; Bakhshandeh 2009).
It is apparent that with a nondirective approach, the coachees recog-
nize solution that match their personal or professional desires and needs.
Therefore, given their own direct involvement, there is a higher probabil-
ity for the coachees to take on their actions to implement the recognized
changes in their personal or professional environment. With this approach,
the coach does not need to be a subject matter expert, given the coach’s
job is to ask practical and relevant questions and to provide space of think-
ing and inquire and keep reminding the coachees to remain nonjudgmental,
open-minded, and nonresistant (see Figure 1.3). Nondirective coaching is
one of the popular methods that would work very well for nontechnical and
nonperformance applications (2020, 2017, 2009).
The downside of non-directive coaching is the fact that this approach
can take a long time to produce the outcome and for the coachees to come
to their conclusions. In some cases, they may not reach any conclusions by
themselves.

Directive Coaching
In the directive coaching approach, the coaches are more directly involved
with coaching by providing their knowledge, experience, and profes-
sional advice because they are a subject matter expert. The coaches and
coachees’ relationship in this approach is very similar to athletic coaching
where the coaches ask some questions to understand the mindset of the
coachees or to see what they are resisting, or stopped by, after which the
coaches provide their input and even show the coachees a “how-to” (2020,
2017, 2009). Because of this, directive coaching is popular among technical
and performance-related professionals (see Figure 1.3).
One of the biggest benefits of the directive coaching approach is to be
used when the coachees cannot recognize the issue at hand or simply do
not know what else to do! This deficit might be caused by a lack of experi-
ence, knowledge, or simply an unmatched performance level required for
that particular job, work, or position.
The downside of directive coaching is that the coachees may not understand
the concept or techniques independently and might take a little more time
than usual to practice and build their experience. However, with their effort on
20 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Figure 1.3 Side-by-Side Comparison of Directive and Nondirective Coaching Approaches.

Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

learning, their manager or supervisor’s support, their application of examina-

tions, and their evaluation for effectiveness and performance, the knowledge
will saddle in, and the coachees will be able to repeat what they have learned.
While reading this book and applying its tools and techniques, remem-
ber that all coaching conversations and approaches are based on directive
coaching. We attempt to develop you as a high-performance coach and an
effective manager-as-coach to provide professional and relevant performance
coaching for your employees.

Survey About Coaching Effectiveness

In 2020, one of this book’s authors surveyed several organizations’ execu-
tives about their perceptions regarding coaching in their organizations. The
survey helped to learn more about coaching and its models for affecting
productivity and professional growth. The details, methodology, and results
of this research on coaching follow.
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 21

Research Main Questions and Survey Statements

To achieve the purpose of this survey, five main questions were selected as
primary research questions for this survey. Each main question (RQ) had
three survey statements (SS) that would enable the survey to allow to expand
its findings. Please note that, on the following questions, when we use the
term Coaching Programs, this includes different forms of coaching—such as
organization coaching, team coaching, executive coaching, managerial coach-
ing, performance coaching, individual coaching, and group coaching.

Criteria for Selecting Participants

All survey participants were executives, senior managers, department man-
agers, or business owners/operators.

Criteria and Approach

Participants had to (1) have at least ten employees, (2) have been in business
for at least five years, and (3) have participated in coaching programs with
Primeco Education. For this survey, this author uses “Coaching Programs” to
mean executive coaching, managers’ training, performance coaching team
training and development, OD, and personal and professional development
seminars and workshops. The research survey (including fifteen statements:
5 RQ and 3 SS for each) went to 70 potential participants by email invitation.
Eighty percent (fifty six out of seventy) of participants responded within the
designated 18-day survey period.

Likert Five-Level Response

To conduct a short study, this author selected the survey and questionnaire
methods. According to Trochim and Donnelly (2008), survey research is one
of the most valuable parts of measurement in many applied social types
of research. One of the most popular interval-level response formats is the
Likert Five-Level Response format, which was used on our survey. The fol-
lowing is an example of such a format used by our research survey:

1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
Disagree Agree
22 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Results
The following are the results of this short survey:
RQ#1: Is coaching an effective approach to an organization’s pro-
ductivity? 86.31% of responses to the three supportive survey statements
resulted in a combination of 54.76% who chose Strongly Agree and 31.55% who
chose Agree with a Mean of 4.39 out of a Maximum of 5 (see Tables 1.1 and 1.6).

Table 1.1 Results of Survey for the Research Question #1.

  Research Questions and Statements
RQ#1 Is Coaching an Effective Approach to an Strongly
Organization’s Productivity? Agree Agree
SS#1 Coaching programs had a positive impact on 71.43% 23.21%
increasing our productivity.
SS#2 Coaching programs increased our employees’ 46.43% 37.50%
attention to detail.
SS#3 Coaching programs positively affected product 46.43% 33.93%
quality and speed of production.
Survey Statements (SS) Average 54.76% 31.55%
Research Question #1 (RQ#1) Total of Strongly Agree and 86.31%
Agree

RQ#2: Could coaching be used for developing leadership among

managers? 93.69% of responses to the three supportive survey statements
resulted in a combination of 59.17% who chose Strongly Agree and 34.52%
who chose Agree, with a Mean of 4.50 out of a Maximum of 5 (see Tables 1.2
and 1.6):

Table 1.2 Results of Survey for the Research Question #2.

  Research Questions and Statements
RQ#2 Can Coaching Be Used for Developing Leadership Strongly
Among Managers? Agree Agree
SS#4 Coaching programs increased the level of leadership 64.29% 32.14%
in our business.
SS#5 Coaching programs increased our manager’s 55.36% 37.50%
involvement with our employees.
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 23

SS#6 Coaching programs increased our manager’s initiating 53.57% 33.93%

of a team approach more often.
Survey Statements (SS) Average 59.17% 34.52%
Research Question #2 (RQ#2) Total of Strongly Agree and Agree 93.69%

RQ#3: Is coaching influencing workforce attitude and behavior pos-

itively? 80.69% of responses to the three supportive survey statements resulted
in a combination of 44.98% who chose Strongly Agree and 35.71% who chose
Agree, with a Mean of 4.23 out of a Maximum of 5 (see Tables 1.3 and 1.6):

Table 1.3 Results of Survey for the Research Question #3.

  Research Questions and Statements
RQ#3 Is Coaching Positively Influencing Workforce Attitude Strongly
and Behavior? Agree Agree
SS#7 Coaching programs brought our workforce closer 53.57% 35.71%
together.
SS#8 Coaching programs caused a decrease in our 28.57% 33.93%
employees’ absences and lateness.
SS#9 Coaching programs increased the level of respect and 52.79% 37.50%
camaraderie among our employees.
Survey Statements (SS) Average 44.98% 35.71%
Research Question #3 (RQ#3) Total of Strongly Agree and Agree 80.69%

RQ#4: Does coaching organize a competitive edge? 82.73% of responses

to the three supportive survey statements resulted in a combination of 45.83%
who chose Strongly Agree and 36.90% who chose Agree, with a Mean of 4.27
out of a Maximum of 5 (see Tables 1.4 and 1.6):

Table 1.4 Results of Survey for the Research Question #4.

  Research Questions and Statements
Strongly
RQ#4 Does Coaching Organize a Competitive Edge? Agree Agree
SS#10 Coaching programs had a positive impact on our 42.86% 37.50%
teams, producing fewer errors.
(Continued)
24 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Table 1.4 (Continued)

  Research Questions and Statements
Strongly
RQ#4 Does Coaching Organize a Competitive Edge? Agree Agree
SS#11 Coaching programs increased our customer 48.21% 41.07%
satisfaction and customer retention.
SS#12 Coaching programs expedited and increased our 46.43% 32.14%
business expansion.
Survey Statements (SS) Average 45.83% 36.90%
Research Question #4 (RQ#4) Total of Strongly Agree and Agree 82.73%

RQ#5: Does coaching have a positive influence on employee perfor-

mance? 80.36% of responses to the three supportive survey statements resulted
in a combination of 44.05% who chose Strongly Agree and 36.31% who chose
Agree, with a Mean of 4.22 out of a Maximum of 5 (see Tables 1.5 and 1.6):

Table 1.5 Results of Survey for the Research Question #5.

  Research Questions and Statements
RQ#5 Does Coaching Have a Positive Influence on Employee Strongly
Performance? Agree Agree
SS#13 Coaching programs increased our employees’ 33.93% 35.71%
retention.
SS#14 Coaching programs increased ownership attitude 46.43% 42.86%
among our employees.
SS#15 Coaching programs created an environment of 51.79% 30.36%
partnership among our employees.
Survey Statements (SS) Average 44.05% 36.31%
Research Question #5 (RQ#5) Total of Strongly Agree and Agree 80.36%

Table 1.6 Summary and Distribution of the Survey Results (Measures of Center
and Measures of Spread).
Field Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Variance Count
RQ#1 Is coaching an effective approach to an organization’s productivity?
SS#1 1 5 4.63 0.72 0.52 56
SS#2 1 5 4.27 0.83 0.70 56
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 25

SS#3 3 5 4.27 0.77 0.59 56

Average Mean 4.39
RQ#2 Can coaching be used for developing leadership among managers?
SS#4 3 5 4.61 0.56 0.31 56
SS#5 3 5 4.48 0.63 0.39 56
SS#6 3 5 4.41 0.70 0.49 56
Average Mean 4.50
RQ#3 Is coaching positively influencing workforce attitude and behavior?
SS#7 3 5 4.43 0.68 0.46 56
SS#8 1 5 3.86 0.91 0.84 56
SS#9 3 5 4.41 0.68 0.46 56
Average Mean 4.23
RQ#4 Does coaching organize a competitive edge?
SS#10 3 5 4.23 0.76 0.57 56
SS#11 3 5 4.38 0.67 0.45 56
SS#12 2 5 4.21 0.86 0.74 56
Average Mean 4.27
RQ#5 Does coaching have a positive influence on employee performance?
SS#13 2 5 4.00 0.87 0.75 56
SS#14 2 5 4.34 0.71 0.51 56
SS#15 2 5 4.32 0.80 0.65 56
Average Mean 4.22

Overall, in all five research questions and categories, the survey results
showed strong support and agreement on the positive impact and effect
of coaching programs on OD and employees’ performance, productiv-
ity, and positive attitude. Table 1.6 represents the summary results of the
survey:
The overall results of this survey indicated how business and organiza-
tional professional coaching have a positive impact on workforces (including
management) increasing productivity, performance at a higher level, having
26 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

a positive attitude and productive behavior, and providing leadership at all

levels of management.

Tips for Successful Coaching

We have found these tips to be helpful in guiding successful coaching of
any kind:

◾ Remember that coaching is a relationship

– As a coach, you are always in a two-way relationship with your
coachee. Building a background of relatedness and establishing
rapport is a key to starting mutual trust and a workable coaching
environment (Bakhshandeh 2009). We will discuss the concept of
building rapport on a much deeper level in Chapter 4.
◾ Don’t take over
– It is natural for a coach to take over and tell the coachee what to
do during coaching because the coach knows what is needed. This
approach will create resistance to the coaching process and will neg-
atively influence the coaching relationship and damage the coachee’s
trust (Worley 2012; Bakhshandeh 2009).
◾ Select the best coaching method
– Coaching is not a “one size fits all” approach. As a skilled and devel-
oped coach, you need to select the coaching type based on the
apparent needs for change in an individual or the issues relating to
team performance (Bakhshandeh 2009).
◾ Coaching is an inquiry
– As much as individuals or teams express their desires or attention
to get to a certain point during the coaching or by the end of the
coaching structure, there are no pinpoint ends to a change approach.
Coaching magic arises from the journey.

Coaching and Developmental Questions for Managers

We ask you to answer the following discussion questions and express
your perspectives on what coaching is, how the coaching process works,
and some best practices you can implement to lead to practical coaching
approach with your team members, individually or as a team:
 The General Concept of Coaching ◾ 27

(1) How do you rate yourself from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being
the highest) on clearly understanding what coaching is and how it
works?
(2) How do you rate yourself from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10
being the highest) about your ability to conduct an effective coaching
structure?
(3) What area of coaching do you think you need to develop or experience
more?

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Chapter 2

Performance Coaching
Behnam Bakhshandeh

This chapter defines performance coaching, distinguishing its related ele-

ments and addresses these questions:

◾ What is performance?
◾ What is performance coaching?
◾ What is the high-performance coaching model?
◾ What is performance conversation?
◾ Who is a high-performance coach?
◾ What are the elements of the high-performance coaching process?
◾ What conditions are essential for effective performance coaching?
◾ What competencies do high-performance coaches need?
◾ What is the relationship between coach and coachee?
◾ How does high-performance coaching support business competitive
advantage?

What Is Performance?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary (2021), performance is defined as:

◾ the execution of an action

◾ something accomplished: deed, feat
◾ fulfilling a claim, promise, or request: implementation
◾ the action of representing a character in a play
◾ a public presentation or exhibition

DOI: 10.4324/9781003155928-3 31
32 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

◾ the ability to perform: efficiency

◾ how a mechanism performs the engine
◾ the manner of reacting to stimuli: behavior

Bailey (1982) defined performance as “the result of a pattern of actions carried

out to satisfy an objective according to some standard” (4). Performance con-
notes not just actions or behaviors; rather, it also implies the results achieved. To
emphasize that point, “performance is equated with results; behavior is equated
only with the actions to achieve results” (Rothwell and Kazanas 2003, 402).
According to Bailey (1982), job performance consists of:

(1) who?—the individual conducting the performance,

(2) what?—the activity, the job, the work, and
(3) where?—the context of the job and work (Rothwell and Kazanas 2003).

But performance may also imply the values demonstrated by the actions and
results. What issues are important to the organization? Values underlie the
actions and results. Further, performance also implies the ethics or morale
stance demonstrated by the actions and results. What is good or bad, and
what does morality indicate about the behaviors displayed and the actions
achieved? (Rothwell 2015).
According to Whitmore (2009), the dictionary described performance as
“the execution of the functions required of one” (95). However, Whitmore
(2009) was not satisfied by this simple definition, and he called it “the mini-
mum necessary to get by” (95) and added “that is not performance in my
view; it is not what I refer to in coaching as performance” (95). The phrase
high performance occurs when individuals, teams, or groups set their own
goals and standards at a level beyond what their coaches, managers, or
organizations expect of them. Customarily, high-performance individuals
and teams establish standards that exceed what others demand or expect of
them (Wilson 2020). We call this the Olympian’s or champion’s quality.
Figure 2.1 displays environmental elements affecting human performance.

What Is Performance Coaching?

The phrase performance coaching refers to a category of coaching that
advises workers about how they should behave and what results they should
 Performance Coaching ◾ 33

Figure 2.1 The Elements of Human Performance.

Source: Adapted from Rothwell and Kazanas (2003).

achieve. It clarifies the means (behaviors) and ends (results) to be achieved.

Unlike nondirective coaching, which prompts coachees to reflect on their
own, performance coaching relies on the experience of the coach to direct
the coachees’ attention to what should be achieved.
Performance coaching can be an important tool for managers faced with
workers who do not achieve the results that the organization requires or
who behave in ways not aligned with organization policies, procedures,
or managerial expectations. Through coaching, managers or experienced
coworkers guide workers through what they should do, how they should
behave, and how best to measure success. Performance coaching often plays
a key role in performance management, performance evaluation, and perfor-
mance reviews. Workers cannot achieve necessary results if they are unclear
what they are. Performance coaching clarifies what measurable results
should be achieved.
34 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Application of Directive Coaching in High-Performance

Coaching
As we underlined the directive coaching approach in Chapter 1, the coaches
are more directly involved with coaching by providing their knowledge,
experience, and professional advice because they are a subject matter
expert. As we have mentioned previously, the primary benefits of the direc-
tive coaching approach are to be used when employees cannot recognize
the issue at hand or simply do not know what to do or what else to do,
directly affecting their performance. This deficit might be caused by a lack
of experience, knowledge, or simply an unmatched performance level
required for that particular job, work, or position.
A high-performance coach or a manager-as-coach needs to add one more
essential element to your toolbox of experience and knowledge. That is your
mindset, which will become one of the most usable tools you can provide
for empowering and developing your employees’ performances.
Figure 2.2 depicts the three main aspects of what we call the Directive
Coach’s Assets Wheels. Please look at Figure 2.2 and as you read the content,

Figure 2.2 Directive Coach Assets Wheels. Author’s original creation.

Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.
 Performance Coaching ◾ 35

try to recognize the level of possession or lack of such elements within

yourself.
These three main wheels are source directive coaches’ power and ability
to understand their workers and be able to provide direct coaching that is
sourced by their own coach’s mindset, knowledge, and experience.

Mindset
At this segment, we briefly touch on mindset and its effect on our minds
and ultimately on our actions and decisions. In the next chapter, we will go
a little deeper on the topic of mindset. Mindset is based on one’s life events,
experiences, upbringing, perceived reality, beliefs, interests, and motivations.
The individuals collect these experiences and influence during their cogni-
tive growth and personality development (Bakhshandeh 2009). How you
see the world around you affects your decisions and actions for or against
that world, environment, or individuals? As a high-performance coach, with
outmost honesty and authenticity, you need to get clear about how you view
and see yourself (manager, supervisor, coach, boss), others (your employees,
subordinates, workers, coachees), and what you do (your job and the work
itself) (Bakhshandeh 2015; Bakhshandeh 2009). Your mindset will make or
break your relationship with your team and the employees you are coach-
ing. The degree with which your mindset affects your attitude will appear in
your relationship with your coachees. For you to be able to be effective with
your them and provide them with your information and experience is all
dependent on your attitude and the way you are relating to them. Without
that positive and uplifting attitude, your knowledge and experience will not
be welcome by others. Your mindset is the key to be an effective perfor-
mance coach.

Knowledge
After developing and establishing a healthy, positive, and productive mind-
set, the next elements are coaches’ knowledge, information, and compe-
tencies that they have accumulated and built throughout their careers. The
coaches’ knowledge will help the coachees to learn new approaches to
increase performance and productivity. The performance coaches tell the
coachees what needs to get done and the reasons behind what they ask the
them to do; that way, the relationship becomes one of learning and develop-
ment at the same time.
36 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Experience
The Coaches’ experiences (personal or professional) are powerful assets of
a performance coach. There is something that comes with experience that
nobody can buy or just add to their portfolio. These experiences come from
hard work, learned skills, accumulated series of “how-to’s,” and a history of
facing challenges that resulted in many breakdowns before finally earning
that mastery. Combining the coaches’ experiences with their knowledge and
their powerful mindsets will yield productive workers and increased levels
of performance.

Elements of High-Performance Coaching

Process by a Manager-as-Coach
Figure 2.3 displays the general steps in the performance coaching pro-
cess and intervention from start to finish. Consider this process as a broad
approach for encouraging and empowering employees to improve their

Figure 2.3 Elements of High-Performance Coaching Process by a Manager-as-Coach.

Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.
 Performance Coaching ◾ 37

productivity. The general steps in this process can be modified to address

the needs of specific workers and situations or the type of intervention that
is implemented by high-performance coaches or managers-as-coaches. These
steps, together or individually, can also be used to manage meetings or just
conversations among managers and employees or managers and a team.
The wisdom of these steps and process is in their versatility and application
in many situations or scenarios and the support they are providing for the
implementation of the high-performance coaching model (see Figure 2.6).

Step 1: Establish Rapport

Rapport connects people positively. It means they can relate to each other.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary (2021) defines rapport as a “relation charac-
terized by harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity.” Rapport leads to con-
tinued communication and collaboration between two people. Sometimes
rapport is established immediately; sometimes it takes time to build the
trust necessary for a rapport. However, it takes all parties in a relationship
to establish workable rapport (Angelo 2012). We will describe rapport in a
much deeper fashion in Chapter 4.
The success of performance coaching depends on the depth of the
established rapport and how much people trust managers and welcome the
coaching relationship (Whitmore 2017; Rothwell, Stavros, and Sullivan 2016;
Cummings and Worley 2015; Bakhshandeh 2008).

Step 2: Recognize the Issue or Need

Sometimes people feel the need to improve their performance. Sometimes
a manager notices that workers need to change for the better. Sometimes
other people in teams or groups note that a coworker needs performance
improvement or attitude adjustment because it impacts the team. An issue
or need must be recognized before it can be addressed. Chapter 5 builds a
deeper understanding of how to clarify the present situation or issue.

Step 3: Envision the Outcome

Once the need or issue is recognized, the coaches need to help the
coachees to envision the outcome of the performance coaching process.
They must see the future of what would happen when the gap between the
present issues or needs are closed and what is possible for them and their
38 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

teams or departments after going through the performance coaching. This

is not a step to miss or cut because coaches want to save time. This step is
essential to the success of the process and makes the subordinates partners
in the process versus simply resisting the process and just going through
the motions because their managers want them to do something. One very
important note: If the coaches can’t see and envision the outcome, neither
will the coachees! When the coaches see the outcome of coaching, and the
coaches’ goals are clear and owned by the coachees, the processing moves
in a productive direction; motivation is the fuel for the coachees’ perfor-
mance (2017, 2016, 2015, 2008).

Step 4: Establish Positive Mindset and Attitude

In this step, coaches recognize as the coachees’ mindset through the process
of needs assessment. It often results from friendly conversations and informal
interviews that avoid stimulating resistance and self-defense. It is very rare for
managers to know their subordinates well and understand who they are, what
they think, and how they can relate to them. It is easy to judge others based
on what we observe on the surface by just seeing their performance and then
jumping to conclusions about their mindsets and attitudes. Having good rap-
port minimizes resistance in this step. Individuals display resistance to change
because they don’t see the results desired, don’t think they need to change,
think other people around them need to change, or conclude that change
indicates that something is wrong with them. Effective communication and
active listening skills are essential to this step’s success for coaches (2017, 2016,
2015, 2008). More details about the step will be presented in Chapters 5 and 6.

Step 5: Provide Coaching and Conduct Inquiry

First, the coaches and the coachees need to create a structure for the coach-
ing relationship that describes when they will conduct any session, how
long each session will last, and how they will conduct the coaching process
without interfering with the coachees’ departments or team processes. For
this, the coaches/managers need to provide resources to provide a success-
ful process. These resources can be available in length of time, proper time
off for the subordinates, training materials, information, equipment, budget
for providing outsourced information or third-party involvement, privacy for
conducting the coaching, senior managers alignment and support, and the
personal commitment from the subordinates/coachees. Coaches should not
 Performance Coaching ◾ 39

present themselves as experts or bosses. Nor should they expect coachees

to do what they ask without questions.

Step 6: Action Plan for Developing Skills and Competencies

One important element of performance coaching is to understand the com-
petencies that need to be developed. This information can be uncovered
during (1) the needs assessment process, (2) informal conversation and
interviewing the coachees, (3) reviewing coachees’ history and employment
records, and (4) confidential interviewing of coachees’ direct managers and
teammates. After recognizing the needed skills and competencies, coaches
should create an action plan on how they will build competencies in the
coachees. The managers/coaches should use positive coaching approaches to
make sure the coachees are empowered. Many coaching models are avail-
able that could provide a framework—and they include appreciative inquiry
(AI) coaching, positive psychology coaching, and strength-based coach-
ing. The key to coaching success is for the coaches to know (1) to create
an action plan to which the coachees agree, (2) to monitor and assess the
progress, (3) to establish responsibilities for both parties, (4) to push, and (5)
to hold the coachees accountable for their performances during the coaching
process (2017, 2016, 2015, 2008). We will talk about this step in Phase Four
(Implementation and Evaluation) of this book.

Step 7: Track and Manage the Progress

Providing coaching is one thing, but tracking and managing the coaching prog-
ress is different. Tracking the process helps both parties see what needs to be
changed, implemented, or discarded. Managing the process helps the coaches
make sure the coachees not only receive new information but also implement,
practice, and build skills regarding the new. This is something that many man-
agers miss. Knowing something does not mean managers can coach others
about that information or teach how to do it. Researchers have concluded that
smoking and eating fattening food are not good health habits, but do these
conclusions stop people from smoking or eating fattening food? Some coach-
ing skills that would reinforce the coaching progress are to (1) make a connec-
tion between learning skills and implement them for the coachees, (2) have a
regular follow up and discussion on the action plan items, (3) review coachees’
mistakes or off-track issues, (4) remove nonperformance and irrelevant issues,
and (5) provide feedback. We shall have more to say about feedback in the
40 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

next step (2017, 2016, 2015, 2008). We will also focus on that in greater detail in
Phase Four (Implementation and Evaluation) of this book.

Step 8: Provide Feedback and Redirect

Providing good feedback empowers coachees to continue their work con-
structively. Given the coaches and coachees have established good rapport
and establish the structure for their relationship, there exists open commu-
nication which enhances the coaching relationship. Giving feedback is a big
part of open communication between coaches and coachees. The managers’/
coaches’ feedback should be done regularly, so the progress would not be
interrupted or get on the wrong track. The feedback process could simply
be implemented by conducting inquiries and reviewing the coaching pro-
cess results. Managers can use (1) constructive feedback based on providing
feedback on a situation or process related to improving something and (2)
positive feedback usually based on recognizing the coachees’ efforts. Both
forms of feedback can be used during the coaching process to improve the
coachee’s motivation. Some modifications in the action plan might be in
order based on feedback results and what came out of coaching conversa-
tions (2017, 2016, 2015, 2008). In further sections of this book, we explain
the benefits of feedback for achieving higher employee performance.

Step 9: Evaluate the Progress and Adjust

Another critical element of this process is to evaluate, and when neces-
sary, adjust, the coaching approach periodically. Many forms of employee
performance and coaching evaluations are possible. Examples include (1)
Self-Assessment, (2) 360 Degree Rating, (3) Skills Evaluation, (4) Goals and
Results Assessment, and (5) Graphic Rating Scale (Rothwell et al. 2016;
Cummings and Worley 2015). However, the peer review is one valuable,
accurate approach to evaluation. It is based on interviewing the coachees’
coworkers and teammates about the on-the-job applications of coaching on
the attitudes, behaviors, and work performance of the coachee (2017, 2016,
2015, 2008). We will touch on this matter in Chapter 15.

Step 10: Recognize, Acknowledge, and Reward

Coaches should recognize, acknowledge, and reward coachees for their posi-
tive progress. Acknowledging coachee progress empowers coachees’ prog-
ress and creates positive conditioning that will encourage more progress.
 Performance Coaching ◾ 41

Rewarding the efforts could include private and/or public recognition of

progress and eventually even a promotion or increased compensation. A
reward, therefore, is due to those coachees who successfully undertake
changes in attitudes, behaviors, and performance (2017, 2016, 2015, 2008).

Conditions for Delivering Effective Performance Coaching

Performance coaching does not end upon the conclusion of a session or a
coaching program. Coaching is a means rather than an end. It is a support
system that focuses on empowering individuals and teams to realize their
potential (Bakhshandeh 2009). Job performance does not improve on its
own or by having individuals participate in performance coaching. In fact,
performance coaching is most effective when the organization’s leaders and
corporate culture support the coaching process. We will touch on organiza-
tional and individual commitments to coaching later in this chapter.
A performance coaching culture is established in an organization when
the organization’s leaders model it, encourage it, discuss it, recognize it, and
reward it. Of course, it helps if talent development and learning and devel-
opment managers use their internal coaches or hire external coaches to train
the coaching managers on the following issues:

An Environment of Mutual Trust and Respect

Establishing rapport with trust and respect is a great start to create openness
for the coachees—especially if performance issues and tensions exist in the
coachees’ work environment or department (Whitmore 2017; Bakhshandeh
2009; Pfeiffer 1990).

Manager’s Supportive, Compassionate, and Empathetic Attitude

The assigned manager who performs as a coach must have a supportive
attitude and display empathy for coachees, who are probably subordinate to
this manager-coach or someone in another department. This attitude from
coaches helps the coachees to feel safe and understood (2017, 2009, 1990).

Establishing Effective Discussion

Coaching is a collaborative process to finding solutions. It is not a dog-
matic view of the issues. Performance coaching will be effective when the
coachees’ desired goals are consistent with their managers’ intentions and
42 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

the teams’ or departments’ goals. Intentionality and purposeful discussions

make a difference in producing valuable results in the coaching relationship
(2017, 2009, 1990).

Emphasizing Work-Related Objectives

The performance coaching process should focus on work-related goals and
emphasize how to remove obstacles that coachees face. If unrelated issues
surface during the coaching conversations—and they often do surface—
the coaches/managers should bring the conversation back to focus on the
coachees’ roles in their work, department, and organizational settings (2017,
2009, 1990).

No Discussions of Employment Benefits

Employment-related issues including salary, bonus, rewards, raises, days
off, or vacations should not become a focus of discussion in a performance
coaching session. Attention devoted to these issues will usually distract from
performance-related issues and will take away from the intentions to assist
the coachees in making work improvements (2017, 2009, 1990).

Potential Objectives for Performance Coaching

Like any other effort to improve goals, performance coaching also needs
to have clear objectives. The following objectives should assist coaches or
managers in supporting the coachees or subordinates during the coaching
process:

◾ establish a safe, nonthreatening environment for coachees/subordinates

to express their concerns and issues
◾ create and improve the coachees’/subordinates’ knowledge and under-
standing of their strengths and weaknesses
◾ support efforts by coachees/subordinates to realize their potential
◾ improve the coachees’/subordinates’ knowledge and appreciation of
their work environment and their relationship with coworkers and
colleagues
◾ give constructive feedback on coachees’/subordinates’ behavior and
attitude to improve their understanding of their own interpersonal
effectiveness
 Performance Coaching ◾ 43

◾ assist coachees/subordinates in analyzing their interpersonal competen-

cies and help them develop what is missing in that domain
◾ review the coachees’/subordinates’ personal goals and their relevance to
their professional objectives
◾ detect any obstacles that stand in the way of coachees achieving their
goals or delaying their progress
◾ provide support for the coachees/subordinates in creating action plans
for dealing with recognized issues
◾ support efforts by coachees/subordinates to review and create realistic
goals for improving their performance
◾ be available to the coachees/subordinates for future discussions and
support while implementing their action plans
(Whitmore 2017; Bakhshandeh 2009; Pfeiffer 1990)

The Benefit of Coaching for Individuals

The benefits of performance coaching are not limited to mere work-related
benefits. Often participants benefit on a personal level and have a positive
impact on their lives. People have reported the positive results they have
received from coaching. These benefits include:

◾ increased personal velocity and success

◾ increased productivity and levels of personal performance
◾ recaptured interests and passions in life and related activities
◾ ability to accomplish more in less time with relevantly less efforts
◾ new imagination and ways of self-expression
◾ a new life vision and new practices in their lives
◾ improved communications, understanding, and empathy
◾ increased personal and professional efficiency and effectiveness
(Bakhshandeh 2015; Bakhshandeh 2009)

What Is Performance Conversation?

Given that the concept of coaching and that the coaching relationship
is happening in communication and conversation among the coaches
and coachees, it will be beneficial to talk about the role of Performance
Conversation, what it is, what it is not, and what to look for when you as a
44 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

high-performance coach and manager-as-coach are delivering it during the

interrelationship with your coachees/employees.

Performance Conversation Is Not a

Performance Assessment or Meeting
High-performance coaches understand that the best way to accomplish
results during their conversation with their employees is to not feel they are
being judged, assessed, or evaluated for their performance but to be directed
and coached by someone on their side. Establishing a rapport (we will talk
about this in Chapter 4), displaying good intentions and positive attitudes
and nonjudgmental behaviors, and not using authoritarian force are help-
ing high-performance coaches to have workable and effective performance
conversations that make a difference for employees. As Lee (2021) men-
tioned, the other alternatives to this approach will be conflicts, continued
destructive behaviors, and more separation between managers and employ-
ees. “Traditional appraisals do not encourage open conversations or healthy
debate because they are too focused on delivering judgment and justifying
the power held by a supervisor” (Lee 2021, 21).
The coaches and the coachees need to understand that their performance
conversation is a proven technique for high-performance coaching, not a
meeting about the employees’ performance discussion. The performance
conversation has its purposes and operates within a certain framework
inside a performance coaching model, using a series of established manage-
ment practices (Lee 2021; Cardy and Leonard 2011).

Using Positivity for Producing Long-Lasting Outcome

Using positive psychology and AI are proven in the coaching and man-
agement practices. These approaches seek what is possible and positive
and what works about the coachees and the situations. These coaching
approaches are tapping into the “unlimited human potential to create,
thrive, build, seek, and innovate. Unlike appraisals, they also build upon
strengths and do not focus on deficits or gaps” (Lee 2021, 23). You, as
professional high-performance coaches or managers-as-coaches, need to
familiarize yourselves with these two powerful distinctions for performance
conversations during performance coaching.
The following sections briefly touch on and explain the concepts of (1)
Positive Psychology and (2) Appreciative Inquiry as two effective models for
 Performance Coaching ◾ 45

conducting Performance Conversations. For further information, please look

at “Appendix A” in addition to your own research and reading about these
two powerful tools for performance coaching and performance conversation.

Positive Psychology
The term Positive Psychology was initially created by Abraham Maslow.
Later, Martin Seligman pioneered Positive Psychology as a psychological
approach based on scientific research and systematic theories. This innova-
tive approach looks into why people are happy and what it takes to keep
the happiness as the main element of their lives and productivity (Seligman
2002). Rao (2013) underlined positive psychology to be considered as the sci-
ence of “human flourishing” or what could be portrayed as the “anatomy of
happiness.” According to Gable and Haidt (2005), “It is the study of positive
emotions and experiences that contribute to flourishing and optimal per-
formance” (22). As noted by Seligman on the Positive Psychology Website,
“Positive psychology seeks to understand and build the strengths and virtues
that enable individuals and communities to thrive” (Rao 2013, 209).
Through a series of research and study, conducting massive and extensive
questionnaires, Seligman discovered that the most fulfilled and optimistic
people were ones who found and utilized what Seligman called their “signa-
ture strengths.” These strengths included but were not limited to humanity,
self-restraint, and persistence. His vision of happiness was backed by the
quality and the ethics of Confucius, Mencius, and Aristotle, plus the power
of modern psychology, using empowering theories, such as motivation and
self-awareness, Seligman concluded that personal happiness in one’s life
has three proportions that one can develop, nurture, and encourage: (1) the
Pleasant Life, (2) the Good Life, and (3) the Meaningful Life (Seligman 2002).
Feelings and emotions have a strong impact on thoughts, which, in turn,
cause actions. But which one comes first? Do feelings generate thoughts, or
do thoughts create feelings? It is difficult to speak scientifically, and with cer-
tainty about which one comes first and affects the other. However, it can be
said that either way can be true and could happen. Sometimes when feeling
sad, upset, or resentful, negative thoughts filter in about ourselves, oth-
ers, or the situation itself. Other times, those negative thoughts about some
past events or relationships might initiate feelings of sadness, being upset,
or even experiencing anxiety. This process also applies to having positive
thoughts which generate positive feelings or feelings which bring back some
happy thoughts (Bakhshandeh 2015).
46 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Based on the foundation of Positive Psychology, selecting happiness will

generate it more often. Positive psychologists focus on the positive side of
people’s lives and emphasize what is working in their lives versus what is
not working. It means looking at the brighter side of the issue, or as an old
saying goes, looking at the glass as half full versus half empty. A big move-
ment and a whole new field of research of this empowering approach exist
and have a great influence on individual and team coaching approaches
with direct and positive results on individual interventions.

Appreciative Inquiry
This segment is an introduction to AI and its related concepts, design, and
principles. Many professional consultants are familiar with and use AI in
their work as AI Practitioners with organizations and as a form of individual
intervention and executive coaching. AI is a process and approach for cre-
ating a positive change. This process is applicable to individuals, such as
executives or senior/junior managers, a particular department or a team in
the company, or to the organization as a whole. AI can be used for strategic
planning, cultural transformation, staff training, future building, and leader-
ship development (Cooperrider, Whitney, and Stavros 2008).
According to Cooperrider and Whitney (n.d.), “Appreciative Inquiry is the
cooperative search for the best in people, their organizations, and the world
around them. It involves systematic discovery of what gives a system ‘life’
when it is most effective and capable in economic, ecological, and human
terms” (“Appreciative Inquiry Commons” n.p.). Fundamentally, AI processes
are comprised of asking a series of empowering and positive questions
that reinforce and increase the potential for people to raise possibilities
in a positive and nonthreatening environment. According to White (1996),
“Appreciative Inquiry focuses us on the positive aspects of our lives and
leverages them to correct the negative. It’s the opposite of problem-solving”
(“Appreciative Inquiry Commons” n.p.).
Regardless of how the Appreciative Inquiry Model (AIM) is one of the
main approaches of Organization Development (OD), in many ways, it is
different from traditional OD. That being said, one can conclude that AI has
its own concepts and is operating from its own distinct paradigm. According
to Cooperrider et al. (2008), the concept of the AI paradigm is that human
beings regularly explore ways to organize their emotions, thoughts, and
beliefs into tidy and easy-to-understand contexts in order to better com-
prehend complex notions and ideas. Because of this, when we gather and
 Performance Coaching ◾ 47

organize complex notions and ideas into a simple and easy-to-understand

context, then we have formed a paradigm.

The Five Principles of Appreciative Coaching

Sourced by Appreciative Inquiry
The appreciative coaching has five fundamental principles, which are
the core philosophy for its approach (Oren, Binkert, and Clancy 2007) as
follows:

◾ The Constructionist Principle. Throughout the intervention, the

coaches should look for statements by the coachees about their under-
standing of themselves and their perspective and fabric of their lives,
their families, and their careers and to keep bringing them back into
being whole and complete without any judgments on their past failures
and shortcomings. Coaches must make sure to point out their strengths,
their gifts, and abilities (Oren et al. 2007).
◾ The Positive Principle. The coaches should keep focusing on pre-
senting or emphasizing the positive effects around the coachees’
strengths and achievements. They should keep changing the coachees’
language by redirecting their negative and problematic language to
positive and resolution-related language (Oren et al. 2007).
◾ The Poetic Principle. The coaches must pay close attention to the
coachees’ stories that they are saying about themselves. They must use
the situations to encourage and assist them to rewrite elements of their
stories by establishing themselves in positive ways, distinguishing new
possibilities, and transforming their problems into strengths (Oren et al.
2007).
◾ The Simultaneity Principle. The coaches should keep in mind to
continue their inquiry as the source of awareness that would guide
the coachees to the change. The appropriate questions are helping the
coachees see their present challenges or hardships in a new perspec-
tive. They should pay attention to the connection between positive
inquiry and where it could take the coachees and their experiences
(Oren et al. 2007).
◾ The Anticipatory Principle. The coaches could be very instrumental
in assisting the coachees to generate positive and empowering views
of themselves via self-declarations and visions for their future. It is
an innate and natural characteristic of human beings to visualize and
anticipate their future (Oren et al. 2007).
48 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Stages of Appreciative Coaching

According to Cooperrider, Whitney, and Stavros (2003), “[t]he Appreciative
Inquiry, 4-D Cycle is a dynamic, iterative process of positive change” (101).
Besides the philosophical nature of Appreciative Inquiry, it is also an attempt
to arrive at a personal and professional change. Please note that later on the
fifth stage, the Define stage as the first stage of the process, was added to
the original 4-D Cycle, Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny and made it a
5-D Cycle (Watkins, Mohr, and Kelly 2011). Regardless of where or for what
purpose AI is being used, most of the time the AI approach includes the
aforementioned 5-D process, which could vary in duration. Depending on
the size of the organization and what needs to be achieved, this process can
go from something like two days to a year or more. Overall, the AI process
is empowering, positive, effective, and easy to comprehend.
During coaching sessions with clients, the coaches will guide the
coachees through the main five stages of AI and ask a set of questions
designed to walk them through the 5-D process and assist them in getting
present to their dreams and desired future from an empowering perspective
versus trying to overcome a possible failure. Basically, it is looking at “What
is working?” versus “What is wrong?” The phases of 5-D are as follows.
Figure 2.4 displays the process and relationship between the steps of AI
that high-performance coaches or mangers-as-coaches can use to support

Figure 2.4 Appreciative Inquiry Stages and Model.

Source: Adapted from Rothwell et al. (2016).
 Performance Coaching ◾ 49

the implementation of their high-performance coaching process and ques-

tioning process.

◾ Define Stage. In this stage, the coaches assist the coachees in defin-
ing their interests and desired topics for the coaching relationship. This
stage is about the coachees’ topics of interest and on what they are
focusing. In this stage, the coaches encourage the coachees to come
with ideas of who else needs to be involved and what they need to
bring to the game to accomplish their intention and the topic on which
they are focusing. The main inquiry in this stage is all about “what it is”
and “who is involved?” (Cooperrider et al. 2003).
◾ Discovery Stage. In this stage, coaches establish a positive connection
between themselves and the coachees and lead them to an empowering
view by confirming the wisdom of what is possible and to look at the
best aspects of what it is at this moment. This is the stage during which
the coaches will establish a positive connection with the coachees and
lead them to an empowering view of themselves. This is the stage for
assisting the coachees in creating possibilities and seeing opportunities
for themselves and their future. This stage is all about the coachees’
discoveries of what is possible and the source of their aspirations. The
primary inquiry in this stage is around “why things are the way they
are now” (Cooperrider et al. 2003).
◾ Dream Stage. In this stage, the coaches encourage the coachees to
generate empowering images of possibilities by inviting them to express
and share about their desired futures. The main inquiry in this stage
is about “what could be,” imagining what is possible for the coachees
and their lives. The coaches will encourage the coachees to imagine the
future and what their lives would look like in that future. In this stage,
the coaches are assisting the coachees to put their aspiring futures into
words and verbalize them (Cooperrider et al. 2003).
◾ Design Stage. In this stage, the coaches would support their coachees to
bring their desired dreams or futures into light and focus by asserting the
realities of those dreams or futures. This is the stage for inquiry in to “how
it could become” and defining the idyllic pictures of what the futures could
be. At this stage, the coaches assist the coachees to focus on their inten-
tions and confirm the reality of their dreams by supporting the coachees to
design an action plan established on reality (Cooperrider et al. 2003).
◾ Destiny Stage. This stage focuses on “what will be,” and how to
empower, learn, and adjust/improvise (Cooperrider et al. 2003, 101). At
50 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

this stage, the coaches help their coachees to distinguish their dreams
and realize them in the present time, by empowering them to expand
their capacity to create the desired future and inspire them to stick to
their action plans. In this stage, coachees learn to keep their dreams
alive and in front of themselves. The main inquiry at this stage is about
“what it will be” (Cooperrider et al. 2003).

Asking Positive Questions Lead to Positive Inquiry

and Change
As Lee (2021) stated, “[t]he statement that ‘positive questions lead positive
change’ should not need any scientific proof to be confirmed” (23). The use
of positive psychology and the application of AI bring positivity in per-
formance conversation and a high-performance coaching approach. The
Appreciative Inquiry Model with the positive psychology as the background
of the coaching approach uses a series of positive questions to uncover and
unleash the coachees’ potential, while focusing on individuals’ or teams’
strengths and what is working versus forcing on apparent problems or
weaknesses.

Elements of Performance Conversations Framework

The overall concept of the Performance Conversation approach has a
framework that utilizes a series of conversations and dialogues that pro-
mote a string of positive and effective outcomes for improving individuals,
teams, and organizations’ performances. Performance Conversation frame-
work assists high-performance coaches in delivering their coaching to an
employee or a team to produce greater success, develop more needed skills,
and inspire them to aim for gaining an overall professional career (Lee 2021;
Cardy and Leonard 2011). Table 2.1 displays these frameworks in regard to
the organization as well as to individuals and teams.

Performance Conversation Reflection

Table 2.2 is designed for high-performance coaches to review employees’
performance each quarter by asking the employees/coachees to look into
what they need to succeed in their performance. You, as high-performance
coaches or managers-as-coaches, can modify the quarterly list of questions
or ask the employee if they want to add anything new to this list.
 Performance Coaching ◾ 51

Table 2.1 Elements, Purpose, and Benefits of Strong Framework for Performance
Conversation.
Elements, Purpose, and Benefits of Strong Framework for Performance Conversation
For Organizations
# Area Purpose
1 Rapport Establishing and building a mutual, effective, and
purposeful relationship among the manager and employee
resulting in a professional partnership.
2 Coaching Concentrating on individuals, teams, and developing high
performance, productivity, and professional well-being.
3 Alignment Ensuring consistency in application and direction of
coaching efforts with other departments and overall
organizational vision and goals.
4 Performance Discovering pathways to empower individuals, teams, and
improvement departments to perform better, faster, and more effectively.
5 Responsibility and Giving responsibility and holding individuals and teams
accountability accountable for their work performance, work progress,
results, and overall success or failures.
6 Feedback Providing input and information as a result of observation,
conversation, or collected data concerning past or present
efforts, results, and behaviors.
7 Envisioning Envisioning the possibility of efforts and potential of
change interventions to make individual or team
performance improvements.
8 Investment Expending on budget, time, and effort for supporting
employees’ interest, engagement, and participation.
9 Retention Working on retaining employees who are providing values,
showing appreciation, and being productive and high
producers vital to their teams.
10 Developing Developing and building strength in individuals and teams
strengths to produce high performance and effective teams.
For Employees/Coachees
# Area Purpose
1 Career Discussing employees’ future with the organization or
development other career development, giving professional advice for
skill-building or improvement opportunities.

(Continued)
52 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Table 2.1 (Continued)

For Employees/Coachees
# Area Purpose
2 Affirmation Confirming employees’ correct career pathway and letting
them know they are doing well and progressing in their
process.
3 Growth and Discussing possibility for growth in available formal and
development informal opportunities to learn more and develop new
skills and competencies.
4 Promotability Defining employees’ interests and potential professional
growth in taking on promotions and new positions or
assignments.
5 Recognitions Appreciating and acknowledging an employees’ work
progress, performance, or success.
6 Leadership Providing space for employees to step into leadership
positions or have the opportunity to provide leadership in
their teams or departments.
7 Problem Solving Teaching problem-solving techniques and developing
employees to remove obstacles and barriers to their
higher performance.
8 Partnership Developing a working environment that promotes
partnership and creativity and acknowledges
collaborations.
9 Mentorship Acting as mentor side by side of the performance coaching
relationship and developing employees to mentor one
another in productivity and better performance.
10 Reflection Reflecting on their performance and the coaching
relationship to gain insight by reviewing or evaluating their
own efforts and gaining empowerment.
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

What Is Performance Management?

Performance coaching helps individuals improve their job performance. Per-
formance management is the process of identifying productivity targets for
individuals, teams, departments, divisions, or organizations. Consequently,
performance coaching can be a means to the end of improving performance
management.
 Performance Coaching ◾ 53

Table 2.2 Quarterly Performance Conversation and Reflection Check List for
Employees and Coachees.
Quarterly Performance Conversation and Reflection Check List
Participant: Team:
Supervisor: Department:
Directions:
This is completed quarterly based on short interviews and performance coaching
conversations.
These questions are part of a conversation between the coaches and coachees and
are designed to focus on all the things employees need to succeed in their job/
work and produce the expected performance and results. If you (coaches or
coachees) feel something is not mentioned or covered here, bring it up in the
conversation and add it for future use.
Not
Quarter Questions/Reflections Yes No Comment
Sure
I know what I need to do to be successful at
my job/work.
I know the reason for what I do and why it
matters.
I have all the support I need for completing
my job/work.
I have enough tools and resources to
perform my job/work.
1st
Quarter I have all the necessary skills and
competencies to complete my job/work.
I have all the needed training to perform my
job/work.
Other:
Other:
What I learned and how do I feel about today’s coaching and
performance conversation?

Questions/Reflections Answers
2nd
Quarter What are the two things I would change if I 1.
could change them? 2.
(Continued)
54 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Table 2.2 (Continued)

Quarterly Performance Conversation and Reflection Check List
Questions/Reflections Answers
What are the two actions that would produce 1.
a better outcome in my performance? 2.
What are the two obstacles that are 1.
hindering my job/work? 2.
What are the two things that I am enjoying 1.
most about my job/work? 2.
What are the two challenges in my job/work 1.
that make me feel fulfilled? 2.
Please explain “why” concerning the above 1.
question. 2.
Other:
Other:
What I learned and how do I feel about
today’s coaching and performance
conversation?

Not
Questions/Reflections Yes No Comment
Sure
I know what I need to do to be successful at
my job/work.
I know the reason for what I do and why it
matters.
I have all the support I need for completing
my job/work.
3rd
Quarter I have enough tools and resources to
perform my job/work.
I have all the necessary skills and
competencies to complete my job/work.
I have all the needed training to perform my
job/work.
Other:
Other:
 Performance Coaching ◾ 55

What I learned and how do I feel about

today’s coaching and performance
conversation?

Questions/Reflections Answers
What are the two things I would change if I 1.
could change them? 2.
What are the two actions that would produce 1.
a better outcome in my performance? 2.
What are the two obstacles that are 1.
hindering my job/work? 2.
What are the two things that I am enjoying 1.
4th most about my job/work? 2.
Quarter
What are the two challenges in my job/work 1.
that make me feel fulfilled? 2.
Please explain “why” concerning the above 1.
question. 2.
Other:
Other:
What I learned and how do I feel about today’s coaching and
performance conversation?
Source: Adapted from Lee (2021); Rothwell (2015); Cardy and Leonard (2011); Bakhs-
handeh (2008).

“Performance management is a critical and necessary component for

individuals and organizational effectiveness” (Cardy and Leonard 2011, 3).
Regardless of the improvement needed or planned, whether it be managing
a group, giving feedback to a subordinate, reporting to your senior manager,
coaching your employees, or managing your performance, performance
management is needed for these actions (2011).
“Performance management is an integrated process of defining, assess-
ing, developing, and reinforcing employee work behaviors and outcomes”
(Cumming and Worley 2015, 440).
Often, organizations that implement a well-designed performance
management process outperform competitors that ignore these issues.
56 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Performance management incorporates (1) setting goals, outcomes, and

declaring intentions; (2) designing well-intentioned performance evaluation
and appraisal; (3) incorporating a fair and promotion and reward system;
and (4) training and development programs for their workforce in all levels
of operation (2015). See Figure 2.3.
The combination of these practices positively influences individual per-
formance, which directly affects the team and group performance, making
the organization realize its goals and outcomes. Performance management
occurs in the background of three contextual considerations (see Figure
2.3) that determine how the aforementioned four elements of performance
management practices change work performance in a better direction: (1)
business plan and strategy, (2) workplace systems and technology, and (3)
employee involvement and engagement (2015).

Business Plan and Strategy

This element of performance management involves setting goals, creating the
outcomes and organization’s objectives, designing policies, intentions, and
anticipated relationships between the organization and its internal and exter-
nal environment, and ultimately what it takes to achieve effectiveness (2015).

Workplace Systems and Technology

An organization’s systems and their technology affect whether performance
management practices and procedures should be established and centered,
focusing on the individuals, teams, or groups. On the one hand, when
the work activities are low in interdependency, and work procedures are
intended for individual job performance, the whole elements of goal setting/
outcomes, performance evaluation/appraisal, development approaches, and
promotion/reward systems are intended for the individuals’ work and behav-
iors. But when work is highly interdependent among teams and groups and
is designed for team or group work, performance management will concen-
trate on group behaviors and performance (2015).

Employee Involvement and Engagement

In organizations with highly bureaucratic systems, there are low levels
of employee involvement. Goal setting, performance evaluation, work-
force development, and promotion/reward systems are mostly overseen
 Performance Coaching ◾ 57

by managers. However, in organizations with high employee involvement,

performance management is highly participative, involving both employees
and managers to set goals, establish a proper promotion and reward system,
decide on suitable training and development programs, and create relevant
evaluation and appraisal plans (2015).

The High-Performance Coaching Model

The high-performance coaches or a managers-as-coaches need to man-
age the high-performance coaching, the intervention process, and imple-
mentation of changes in order to increase and enhance the individuals’
and team’s performance. The following model in Figure 2.5 displays the

Figure 2.5 Performance Management Model.

Source: Adapted from Cumming and Worley (2015).
58 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

performance coaching model we present in this book that is a proven

design for assisting the high-performance coaches in applying an effec-
tive and manageable model for performance coaching and performance
enhancement.
Using this model (see Figure 2.6), the high-performance coaches should
pay attention not only to internal factors, such as employees, policies,
procedures, and training but also to external factors, such as customers,
distributors, suppliers, and other potential stakeholders. The high-perfor-
mance coaches must always consider all the four environments that affect
human performance: (1) Who? The workers, employees, and personnel;
(2) What? The activities, the work, jobs, and performances; (3) Where? The
context of the work, location, teams, and groups; and (4) organizational
environment. The vision, mission, policies, procedures, and culture were
displayed in Figure 2.1.
The Performance Coaching Model steps presented in this book are dis-
cussed, expanded, and explained in detail throughout the chapters. The
book chapters follow the process of performance coaching step by step by
providing processes, exercises, and business examples to provide clarity for
performance coaches and managers-as-coaches to follow and provide educa-
tion and coaching for their employees. These steps (as shown in Figure 2.6)
are as follows:

(1) Analyze what is happening

– Understand and uncover the actual issues at hand and what is occur-
ring at the present time as a result of individuals’, teams’, and groups’
performance.
(2) Identify what should be happening
– Imagine and visualize what should be occurring. Support the idea
of what should be happening by linking them to required criteria,
expected job performance standards and key performance indicators
(KPIs).
(3) Clarify present and future gaps
– Explain and clarify the current gaps showing up at the present time
and also potential gaps that most likely will show up in the near
future.
(4) Determine the importance of the gaps
– How important are these gaps? Define the importance of these cur-
rent and potential future gaps and their significance of their impact
on the organization.
 Performance Coaching ◾ 59

Figure 2.6 The High-Performance Coaching Model.

Source: Copyright 2021 by William J. Rothwell.

(5) Identify the cause of the gaps

– Discover the underlying origins and root cause of these gaps and
how they became the issues at hand.
(6) Select strategies that close the gaps
– Conduct brainstorming and problem-solving processes and select
high-performance strategies that would close theses current and
future gaps.
(7) Assess the potential outcome of changes
– Calculate and evaluate the potential negative and positive outcomes
of implementing the strategies and their potential side effects.
(8) Select an action plan for executing strategies
– With the partnership of related managers and supervisors, design a
detailed performance-based action plan for executing the high-per-
formance strategies.
60 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

(9) Execute that action plan and strategies

– Execute the designed action plan and agreed-on high-performance
strategies and manage the process by engaging relevant managers
and supervisors.
(10) Evaluate the outcome of the intervention
– Evaluate the progress during the process and postimplementation.
Evaluate the final outcomes and provide constructive feedbacks.

Who Is a High-Performance Coach?

Anyone with proper training can be a performance coach. That includes man-
agers, talent development or learning and development practitioners, or even
workers. Performance coaches can also be external coaches, consultants, OD
practitioners, change agents, or others familiar with performance coaching.

Selecting a Change Agent as a High-Performance Coach

This individual is trying to convince the organization to agree with the
needed activities and intervention for a change. Given that the majority of
changes’ sources originates from dissatisfactions, the most dissatisfied man-
ager or supervisor should take on to be the change agent, “[d]riven by dis-
satisfaction, change agents seek innovative solutions to tough problems or
create improvement strategies to take advantage of opportunities they see”
(Rothwell 2015, 65).
The position of the change agents can be an insider (a senior or junior
manager, internal OD practitioner, HR director or manager, or the high-
performance coach as a manager-as-coach) or a professional outsider
(external OD practitioner, HPI or HPE practitioner, business consultant,
or an executive coach). By having proper training and knowledge of the
work, an internal change agent can fill the position of a performance
coach. The external change agents are usually selected by solicitation of a
name recognized by an OD practitioner or consultant group, or referral of
other organizations’ executives or senior managers.

Coaches’ Strengths, Skills, and Competencies

Few managers can demonstrate coaching skills without proper training.
Talent development and learning and development practitioners need to
acknowledge and even embrace, the increasing importance of personal and
 Performance Coaching ◾ 61

professional coaching. Coaches need to have confidence in their ability to see

through the issues and possess the competencies to keep the clients focused
on them (Bakhshandeh 2015; Bakhshandeh 2009; Bakhshandeh 2008).

Compassion
Compassion is one main element of successful coaches. Coaches must rec-
ognize that clients would change on their own if they could and that clients
are experiencing pain, suffering, or ineffectiveness (2015, 2009, 2008).

Patience
Coaches need patience. Having patience with others is a helpful addition
to empowering clients to grow self-aware and achieve self-realization. Not
everyone works at the same speed when uncovering their personalities,
behaviors, and attitude; not everyone is immediately willing to take com-
plete responsibility for their situations and own who they can become as fast
as their coaches or other people (2015, 2009, 2008).

Keen Listening
Coaches must be keen listeners. And they must know to listen for feelings as
well as facts. Coaches must know how to listen for facts or mere perceptions
of facts (2015, 2009, 2008).

Personal Responsibility
Clients should take responsibility for their choices. The source of suffer-
ing for coachees is often avoiding making choices or not being committed
to the choices they make. Choosing is easy. What is hard is maintaining
and empowering those choices. The world is full of people who don’t take
responsibility! They just want to blame something or someone for their
lack of their personal or professional happiness, fulfillment, or effectiveness
(2015, 2009, 2008).

Reality versus Interpretations

People need to be reminded of the differences between reality (what is
really happening) and interpretations (how we perceive what is happening).
Our interpretations result from our filters of experience (2015, 2009, 2008).
62 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Coaching Competencies According to ATD and ICF

According to the ATD (2014) (Association of Talent Development) and ICF
(2011) (International Coaching Federation) websites, coaches should be able to
demonstrate eleven competencies. These competencies are designed for regular
life or business coaching; however, their value is still relevant for performance
coaches.

Establish a Coaching Agreement

A coach can work with coachees to devise detailed and relevant contracts
that would provide a safe and workable space. That agreement should out-
line the relationship between coaches and coachees, their scope of work,
and their expectations.

Establish Trust and Intimacy with the Client

No progress is possible without trust and a working bond between
coaches and coachees. Trust allows for respect and teamwork among the
two parties.

Display Coaching Presence

It is essential to maintain the coaching relationship. It should be clear what
the coaching commitments require from coaches and coachees.

Demonstrate Active Listening

Coaches should listen without interruption, judgment, and personal
agendas. Coachees talk to their coaches because they trust the coaches.
Performance coaches should be present and available to coachees.

Ask Powerful Questions

Present questions as an inquiry and make sure coachees are benefitting
from digging deeper versus just providing a potential “coach pleasing”
answer. Questions posed by the coach should forward the inquiry and
lead to desired outcomes. Coaches should keep the questions on
track.
 Performance Coaching ◾ 63

Use Direct Communication

Coaches should not tiptoe around the issues they are finding or to which the
coachees are not comfortable facing. Straight, direct, and respectful commu-
nication makes a difference. Coaches should establish the rules of communi-
cation when negotiating the coaching agreement.

Create Awareness
Coaches should make sure the coachees learn something new about
themselves and their behaviors or decision-making processes. Try to
make sure that coachees feel that the “light bulb” is going on during each
interaction.

Design Learning Opportunities

Learning opportunities will occur when direct inquiry happening. Coaches
should offer additional materials such as books, articles, and other resources
to support coachees’ learning progress.

Develop Goals and Plans

Without established goals and action plans to fulfill those goals, coaching
sessions are nothing more than friendly conversations. Nothing occurs with-
out structure and planning.

Manage Progress and Accountability

Set deadlines for assignments or inquiries, follow up with the coachees
about what they said they would do, hold them responsible for their results,
and make them accountable for following your agreements.

Meet Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards

Follow ethical and professional standards, such as not getting involved with
coachees on a personal level, not overcharging them, keeping their informa-
tion confidential, and other ethical codes of conduct you can find on any
professional coaching website.
64 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

The High-Performance Coaching Process

The entire book is about guiding and coaching a performance coach to con-
duct high-performance coaching for individuals, teams, and organizations. The
following segment presents (1) a model for general actions required by a per-
formance coach and (2) the performance coaching process from the coach’s
perspective. In subsequent chapters, we will go through any of these steps
in-depth and use tools, processes, and business examples to distinguish these
steps further.

A Model for General Actions by a Performance

Coach
We can summarize the general view and expected actions by performance
coaches on the next general steps, as shown in Figure 2.6. (Model for
Performance Coach Actions). Obviously, each action and step have their
related elements and procedures which will be explained in detail in the
chapters of this book.

Performance Coach
Trained and experienced managers-as-coaches are familiar with the work
process and have knowledge, skills, and abilities to coach performers to a
higher level and increased productivity. There are several skills and compe-
tencies that are required for performance coaches to be able to conduct their
responsibilities. These required abilities, skills, and competencies will be
reviewed in subsequent chapters.

Access the Situation

Performance coaches need a higher manager’s support and backing to con-
duct their work to the best of their abilities. One of these supportive actions
is permission to access the situation in hand. For example, sometimes the
performance coach is an external agent or an internal agent but not work-
ing on a certain department or a team. In this case, a senior manager or a
department manager needs to introduce the performance coach and help
the coach to assess the current performance situation. This is the time to
establish a rapport with any individual in question or the rest of the team
that is facing low performance.
 Performance Coaching ◾ 65

Identify the Current Situation

This is the time to start investigating the current situation and recognizing
what is actually going on and identifying performance gaps or areas that
need a performance improvement.

Compare to the Ideal Situation

At this time, the performance coach needs to understand which ideal perfor-
mance situations to compare to the actual and current situation and what the
team or organization wants to have or achieve.

Plan for Closing the Gap

After the detailed comparison between the current situation and the ideal sit-
uation, the performance coach needs to help the individual or team develop
an action plan to close the current performance gaps or improve perfor-
mances. This plan needs to be related to the processes and procedures that
individuals or teams are using to perform their tasks, jobs, and work.

Implement a Corrective Plan

Now, the performance coach needs to work with individuals or teams to
coach them in how to complement the action plan, manage the process, and
evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the action plan.

Figure 2.7 Model for Performance Coach Actions.

Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.
66 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

The Process of High-Performance Coaching

from Coach’s Perspective
Figure 2.8 represents what high-performance coaches need to conduct step by
step to accomplish in the form of questions that they should ask themselves
during high-performance coaching. Performance coaches or managers-as-
coaches should pose these questions to guide the coaching process produc-
tively and effectively.
These twelve questions are designed to direct the high-performance
coaches’ mindset and focus on step-by-step activities that need to be done
to implement an effective high-performance coaching process. We follow

Figure 2.8 The Step-By-Step Process of High-Performance Coaching Model from a

Coach’s Perspective.
Source: Copyright 2021 by William J. Rothwell.
 Performance Coaching ◾ 67

the order and steps of this high-performance coaching process while

developing high-performance coaches and managers-as-coaches in this
book.
Table 2.3 presents the twelve steps in Figure 2.8 in much detail for a per-
formance coach to use during the assessment of performance situations. As
we have mentioned earlier, we will go through each of the twelve steps in
deeper detail during the process of this book.

Table 2.3 High-Performance Coaching Tool.

Performance Coaching Tool Used by a High-Performance Coach
Directions:
For each question listed in the left column below, take notes on what you will do in a
specific situation in the right column.
Questions to Ask in High-Performance Actions to Take for Providing Answers
Coaching
1 How can the consultant/manager or a
performance coach establish rapport
and a contractual relationship with a
coachee?
2 What is the present situation that
requires coaching? What is
happening? What is the issue at hand?
(Please describe it in detail)
3 What should be happening? What is
the ideal situation or condition? What
are the targets or planned results?
(Please describe the desired target)

4 What is the measurable gap between

what is happening (step 2 above) and
what should be happening (step 3
above)? Do you have a job
performance standard or KPIs?
5 How important is the identified gap?
How do you determine the
importance or significance of these
gaps? How do you come up with that
conclusion?
(Continued)
68 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Table 2.2 (Continued)

Performance Coaching Tool Used by a High-Performance Coach
6 What are the root causes of the
identified gap? What happened? What
was missed? What are the sources of
gaps?
7 How many ways can the gap be closed
by addressing the root causes? What
are our options? (Brainstorm on
possible solutions)
8 What is the most cost-effective and
impactful way to close the gap by
addressing the root causes? (Pick the
best or most feasible solution)
9 What are the likely consequences,
positive and negative, of efforts to
close the gap by addressing the root
causes? What are the side effects of
the solution?
10 What will happen if the solution is not
implemented? What are the likely
consequences of inaction?
11 How can the solution be implemented?
How much time, money, and other
resources are available for
implementation?
12 How can the results of the solution’s
implementation be evaluated?
Source: Adapted from Rothwell (2015).

The Coach–Coachee Relationship

The relationship between the coach and coachee is vital to accomplish-
ing the goals set for the coaching process. Regretfully, there have been few
research studies on effective coach–coachee relationships (Baron and Morin
2009). However, we can look at the definition of coaching by the Oxford
Dictionary that defines coaching as a verb to “tutor, train, give hints to,
prime with facts.”
 Performance Coaching ◾ 69

On the one hand, this definition doesn’t help define the relationship
between coaches and coachees because tutoring, training, giving hints, and
priming with facts can be done in many shapes and forms—and may even
occur when no coaching relationship exists. But coaching is related to how
these distinctions are delivered, what is delivered, what was hidden, and
what was uncovered. The coaching approach provides coachees with access
to produce unprecedented results because of the intimate, caring, and sup-
portive rapport between the coaches and the coachees.

Manager-as-Coach
To explain it simply, the manager-as-coach approach means that manag-
ers acts as coaches for those reporting to them. Managers may thus serve
as coaches to individuals or teams. Effective managers-as-coaches provide
support for their employees. Managers-as-coaches facilitate their employees’
development instead of controlling and dictating what to do.
As good as it might sound, the fact is this: a manager is also an
employee, which creates a paradox. Whitmore (2009) explains this paradoxi-
cal issue as

a paradox because the manager traditionally holds the paycheck,

the key to promotion, and also the ax. This is fine so long as you
believe that the only way to motivate is to send the stick through
the judicious application of the carrot. However, for coaching
to work at its best, the relationship between the coach and the
coachee must be one of partnership in the endeavor, trust, safety,
and minimal pressure. The check, the key, and the ax have no
place here, as can serve only to inhibit such a relationship
(20).

Because of this paradox, Whitmore (2009) asks a valid question “Can a

manager, therefore, be a coach at all?” (20). And the answer provided by
Whitmore (2009) was “Yes, but coaching demands the highest qualities of
those managers’ empathy, integrity, and detachment, as well as a willingness,
in most cases, to adopt a fundamentally different approach to their staff” (20).
Besides this quality, managers-as-coaches must find their way through the
maze of coaching subordinates, which makes having coached for themselves
an ideal resolution for their development as coaches and for developing skills
to cope with potential resistance from their employees or the questioning of
70 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

their approaches from their own higher managers who may compare their
approaches with traditional management styles (Whitmore 2009).

Does Coaching Help Businesses’ Competitiveness?

“Twenty-first-century organizations face an unprecedented challenge in
the form of global competition, changing markets, customer demands,
and investor expectations. Management development has grown into a
multibillion-dollar industry” (Kochanowski, Seifert, and Yukl 2010, 363).
As organizations seek to be part of a global market in their industries, the
need for a competent and skillful workforce becomes more evident and sup-
ports the argument of providing more effective leadership development of
employees. That is why organizations spend approximately fourteen billion
dollars a year in employee training and managerial development, and per-
formance coaching, hoping for better work performance and productivity
(Kochanowski, Seifert, and Yukl 2010). According to research focused on the
influence of coaching in business competitiveness by Vidal-Salazar, Ferrón-
Vílchez, and Cordón-Pozo (2012), the results show that “coaching substan-
tially increases the level to which processes of improvement are established
within organizations, consequently increasing the competitive capability”
(Vidal-Salazar et al. 2012, 423). The evidence of coaching increasing in
global organizations shows the influence of managerial coaching due to a
constant prerequisite for Workplace Learning and Performance and innova-
tion for modern organizations to stay competitive in their relevant market
(Kim 2014).
There is an assumption among business observers that organizational
leaders see a positive impact from coaching. It is used as a way to compete
for talent as well as to develop managers and workers.

Key Points to Remember

Here are some key points from this chapter:

◾ Trust the process

– Performance coaches should inform, support, and encourage
coachees to trust coaching and apply the distinctions, practices, and
methods designed to empower them (Bakhshandeh 2009).
 Performance Coaching ◾ 71

◾ Manager-as-coach as an instrument
– Managers who coach have a big influence on those reporting to
them. Managers can provide their knowledge, abilities, and skills to
direct, consult, support, and advice to be an effective instrument of
the change effort (Cheung-Judge and Mee-Yan 2012).
◾ Authority versus leadership
– Running a coaching program as an authority figure is a traditional
management approach used in many organizations. Unfortunately,
research has shown that a traditional management style can produce
more resistance than engagement and participation (Satell 2014).

Coaching and Developmental Questions for

Managers
Consider the following questions:
(1) How do you rate yourself from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being
the highest) as a performance coach?
(2) How do you rate yourself from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being
the highest) on having a meaningful, trusting coaching relationship with
your subordinates?
(3) How do your coaching skills and competencies compare to those
required for a performance coach?
(4) What competencies do you feel need to be developed for you to be a
more effective performance coach?

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Chapter 3

Mindset, Attitude, Behavior,

and Performance
Behnam Bakhshandeh

How Individual Mindset, Attitude, and Behavior

Impact Individual and Team Performance
Coaches help coachees develop awareness of their behaviors and attitudes
and spark self-awareness. This approach is made possible by guiding coach-
ing participants from a state of unconscious incompetence to a state of
conscious incompetence, which is the first step to coachees’ understanding
how much they don’t know and the necessity of the execution of corrective
measures in their behavior and attitude, which will directly and positively
influence the organization’s strategy for achieving the desired productivity
(Vidal-Salazar, Ferrón-Vílchez, and Cordón-Pozo 2012).
This chapter reviews mindset, attitude, behavior, and how they relate to
job performance. In this chapter, readers will become familiar with emo-
tional intelligence (EI) and its role in developing individual and team perfor-
mance. Chapter 3 will cover these issues:

◾ the influence of coaching on productivity and employees’ attitudes• the

relationship between mindset, attitude, behavior, and performance
◾ which one to measure for performance, behaviors, or outcomes
◾ EI for training and development in high performance
◾ EI clusters and competencies and its rating system
◾ the leadership qualities of effective manager-as-coach as its rating system

DOI: 10.4324/9781003155928-4 75
76 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Influence of Coaching on Productivity and

Employees’ Attitudes
We can look at the influence of managerial coaching on different elements
of the workforce and their relationship to productivity and career:

Career Commitment
Coaching has a positive influence on careers and on career progress for
those participating in it. Career commitment refers to how motivated
workers are to persist in their career direction and their attitude toward
their profession. One critical element of career commitment is the nature
of relationships workers experience. Career commitment differs from
workers’ perspectives on the organization or employee personalities (Kim
et al. 2013).

Organization Commitment
Coaching has an impact on organization commitment, which refers to the
psychological and emotional attachment that employees feel about the orga-
nization for which they are working. This relationship is critical to ensure
low turnover and is an important focus of attention for many organizational
leaders (Kim et al. 2013).

Job Performance
Coaching influences workforce effectiveness on the job and is directly
related to individual productivity. Coaching is thus tied to job performance
(Kim et al. 2013).

Sales Increase
The sales of the organization can increase when coaching is used. A
coaching intervention in sales is a high-quality interaction between manag-
ers and their sales team when managers increase their employees’ aware-
ness of many potentially critical elements of their attitude and the impact
of attitude on their sales productivity improvement (Pousa, Mathieu, and
Trépanier 2017).
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 77

Relationship between Mindset, Attitude, Behavior,

and Performance
Small events can make a big difference in shaping mindsets, attitudes,
behaviors, and achieving performance. For individuals to recognize their
mindsets and attitudes, they need to reflect. That is not the same thing as
ordinary, day-to-day thinking; rather, it means deep contemplation and
intentional inquiries into state of mind.
A primary distinction between humans and other species is that humans
can think, choose, and set their minds to what they know they can
accomplish.

To be able to think does not wholly depend on our will and wish,
though much does depend on whether we prepare ourselves to
hear that call to think when it comes and respond to it appropri-
ately. Thinking is determined by that which is to be thought as
well as by he who thinks
(Heidegger 1968, xi).

An individual’s attitude can be classified as either good or bad, and it

can greatly affect individual performance. This simple but powerful phe-
nomenon about attitudes can allow us to see ourselves as winners or los-
ers and can be used to perceive others. According to the general public’s
viewpoint, the combination of a positive mindset and energetic attitude
is one of the best behaviors one can have (Snyder and Tanke 1976). In a
simple description, attitude encompasses one’s mindset, perceptions, and
beliefs. These fundamental components add to the individuals we became
and form our skills and behaviors when facing real or perceived challenges
(Yashasvi 2019).
This is a simple example from the Buddhist religion and practice in the
book Zen Speaks by Tsai Chin Chung, which demonstrates the role of mind-
set and attitude that has an impact on someone’s behavior and performance.
This is a story of three stonemasons in the Middle Ages. These stonema-
sons chipped large stones using stone chisels and hammers, chipping away
from large pieces of stones to be used in a construction project. They were
working hard when a visitor, a stranger passing by, stopped and asked them
separately what they were doing. The first mason, who was working hard
and sweating fiercely replied while grumbling. “I am chipping this stone.”
78 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

The second mason, who was comparably less distressed than the first mason
sighed deeply and replied, “I am building a road.” The third mason, who
was doing the same hard stonework, responded with a joyful face, “I am
building a beautiful cathedral” (Chung 1994). This short story’s moral is this:
those three men were doing the same work; however, they had three differ-
ent perspectives that affected their work. They would have three different
experiences of their work, their day, and their performance because of three
different behaviors.
Figure 3.1 displays the relationship between mindset, attitude, behavior,
and performance.

Figure 3.1 Relationship between Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Individual and
Team Performance.
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 79

Mindset
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) once said, “reality is merely an illusion, albeit
a very persistent one.” You and I were born into a world of existing ideas,
practices, beliefs, traditions, and rules. Our ideas have been formed by our
experiences with life, family, friends, society, media, and work. The future
we have had until now is a young child’s future shaped and limited by the
conditions that our past determined upon that future. A changing world and
realities require constant updating of personal and social practices. Those
practices and ideas fit an old rather than a new purpose. You and I are
accountable for our lives and the results produced in them.
How will we upgrade past thinking to serve our present and future life?
By recognizing and distinguishing the source of our beliefs. By getting pres-
ent to how much of what we believe to be reality is what we have made up!
Yes, we have made it up! I am not talking about the physical reality, such as
the planet earth being round, the existence of gravity, the human anatomy,
or any other proven physical, biological, chemical, or any other scientific
reality. I am talking about the realities we have made up about ourselves,
others at the workplace, or society in general. “I am not . . . enough,” “I can’t
do . . .,” “I am too . . . to do this,” and many more; just fill in the blanks
the way you are criticizing and limiting yourself. We all have those limiting
thoughts and mindsets—not only for ourselves but also about others too.
What have we done as a human race that has defied the common per-
spective? The invention of the light bulb, reading and writing as a blind and
deaf person, man’s first step on the moon, and many more! What do these
events have in common? Beliefs and mindsets. But what kind of beliefs and
mindsets? Invented ones! They are mindset realities that moved so many
humans to design, invent, and create realities not even imaginable in the
mindsets of present realities of their times. History is full of those invented
realities. There are no limits, there is no difficulty, and there is no “I can’t”
until we say, “It is,” or we listen to others saying, “It is!” What is this amazing
phenomenon that some people have created a mastery of and for so many
others it is still a mystery?” (Bakhshandeh 2009, 19).

Mindset Definition and Types

According to Cherry (2020), individuals’ mindsets refer to their beliefs in their
attributes such as abilities and intelligence and also their perception of others’
attitudes and behaviors. Sometimes these mindsets can be permanent and
80 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

stay with individuals for many years or be changeable traits based on percep-
tions about others or altered issues. Dweck (2016) indicates that most people
are trained in these two types of mindsets in their early stages of life, mostly
through their upbringing and or their experiences in school and life:

◾ Fixed mindset, which is by people who believe that abilities and intel-
ligence are inborn, fixed, and unalterable, and
◾ Growth mindset, which is by people who believe that abilities and
intelligence can be thought, developed, and reinforced through interest,
motivation, and commitment (Dweck 2016).

Attitude
Attitudes demonstrate how individuals think (cognitive expression), how
they feel (affective expression), and how they are inclined to behave (behav-
ioral expression) concerning other people, events, and other subjects
whether it be positively, negatively, or indifferently. Generally, when people
have an optimistic view of themselves and others, feel good about events,
and have constructive beliefs, then they have a positive attitude. When they
behave negatively toward themselves and others and are pessimistic about
events or groups, they have a negative attitude.
Though attitude includes the mind’s tendency toward particular people,
ideas, organizations, values, or social systems, behavior correlates to the
definite manifestation of feelings through a form of actions or inactions as
communication and body language (Bainbridge Frymier and Keeshan Nadler
2017). One school of thought points at possible changes in one’s attitude,
but gradually. Many organizations have attempted to change their difficult
employees’ attitudes and create a workable and productive working environ-
ment through a variety of change interventions, training, and development
undertakings (Yashasvi 2019).

Behavior
The by-product of mindset and attitude about one’s perceived reality is
one’s behavior. Behavior is the activity or action manifested that appears
after the display or recognition of an attitude. It doesn’t matter if we address
someone’s behavior or attitude first to effectively influence someone or
something. But the recommendation is to first focus on someone’s behavior
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 81

because it is easier to recognize and alter the perceived change instead of

first tackling the attitude which is a much deeper undertaking, takes lon-
ger, and given one’s mindset might be saddled for a long time (Bainbridge
Frymier and Keeshan Nadler 2017).
It is worth mentioning that, unfortunately, there is a fairly large gap about
the concept of “attitude-intention-behavior” among professionals who believe
attitude does not always result in concurring behaviors. Sometimes individu-
als are not cognizant of their displayed attitudes which, like implicit atti-
tudes, might cause certain behaviors or not, and not necessarily follow with
attitudes (Yashasvi 2019).

Performance
By paying attention to the coachees’/subordinates’ states of mind and discov-
ering their mindset through a set of dialogues and conversations within the
confines of a safe and free environment, managers can recognize the perfor-
mance of coachees’ linked to their attitudes and behaviors. It is not an easy
task, and it might take more than a few coaching sessions. However, when
the coaches/managers focus on the coachees’ commitments and desired
dreams and intentions for working, then the managers can affect their per-
formance by not resisting their attitudes and behavior and keep coaching
them to the realization they are the only ones who invented their percep-
tions, chose their attitudes, and caused their behavior. This process is the
main objective of this book, which starts from Chapter 4.

Which One to Measure for Performance,

Behaviors, or Outcomes
This question is on the minds of many organizations’ managers and supervi-
sors; What are the most important elements to follow and pay attention to:
employees, behaviors, or outcomes? This simple but significant question is
equivalent to a manager asking whether to pay attention to a process or just
to the end results and an outcome. Which one is more important? Clearly,
both are critical to a good business process and health organization system;
however, in many cases, organizations often choose to focus on one element
over the other when attempting to conduct a performance appraisal (Cardy
and Leonard 2011). Let’s look at a brief description of performance with
behavior and performance as an outcome.
82 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Performance as Behavior
From the standpoint of organizations, for the most part, a good job perfor-
mance consists of good behaviors and attitudes. They are looking at what
employees are doing on their jobs and how they conduct their workdays.
If you ask many employees what they do on their jobs, most of them will
explain their activities and the tasks they are performing at their jobs. In this
regard, Cardy and Leonard (2011) pointed that, “[f]rom this perspective, the
performance consists of behaviors, and how well those behaviors are exe-
cuted is a critical performance criterion” (46).

Performance as Outcomes
From the standpoint of managers and supervisors directly dealing with
the workforce, job performance mostly involves outcomes, the result, the
final product, the achievement of goals, not the activities or even behav-
iors. Therefore, they are mostly looking at the black and white outcomes,
such as:

◾ What are the sales today?

◾ What is the total sales amount?
◾ How many units are being produced?
◾ How many of them sold today?
◾ What was the waste today?
◾ How much time was wasted correcting mistakes?

These are the types of questions that peak performance as outcomes for
managers and supervisors (Rothwell 2015; Cardy and Leonard 2011).
Of course, both behaviors and outcomes are important to individu-
als’ and teams’ high-performance process and the organization’s bottom
line, both having advantages and disadvantages for performance measure-
ment; however, many managers pick one over the other based on their
own career experiences or the work and productivity philosophy they have
gathered during their own careers and based on their personal experiences.
Therefore, the best measurement for both elements is to be establishing a set
of criteria for both behavior and outcomes.
Establishing performance criteria is important to any operations and pro-
ducing outcomes. Criteria emphasize and cause attention to what is critical
and valued by an organization and its production. Criteria make available a
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 83

realistic basis for performance measuring and the effectiveness of produc-

tions (Rothwell 2015; Cardy and Leonard 2011). “At an operational level, crite-
ria define performance” (Cardy and Leonard 2011, 46).
At this segment, we briefly touched on the concept of criteria and its
importance, but we will go much deeper in Chapter 6.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Behaviors and

Outcomes as Performance
Table 3.1 presents some advantages and disadvantages of using behav-
ioral and outcome performance criteria. This list is as uncomplicated as
possible, with some necessary explanations. You can add any advantages

Table 3.1 Behavioral and Outcome as Performance Criteria—Advantages and

Disadvantages.
Behavioral and Outcome as Performance Criteria
Advantages and Disadvantages

Category Advantages Disadvantages

It offers a clear-cut plot of how Individuals participating in applying
to alter behaviors and attitude corrective behaviors are not
for improving individual and necessary guaranteed the preferred
team performance. outcomes.
It is under the direct control of This approach can be costly and
employees to alter and modify time-consuming to develop the
for improving their required criteria and producing the
performance. preferred outcomes.
Behavioral
It gives the managers and Some individuals might agree to
coaches an opportunity to behavioral changes without having
provide directive feedback to any commitment or interest to
individuals and teams. maintain the change.
It has an opportunity to make a Some individuals do not like to talk
difference for individuals in the about and dig into their personal
elements of their personal life. behavior and attitudes and find that
inappropriate.
It is objective and easy to It is not under the control of
Outcome observe and easy to measure. individuals and teams because
managers and supervisors manage it.
(Continued)
84 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Table 3.1 (Continued)

Behavioral and Outcome as Performance Criteria
Advantages and Disadvantages

Category Advantages Disadvantages

It has potential off improving It is relatively difficult to use directive
productivity and increase the feedback to individuals and teams by
bottom line by enhancing the managers.
performance of individuals,
teams, and organizations.
It is sort of black and white and Some managers resist black and
managed by quantitative past white numbers management and
and present production data or believe there is no human contact in
best practices. just outcomes and result-oriented
business.
It has a strong potential to be Numbers need to be reviewed,
part of budgeting, planning, adjusted, and modified based on the
designing targets, and current production and performance
managing forecasts. compared to past results and future
desired outcomes, without
accounting for human performance
issues.
Source: Adapted from Rothwell (2016), Cardy and Leonard (2011), Bakhshandeh (2008).

or disadvantages you see or experienced to this list as you wish and use
them during your high-performance coaching with your employees or
coachees.

Critical Incident Worksheet Based on Behavioral and

Outcome Performance
Table 3.2 presents a simple example of a form that high-performance
coaches or managers-as-coaches can use to manage, direct, and support
individuals’ or teams’ behavioral and outcome performance criteria and
adjust such criteria on a quarterly or semiannual basis in order to manage
coaching individuals and teams to a high and more effective personal or
team’s performances.
Note: we will dig deeper into the concept, place, and use of criteria for
individual and team performances in Chapter 6.
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 85

Table 3.2 Example of Critical Incident Worksheet Based on Behavioral and

Outcome Performance.
Critical Incident Worksheet Based on Behavioral and Outcome Performance
Direction:
Use this form every quarter to review an employee’s performance critical incidents
and evaluate if such incident was related to a behavioral or an outcome
performance. Also, this action will assist you and the employee to adjust their
behavioral and outcome criteria.
Participant: Team:
Supervisor: Department:
Quarter and Year: Date:
Job Descriptions and Dimensions:
Performance Level Behavioral Criteria Outcome Criteria
Weak performance
Mediocre performance
Needs improvement on
Meets the least expectations
Surpasses the expectation
Excellent performance
Note:
Source: Adapted from Rothwell (2013).

Emotional Intelligence for Training and

Development in High Performance
Given that people’s mindsets and behaviors determine their underlying atti-
tude and actions and ultimately their interest in increasing their performance
and productivity, we propose that Training on EI can positively assist the
organization in developing awareness among their workforce while training
them in skills, competencies, communication, and leadership (Bakhshandeh
2021). This training has a direct influence on developing leadership com-
petencies among the workforce—including management teams within the
organizations. The EI training and development model covers all that would
affect leadership development among the workforce and ultimately positively
86 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

influences individuals’ and teams’ performance that would increase organi-

zational productivity (Bakhshandeh 2021).
This approach is what we call “Emotional Intelligence Competency-Based
Training and Development” (Bakhshandeh 2021). Donahue (2018) described
competencies as a combination of a quantifiable and observable collec-
tion of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors (KSABs) that support
individuals in performing better at work and achieving their personal and
professional goals. Rothwell and Graber (2010) defined competency as “any
characteristics of an individual performer that lead to acceptable or out-
standing performance.” According to Donahue (2018), the term competency
has become something like a buzzword people are throwing around as
something pointless. But in today’s Organization development (OD) efforts,
competency-based development and education are regarded as the pathway
to the future of education/learning, team building, and OD. “Competencies
are the measurable and observable knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behav-
iors (KSABs) critical to successful job performance” (21). Competencies
can include the degree of motivation, individual personality traits, people’s
awareness of certain knowledge and technical skills knowledge, or any abili-
ties and skills for individuals and teams to produce results (Rothwell and
Graber 2010). Besides individuals and teams’ competencies, in recent years,
the competency-based Human Resources Management established its place
in organization management and caused growing awareness that has led to
innovations in overall competency technology (Dubois and Rothwell 2004).

Emotional Intelligence
The most effective and competent leaders know how to deal with the moods
and emotions displayed by the workforce of their organizations by using a
peculiar mixture of psychological competencies known as emotional intel-
ligence or EI (HBR 2017). Regarding organization leaders’ awareness of EI
competencies, the Harvard Business Review stated “[t]hey’re self-aware and
empathetic. They can read and regulate their own emotions while intuitively
grasping how others feel and gauging their organization’s emotional state”
(HBR 2017, 4). EI competencies are defined as “an ability to recognize, under-
stand, and use emotional information about oneself or others that leads to or
causes effective or superior performance” (Boyatzis and Sala 2004, 5).
According to the Harvard Business Review (2017), EI is a combination of:
(1) genetic predisposition, (2) overall personality, (3) professional life expe-
rience, and (4) some old-fashioned training. When consciously and com-
passionately applied, EI encourages organizations, their leaders, and their
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 87

workforce to achieve exceptional performance (HBR 2017). Our emotions

directly influence our mindset, and they rule our daily lives (Bakhshandeh
2015; Hockenbury and Hockenbury 2007). We are deciding based on what
we are feeling such as sad, angry, happy, frustrated, or bored; therefore,

Figure 3.2 Coaching Mentality Produce Higher Performance and Increasing

Productivity.
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.
88 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

unconsciously, we choose reactions based on the emotions we are inflam-

ing (Bakhshandeh 2015; Hockenbury and Hockenbury 2007).
This book has divided and organized the EI clusters and their related
competencies (see Figure 3.2) into four clusters:

(1) self-awareness
(2) self-regulation
(3) social awareness
(4) relationship management

Organizational leaders should provide their workers with training on EI and

should also participate in that training.
Figure 3.2 displays the four EI clusters and their relevant competencies
that could assist organization leaders to implement sets of important and
practical EI that would be very helpful to train and develop workforces in
high performance and productivity:

Self-Awareness
The view we have of ourselves and others controls our awareness, and our
awareness becomes our new reality that naturally will determine our actions
(Bakhshandeh 2015). Goleman (2014) depicts behaviors associated with self-
awareness with people who recognize how their emotions affect their job
performance, those who know when to ask for help, and how to focus on
building their strengths and not focusing on their weaknesses. In today’s world
of mindfulness and self-awareness, there are various pathways to understand-
ing and build competencies around the art of awareness (Zeine 2021). As Zeine
(2021) mentioned “[t]his includes many meditations and spiritual paths that
teach the skills of becoming intentionally focused on our five senses, bodily
signals, mental activities, and relatedness to objects and people around us” (5).
The knowledge of our self-awareness would allow us to recognize others’
emotions and states of mind, how they view us, how they perceive our behav-
ior and attitude, and how we respond to them (Rothwell 2015; Goleman 2015).
Individual’s conscious awareness of their emotions, aspirations, thoughts,
desires, intentions, motivations, strengths, weaknesses, and the capacity to act
from these elements of self-awareness are distinctive human capabilities (Zeine
2021). “Despite the great importance of self-awareness and the capacity to act
from this awareness, many people have not learned the skill of being aware
of themselves in their natural environments” (Zeine 2021, 6).
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 89

Competencies related to self-awareness include but are not limited to the

following.

Self-Confidence
How people view themselves is another important element of EI. Self-
confidence is linked to self-assessment, and it is founded further on the
perceptions that individuals have of themselves instead of on the measures
of their competencies or skills they possess (Goleman 2014). Some attributes
of people with self-confidence are (1) trusting their abilities, (2) displaying
gratitude, and (3) having inner happiness.

Self-Assessment
Self-assessment is providing awareness into individuals’ comprehension of
a set of knowledge, skills, and competencies that can provide insights to
detect gaps in their area of expertise and knowledge (Goleman 2015). As an
important element of creating a feasible and comprehensive self-assessment,
some organizations allow individual engagement in the design, redesign,
and development of assessment criteria. People who apply self-assessment
(1) monitor their learning, (2) monitor their goals’ progress, and (3) conduct
self-efficacy.

Self-Control
Emotions are a big part of the human psyche. Our emotions are intended
to notify us there is something worthy of attention. People with self-control
do not make impulsive decisions, control their behaviors, and demonstrate
conscientiousness (Goleman 2014).

Intrapersonal Skills
This is the ability of people to distinguish and understand their thoughts,
emotions, and feelings. It is a skill for planning and directing their per-
sonal and professional lives (Cummings and Worley 2015). Individuals with
intrapersonal skills are proficient at looking within, inquiring inward, and
sounding out their feelings, emotions, motivations, and objectives. They
are characteristically contemplative and thoughtful; by analyzing them-
selves, they seek self-understanding. Individuals with intrapersonal skills are
90 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

intuitive and generally introverted. They are mostly learning autonomously

and through reflection (Shek and Lin 2015). People with intrapersonal skills
demonstrate (1) appreciation for themselves, (2) awareness of their agenda,
and (3) elimination of distractions.

Self-Regulation
Self-regulation refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and redirect
individuals’ distracting impulses, inappropriate reactions, and temperament.
Individuals should defer immediate judgment and employ considerations and
concerns before acting against others or reacting to ideas (Goleman 2014).
Goleman (2014) describes this EI cluster as leaders who can stay “calm and
clear-headed under stressful situations” (p. 51). Self-regulation competen-
cies move leaders from emotional awareness to managing their emotional
impulses and demonstrating a positivity necessary to get the job done via
initiative and instituting trustworthiness and productivity (Goleman 2014;
Goleman 1998). Competencies referenced to self-regulation include but are
not limited to the following.

Emotional Balance
Being emotionally out of balance is caused by individuals either not allow-
ing themselves to experience their feelings when they arise and then discard
and suppress them or being firmly attached to such feelings and being con-
sumed by them (Goleman 2015; Goleman 1998). Emotional balance means
to learn about feelings and accept them with no judgments and act on them
in responsible ways. Some attributes of people with emotional balance are
(1) accurately identifying their emotions, (2) being mindful of their emotions,
and (3) managing impulse emotions.

Adaptability
Adaptability refers to strictness and harshness on individuals’ ways, mind-
sets, and approaches and how individuals are efficient in adapting to new
ideas, conditions, or environments (Goleman 2015; Goleman 1998). The
only way to strengthen teamwork is by planning and creating a cohesive
team and demonstrating its inclination to alter its ways. That is a power-
ful concept for developing leadership in teams and their ability to change
(Bakhshandeh 2002). Some attributes of people with emotional balance are
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 91

(1) being open to learning new things, (2) adjusting quickly, and (3) embrac-
ing new ideas.

Responsibility
Vincent E. Barry, a business historian, has characterized responsibility in
the business as “a sphere of duty or obligation assigned to a person by the
nature of that person’s position, function, or work” (Bivins 2006). From a
mindfulness viewpoint, people become responsible when they display their
willingness to acknowledge all of their thoughts and assume responsibility
for every action they take, good, bad, and ugly, altogether with no justifica-
tions (Bakhshandeh 2015). Some attributes of people who practice responsi-
bility are (1) not making excuses, (2) not complaining, and (3) being timely.
Integrity and accountability are two competencies supporting responsibility.

Integrity
According to many philosophers, integrity is a lifelong desire to follow
people’s moral and ethical principles and, as the saying goes, “Do the right
thing” in every situation and under any circumstances. It means being true
to oneself and not acting in ways that would degrade or disgrace oneself
(Goleman 1998). This powerful competency affects every aspect of our
personal and professional day-to-day lives. Some attributes of people prac-
ticing integrity are (1) being dependable, (2) being honest, and (3) being
trustworthy.

Accountability
One who practices accountability is not into the blame game and avoiding
their responsibilities by pointing at and blaming others for what happens
and how it happens. They are not acting like the victims of circumstances or
as a replacement for being responsible. They are not procrastinating in their
duties and what they do (Rothwell, Stavros, and Sullivan 2016; Goleman
2015; Bakhshandeh 2015). Some attributes of accountable people are (1) tak-
ing responsibility for their actions, (2) not blaming or pointing fingers, and
(3) being transparent.

Positivity
A good, positive attitude has a very positive effect in the workplace. This
positive impact influences people relating to their peers, how managers are
92 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

leading, or how organizations are dealing with their clients and customers
(HBR 2017). A positive temperament toward other people generates an envi-
ronment for building relationships, trust, and loyalty among the workforce at
every possible organizational level (HBR 2017). On the other side, when we
are not displaying our care and commitment to workability and harmony,
distrust will arise and cause massive dysfunction in relationships, in the
home or at work, personally and professionally (Goleman 2015). Some attri-
butes of people practicing positivity are (1) being optimistic, (2) being resil-
ient, and (3) being grateful. Authenticity comes hand to hand with positivity.

Authenticity
How to become authentic is a mixture of having the courage to admit who
we have been, what we have done to deal with challenges of a different
situation, and how to take responsibility for it, and then become accountable
for the results (Bakhshandeh 2015). “The flip side of authenticity is pretense”
(Bakhshandeh 2015, 34). Some attributes of authentic people are (1) being
self-reflective, (2) being honest, and (3) not being judgmental.

Calm Manners
Calm manners or composure is the ability to control impulsive reactions—
even under heavy pressure. Individuals with composure do not react
immediately just because they are not getting what they want or hearing
what they do not like. They will reply after careful consideration and criti-
cal assessment, demonstrating the application of a conscious effort to stay
calm and collected (Wayne 2019; Stevens 2009). Some attributes of people
with composure are (1) having confidence, (2) being relaxed, and (3) being
insightful.

Social Awareness
Social awareness requires social skills. Even with a business leader’s abil-
ity to display understanding, empathy, compassion, and control of one’s
emotions, it is not enough to deal with conflicting and difficult situations
arising from the lack of social awareness and related elements (Goleman
2015). Those business leaders understand social awareness elements, such as
workplace diversity, and they can perceive differences at the workplace by
disregarding stereotypes and generalizations of people. Leaders can demon-
strate social awareness results, including their social awareness, throughout
the elements of organizational awareness (Handley 2017).
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 93

Empathy
This is the ability to focus on others. Business leaders able to effectively
focus on others are the ones able to find common ground with others, and
their opinions and input carry the most respect and acceptance among their
people (HBR 2017). One’s propensity to identify and appreciate others’ emo-
tional status is by dealing with others relating to the present state of their
feelings and emotions (Goleman 2015). Some attributes of empathetic people
are (1) recognizing talent, (2) understanding other’s emotional states, and (3)
being helpful to others.

Compassion
The ability to demonstrate understanding, sympathy, and kindness for oth-
ers in their time of sorrow, trouble, and hardship is displaying compassion.
It is the consciousness of experiencing others’ distress and grief and using
their interests and aspirations to ease their pain (HBR 2017; Goleman 2015).
Compassion is taking empathy a little further and deeper. People with
compassion would feel hardship when witnessing another person in hard-
ship and distress and will act to assist them. Some attributes of compassion-
ate people are (1) placing oneself in others’ situations, (2) practicing active
listening, and (c) being okay with others’ failures.

Diversity Awareness
Organizations and individuals can attain diversity awareness when they
appreciate and understand the advantages of cultural diversity and differ-
ences among people. At the same time, true diversity inclusion also involves
a diversity of viewpoints. Oregon Tech (2021) described viewpoint diversity
as an act of recognizing others’ diverse views that need one’s “self-awareness,
intellectual flexibility, and broad knowledge” (n.p.) that supports an illumi-
nated perception of the actual diversity in the world via the eyes of people.
A workforce with diversity awareness and diversity of viewpoint can
establish an organizational culture built on the foundation of dignity, mutual
respect, and acceptance of the differences among people regardless of their
cultural background, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender, religion,
socio-economic status, and physical abilities (Goleman 2015; Goleman 1998).
As Williams (2016) stated, “[d]iversity of viewpoints is essential for the pur-
suit of knowledge” (n.p.).
94 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Some attributes of people with diversity awareness are (1) embracing

uniqueness among people, (2) having mutual respect for everyone, and (3)
having universal treatment for everyone.

Communication
This is the ability to act on transferring information from one location,
individual, or team to other people or places. All forms of communication
include at least one message, one sender, and one receiver (Jones 2015;
Bakhshandeh 2004). Steinfatt (2009) expressed his view of communication
and its vital role in human connectedness: “[t]he central thrust of human
communication concerns mutually understood symbolic exchange” (295).
Communication is one concept that has been and continues to be the focus
of many theories about human connection (Jones 2015). Without communi-
cation, there is no workability or teamwork. Teams are synchronized when
communicating effectively (Bakhshandeh 2015; Bakhshandeh 2004). Some
attributes of someone with communication skills are (1) being aware of
nonverbal communication, (2) delivering clear and concise messages, and (3)
showing courtesy and listening keenly.

Active Listening
As an important element of communication, active listening is a valuable
skill that can be developed by practicing. One with active listening concen-
trates completely on the person talking and the content of the conversation
and feelings behind the conversation instead of just passively hearing the
speakers and their message (Rothwell et al. 2016; Goleman 2015). Practicing
active listening helps the listener to gain the trust and respect of speakers
by knowing that the listener appreciates their situation. It is an essential first
step to neutralize a hard situation and pursue a workable solution to poten-
tial crises (Rothwell et al. 2016; Cummings and Worley 2015). Some attributes
of people with active listening are (1) paying attention to the speaker, (2)
responding appropriately, and (3) providing feedback.

Multiple Perspectives
Park et al. (2000) defined multiple perspectives as a wide term to incorporate
many perspectives, statements, and roles that can be adopted in collaborative
and noncollaborative frameworks (Park et al. 2000). View an issue from multi-
ple perspectives to observe the whole picture that would improve one’s chance
to locate the root cause and find a solution that includes the desires and
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 95

feelings of everybody engaged into consideration (Park et al. 2000). Some attri-
butes of people with multiple perspectives are (1) seeing the whole picture, (2)
finding the root cause of an issue, and (3) finding mutually agreed solutions.

Relationship Management
The quality of life is connected and influenced by positive and negative rela-
tionships individuals have with others. People aware of EI know this valu-
able concept. To have a quality relationship, besides looking for values and
developing quality, people must also invest in maintaining the relationship
and strive to improve it. Similar to a personal relationship, in a professional
relationship business leaders need to discover how to effectively employ
their intelligence to let them realize and identify opportunities, effectively
communicate, attempt to solve problems, and collaborate with their work-
force and customers (Goleman 2015).

Conflict management
This refers to the ability to employ practices for solving disputes effec-
tively while it is fair and reasonable. When business professionals properly
administer conflict management, they can avoid intensifying the conflicts.
Having disagreements among people is natural when people work together.
However, when handled with EI, competencies, and conflict management
skills, these disagreements can lead the organizations to new ideas, innova-
tive resolutions, and unified professional relationships (Rothwell et al. 2016;
Cummings and Worley 2015). Some attributes of someone with conflict man-
agement skills are (1) being impartial, (2) being patient, and (3) not playing
the blame game (Rothwell et al. 2016; Cummings and Worley 2015). Two EI
competencies that would support the managers in their conflict management
are Positive Influence and Problem-Solving abilities and qualities.

Positive Influence
In relationship building, positive influence is the impression professionals
can employ on themselves or other individuals by indicating their strengths
and underlining their qualities to empower and encourage them. Their
influence becomes their nature. It will show who they are, what they do,
and how they think. Some attributes of those with positive influence are
(1) being charismatic, (2) being humble, and (3) striving to help (Longmore,
Grant, and Golnaraghi 2018).
96 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Problem-Solving
The problem-solving skill provides business managers with a useful method
and effective process for finding the actual problem, realizing a solution or
solutions to the problems, and defining a productive course of action to come
up with a remedy for such problems (Donahue 2018; Rothwell et al. 2016;
Cummings and Worley 2015). That required mindset for someone to attempt
the problem-solving approach within organizations means that everyone
involved with the problem must be receptive to a new realm of possibilities.
Some attributes of those with problem-solving skills are (1) recognizing the per-
ceptions in the problem, (2) redefining the problem, and (3) not being attached
to experience (Martz, Hughes, and Braun 2017; Soulé and Warrick 2015).

Trust and Team Building

This competency refers to building trust with others, perhaps lining up
with other personality traits and self-concept characteristics (Handley
2017). Forming a foundation of trust is critical to building an effective team
because having trust among team members gives an impression of safety.
Without trust among teams and groups, there will not be as much collabora-
tion, expressions of creativity and innovation, and little productivity while
people devote their time to shielding themselves from others and protect-
ing their interests (Handley 2017; Rothwell et al. 2016). Some attributes of
someone with the ability to build trust and teams are (1) being friendly and
approachable, (2) being respectful to others’ ideas, and (3) practicing integ-
rity and accountability.

Interpersonal Skills
These skills refer to interacting, relating, understanding, and effectively coop-
erating with others, at home or the workplace. Interpersonal skills are pow-
erful aptitudes for building relationships and establishing cooperation with
others (Spencer and Spencer 1993; Boyatzis 1982). While professional posi-
tion hard skills are very important to workers’ ability to perform their work
and job-related duties, effectively demonstrating abilities to work with others,
delivering clear communication and displaying self-confidence as interper-
sonal skills are as important as their hard skills, and it can make a difference
in one’s professional advancement attributes. Someone with interpersonal
skills can demonstrate: (1) being aware of themselves and others, (2) being
collaborative, and (3) caring about relationships.
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 97

Coaching
The professional coaching process concept is about one’s performance,
and it enhances and increases on-the-job performance. Commonly, profes-
sional coaches receive a form of special training to guide people in their
professional field for achieving their intentions and goals (Rothwell et al.
2016). There are diverse definitions of coaching by different professional
associations. The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as
“[u]sing an interactive process to help individuals develop rapidly and
produce results, improving others’ ability to set goals, take action, make
better decisions, and make full use of their natural strengths” (Arneson,
Rothwell, and Naughton 2013, 45). Some managers prefer mentoring their
employees versus coaching them.

Mentoring
Compared to coaching, mentoring is relatively on the development side, not
just working on professional performance and goals but also general career
development. Generally, mentoring encompasses no particular or formal
training, making it much leaner than coaching (Rothwell et al. 2016). The
fundamental difference between a coach and a mentor is in their overall
approach; the coach concentrates on the coachee’s performance while the
mentor concentrates on the mentee’s growth (Rothwell and Chee 2013). As
a general concept, mentoring is a relationship based on the individuals’
development and focuses on mentors passing on their experience, knowl-
edge, and skills to a mentee. In general, mentoring involves teaching and
advising. A mentor’s job is to encourage the mentee and provide access to
“uplifting behaviors” (Rothwell and Chee 2013, 6) motivating, encouraging,
and inspiring the mentee with the primary purpose of causing mentee’s
growth (Rothwell and Chee 2013). Some attributes of someone with mentor-
ing skills are (1) being encouraging, (2) being empowering, and (3) being
knowledgeable.
To understand and have a benchmark for training and development of
managers coaching their people on EI, this author has designed a rating
system for evaluation of “Presence and Use of Emotional Intelligence by
Managers.” The manager readers can use the tool displayed in Table 3.3 and
self-rate their EI (from 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest rate and 5 being the highest
rate of presence and use of EI) at the initial date of the rating and then con-
tinue rating themselves in six months and then a year after the initial rating.
98 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Table 3.3 Presence and Use of Emotional Intelligence at Work by a Manger-as-

Coach Rating System.
Presence and Use of Emotional Intelligence at Work by a Manger-as-Coach Rating
System
Date: Participant: Team:
Month: Supervisor Department:
Rating Scale: 1 = Poor, 2 = Marginal, 3 = Acceptable, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent

Competencies/ Rating
Categories Descriptions
Qualities 1 2 3 4 5

One’s capacity to identify and Self-confidence

understand one’s emotions,
Self- Self-assessment
temperaments, and motives.
Awareness Awareness of their impact Self-control
on other people.
Intrapersonal skills

One’s ability to display Empathy

understanding, empathy,
Compassion
compassion, and controlling
Social
one’s emotions. Ability to deal Diversity awareness
Awareness
with conflicting and difficult
Active listening
situations arising from a lack
of social awareness.

One’s ability to recognize and Emotional balance

redirect distracting impulse
Adaptability
and temperament. A
Self-
tendency to defer immediate Responsibility
Regulation
judgment and to apply
Positivity
considerations before acting
against others.

One’s ability to create and Conflict management

develop a quality
Trust and team
relationship and looking for
Relationship building
values among others. Ability
Management
to invest in maintaining the Interpersonal skills
relationships and strive to
Coaching
improve them.
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 99

Two actions for this month that would bring up my three lowest EI ratings by at least
1 scale on the next month rating:
Action 1:
Action 2:
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

Leadership Qualities of Effective Manager-as-Coach

Besides all the aforementioned skills and competencies, coaching can cre-
ate a learning environment for developing managers-as-coaches by develop-
ing managers in leadership positions that would positively influence their
managerial skills and effectiveness in providing coaching for their employ-
ees intending to bring up their performance and productivity (Bakhshandeh
2002; Bakhshandeh 2008). The following are some of these qualities for a
manager-as-coach:

Shows Respect
Professional managers would display equal respect for everyone in any
position in the organization—regardless of their age, race, religion, gender,
education, or sexual orientation (2002, 2008).

Thinks Critically
Effective managers would intellectually and skillfully analyze and evalu-
ate gathered information and make their judgments based on evidence and
facts, and after all considerations (2002, 2008).

Solves Problems
Facing issues, problems, and breakdowns is the second nature of any busi-
ness development. Thoughtful managers would approach the problem more
thoroughly to realize a greater impact on everyone and the future of the
organization (2002, 2008).

Influences Positively
Having the ability to influence their people without creating resistance is
one of the most valuable qualities of effective managers (2002, 2008).
100 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

Innovates
Nurture and promote innovation and creativity by supporting learning and
experimentation. This quality will support an organization’s future to com-
pete in their markets (2002, 2008).

Communicates
Foster a strong alliance for actions, resources, and the organization’s priori-
ties. Communication is a function of workability, relatedness, and effective-
ness and the backbone of smooth operation and production (2002, 2008).

Remains Real
Make informed decisions using numbers, data, and researched facts, and
stay away from feeling and emotional-based fast decision-making and draw-
ing immediate conclusions (2002, 2008).

Engages
Be in the trenches with their people and inspire them to express their passions
and talents. Be part of the production and engage with people daily. A simple
“Please,” Thank You,” and “job well done” will go a long way (2002, 2008).

Demonstrates Adaptability
Be at ease with volatile and changing circumstances with agility and con-
fidence. Often, the vital need for an immediate change is at the corner
and facing the organization or a team. An effective manager can face these
adversaries with ease and grace (2002, 2008).

Demonstrates Transparency
Display authenticity, stimulate trust, and build relationships among people.
By being transparent, a good manager will build relationships based on
trust and respect. Integrity is the backbone of transparency (2002, 2008).

Shows Empathy
Display empathy, humility, and active listening and humility to boost morale.
An effective manager displays empathy and compassion for what others are
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 101

Table 3.4 Leadership Qualities of Effective Manager-as-Coach Rating System.

Leadership Qualities of Effective Manager-as Coach Rating System
Day: Participant: Team:
Month: Supervisor: Department
Rating Scale: 1 = Poor, 2 = Marginal, 3 = Acceptable, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent
Rating
Qualities Description
1 2 3 4 5
1 Shows Respect Displays equal respect for everyone in any
position in the organization.
2 Thinks Intellectually and skillfully analyzes and
Critically evaluates gathered information.
3 Solves Approaches the problem more thoroughly to
Problems realize a more significant impact on everyone.
4 Influences Can influence their people without creating
Positively resistance.
5 Innovates Nurtures and promotes innovation and creativity
by supporting learning and experimentation.
6 Communicates Fosters strong alliances for actions, resources,
and the organization’s priorities.
7 Remains Real Makes informed decisions using numbers, data,
and researched facts.
8 Engages Is in the trenches with their people; inspires
them to express their passions and talents.
9 Adapts Is at ease with volatile and changing
circumstances with agility and confidence.
10 Demonstrates Displays authenticity, stimulates trust, and builds
Transparency relationships among people.
11 Shows Displays empathy, humility, and active listening,
Empathy and humility to boost morale.
12 Learns Regularly obtains updated knowledge, learns
Continuously effective practices, and sharpens skills.
Two actions for this month that would bring up my 3 lowest leadership qualities
ratings by at least 1 scale on the next month rating:
Action 1:
Action 2:
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.
102 ◾ A Foundation for the Coaching Journey

facing day today. Being empathetic takes nothing away from being account-
able; it just makes it easier to deal with (2002, 2008).

Learns Continuously
Constantly obtain updated knowledge, learn effective practices, and sharpen
skills. A committed manager will learn every day and not afraid to say, “I
don’t know, but I am willing to learn” (2002, 2008).

Key Points to Remember

Note the following important points:

◾ There is a direct correlation between mindset and performance

– Coaches have to understand their mindsets and how they manage
their perceptions. Create a safe and trusting environment so workers
can open up and inform the coaches about their mindset.
◾ Everyone is facing gaps in the emotional intelligence
– In some shape or form, everyone is dealing with a total lack in
their understanding and use of EI. Educate yourself in elements and
clusters of EI so as manager-as-coach you have understanding and
compassion for others who lack or demonstrate a shortage in EI’s
understanding.
◾ Coaching is a quality leadership
– Coaching other people is a privilege given to managers to provide
an opening for employees to walk into a whole new possibility for
personal and professional growth. Do not take this privilege for
granted.

Coaching and Developmental Questions for Managers

As manager-as-coach, consider these questions:

(1) Looking at the relationship between mindset, attitude, behavior, and

individual and team performance and productivity, how do you assess
your understanding of this concept and ability to explain them to your
 Mindset, Attitude, Behavior, and Performance ◾ 103

coachees? Rate yourself from 1 to 5 (1 being the lowest and 5 being the
highest).
(2) Looking at the four EI clusters and their relevant competencies, how do
you assess your understanding of these competencies and ability to
explain them to your coachees? Please use Table 3.1 and rate yourself.
(3) Looking at Leadership Qualities of Effective Manager-as-Coach Rating
System how do you assess your leadership qualities in being a manager-
as-coach and rate your understanding of these competencies? Please use
Table 3.2 and rate yourself.
(4) According to your self-assessment and rating, design an action plan
to educate yourself and expand your knowledge in the concept of
the relationship between (1) Mindset and Performance, (2) EI, and (3)
Manager-as-Coach qualities and effectiveness.

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BUILDING I
RELATIONSHIP AND
RECOGNIZING THE
SITUATION

Establishing rapport and building relationships with employees is one of the

most important elements of management, which helps understand “what
is happening” with them, their productivity, and their overall performance.
Throughout this phase, we are trying to educate and increase the
knowledge and understanding of high-performance coaches and managers-
as-coaches about:

Chapter 4—Step 1: How to Establish Relatedness and Building

Rapport?
How can the consultant/manager establish rapport and a contractual
relationship with a coaching client?

Chapter 5—Step 2: What Is the Issue at Hand?

What is the present situation that requires coaching? What is happening?
Describe it in detail.

Chapter 6—Step 3: What Should Be Happening?

Describing the desired target, results, and outcome. 

DOI: 10.4324/9781003155928-5 107

Chapter 4

Step 1: How to Establish

Relatedness and
Building Rapport?
Behnam Bakhshandeh

Most people care about their relationships with family, work colleagues,
customers or clients, and friends. People who care about the quality of their
relationships know those qualities do not happen without work—and con-
tinuing cultivation. Quality relationships are created and developed over
time. Relationships grow when people display interest, create open commu-
nication channels, and establish strong rapport based on mutual respect and
understanding. That is true with home and work relationships.
In today’s organizational cultures, in some shapes and forms, manage-
ment is losing the ability to establish a good, authentic rapport with their
workforce. Contrary to some corporations trying to establish a more mean-
ingful work environment and create deeper connections with their employ-
ees, some are trying to diminish emotional connections from the work
environment. Because of that, many workplaces became automated (Gilmore
2019)—or even toxic. We are not saying this because we are against automa-
tion and high productivity due to mechanical and technological advance-
ment, but it is because of the disappearing deep connection and strong
rapport between organizational leaders and the workers.
This book and its chapters are based on the relationships between man-
agers-as-coaches and their subordinates and what it takes to create high-
performance workers through high-performance coaching relationships.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003155928-6 109

110  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Throughout this chapter, we educate managers-as-coaches about what

rapport is and how they can practice using it with their subordinates and
coachees to start high-performance coaching on a strong foundation.
This chapter looks at what rapport is, how to establish rapport, and how
to form a contractual relationship with subordinates or coaching clients. In
this chapter, readers will grow familiar with the general concept of rapport.
Chapter 4 covers these topics:

 What is rapport and the importance of it?

 What are relatedness, empathy, and compassion?
 Rapport and basic psychological needs
 Rapport and synchrony
 Fundamental states of being and competencies for establishing related-
ness and rapport
 Role of organization values and culture on rapport
 Key factors to remember from this chapter
 Some discussion questions to support manager-as-coach development

Some Definitions and Descriptions

These terms will be used in this chapter:

Rapport
Briefly stated, rapport means to have a positive connection with others. Here
are some carefully chosen definitions of rapport:

 “The relation characterized by harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity”

(Merriam-Webster 2021).
 “Rapport is a positive connection with another person, one that involves
caring and understanding” (Angelo 2012, 11).
 “I like to define rapport as a deep emotional connection and under-
standing between two people” (Gilmore 2019, 2).
 “Colloquially, rapport is the emotional experience of high-quality inter-
actions. While the emotional experience of a high-quality interaction
may often be associated with objective measures of high-quality inter-
actions, this will not always be the case” (Baker, Watlington, and Knee
2020, 330).
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  111

 “Rapport is a process, a happening, an experience between two per-

sons. It may not be a mutual affair at first, but the sharing of the expe-
rience and participation in it grows as each individual unfolds him or
herself in the interpersonal situation” (Travelbee 1963, 70).
 “Rapport is one’s capability to establish a background of relatedness and
connecting with others” (Bakhshandeh 2002, n.p.).

According to Angelo (2012), rapport means “clicking” with one another, which
would cause continued communication and collaboration between two people.
Sometimes rapport is established immediately, and other times, it takes time
to build the trust necessary to establish rapport. However, it takes two people
to develop workable rapport. The successful performance of managers-as-
coaches hinges on the rapport and trust existing between managers and those
they coach (Whitmore 2017; Rothwell, Stavros, and Sullivan 2016; Cummings
and Worley 2015; Bakhshandeh 2008).
Rapport means more than polite displays of friendship or casual civil-
ity and acquaintanceship. Establishing rapport is about showing emotional
awareness—that is, having empathy, compassion, and connecting to oth-
ers through understanding of another person’s emotions (Gilmore 2019;
Whitmore 2017; Bakhshandeh 2009). “It is a connection that puts those on
the same page and opens the door for collaboration, communication most
importantly, deeper understanding” (Gilmore 2019, 2). Looking at all the pre-
sented definitions, it is safe to conclude that rapport is the individuals’ emo-
tional connections and relationships with others in their lives. Establishing
rapport is the step on which to build such connections and relationships
based on mutual experiences or perceptions. When formed, it can persist for
many years (Gilmore 2019; Angele 2012; Bakhshandeh 2009). As Travelbee
(1963) underlined, “rapport is a particular way in which we perceive and
relate to our fellow human beings; it is composed of a cluster of inter-related
thoughts and feelings, an interest in, and a concern for others, empathy,
compassion, and sympathy, a nonjudgmental attitude, and respect for the
individual as a unique human being” (Travelbee 1963, 70).

Relatedness
Many people cannot manage their relationships because they are jumping
into a relationship with another person before knowing how to relate and
understand the deep meaning of relatedness. This phenomenon happens in
both personal and professional environments (Bakhshandeh 2009).
112  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Lexico dictionary of Oxford University defined relatedness as “the state

or fact of being related or connected.” For example, “subjects reported a
significant increase in the sense of relatedness to nature” (n.p.). Keller (2016)
described relatedness as a reference “to the social nature of human beings
and the connectedness with others. Both can be considered as being part of
the panhuman psychology, and both are intrinsically intertwined” (1). Keller
(2016) combined relatedness with autonomy as two basic human needs;

the definition of self and others can be regarded as embodying

the two dimensions of autonomy and relatedness. Autonomy and
relatedness are two basic human needs and cultural constructs at
the same time. They may be differently defined yet remain equally
important. The respective understanding of autonomy and relat-
edness is socialized during the everyday experiences of daily life
routines from birth on

(1). According to Aristotelous (2019), there is convincing proof in the

research literature suggesting that fostering relatedness among people
through the formation of deeper human connections provides positivity in
organizations and work settings. However, Aristotelous (2019) continued
with, “at the same time, preserving our humanity and our sense of related-
ness with one another at such times of unprecedented technological devel-
opment seems a daunting task” (53).

Rapport and Basic Psychological Needs

While the purpose of this chapter is not about digging into individuals’ psy-
chological states and needs, there is a direct correlation between individuals’
basic psychological needs and their mindsets, attitudes, and behaviors.
According to research conducted by Baker et al. (2020), the satisfaction of
a person’s psychological needs is crucial for his or her day-to-day functions,
operational behaviors, and causes for high-quality interactions with other
people. “Rapport is essential to high-quality interactions and may be one
way that various relationship types can provide the nutriments of healthy
functioning” (Baker et al. 2020, 329). Baker et al. (2020) describe findings of
the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) that individuals’ goal-focused behav-
iors are motivated by these three innate characteristics of the psychological
needs in every human: (1) autonomy—the need for owning their behavior
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  113

and actions, (2) competence—the need for producing their desired results
or goals and to experience achieving mastery in their producing the desired
outcome), and (3) relatedness—the need, feel, and desire to connect to other
people (329). Baker et al. (2020) continued to underline the psychological
need by referring to Hadden et al. (2016), “[g]iven the compelling evidence
that satisfaction of one’s needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness
are fundamental to well-being and ill-being as well as behavioral, relational,
and personal outcomes, need satisfaction as an outcome in-and-of-itself
deserves more attention” (329).
Research conducted by Martela and Riekki (2018) based on the SDT
suggested that meaningful work is a vital component of employees’ posi-
tive operations and performance. Based on research findings on (1) SDT,
(2) basic psychological needs, and (3) prosocial impact, the researchers
suggested that “there are four psychological satisfactions that substantially
influence work meaningfulness across cultures: autonomy (sense of volition),
competence (sense of efficacy), relatedness (sense of caring relationships),
and beneficence (sense of making a positive contribution)” (1). Given that
interactions with other people are so important, one’s ability to considerably
affect others is directly related to his or her ability to establish rapport and
build relationships. Baker et al. (2020) research developed findings by study-
ing how people’s interactions (not only with others with whom one has an
established relationship) may affect individuals, particularly how rapport and
relatedness in the framework of people’s day-to-day social connections pre-
dict the realization of people’s basic needs for autonomy, competence, and
relatedness.

Rapport and Synchrony

As it has been established previously, rapport might be believed to be linked
to the individuals’ need for satisfaction in a type of radiance of positivity
and productivity. However, some factors or parts of rapports may suggest
that, most likely, there are other reasons associated with success in establish-
ing rapport. For example, both parties should have mutual interests, display
mutual competence during their interactions, or have similar skills in com-
munication, which naturally create mutual synchrony, affiliation, respect, and
natural relatedness (Hove and Risen 2009).
When a sense of synchronization is created, people are easily acting
naturally and authentically with much fewer concerns about how the other
party perceives them. This mutual understanding and connection will
114  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

naturally lead to enhanced autonomous satisfaction because both parties do

not feel pressured to engage in the interactions or change to improve the
relationship (Baker et al. 2020).

Role of Organization Values and Culture in

Establishing Rapport
Correlations between how employees react to their managers and the
organization’s values have a direct link to the working environment and
the organizational culture. In some form, managers’ mindsets, attitudes,
and behaviors toward productivity and employees’ performances con-
nect to their personal and professional values and how the organiza-
tion’s values and culture impact the work environment (Bakhshandeh
2021).

Degree of Organizing in Organizations and Rapport

The degree of an organization’s engagement in creating a powerful set of
values, operational principles, and culture is related to the degree and level
of practicing systematically organized practices in management, opera-
tion, and norms. Establishing rapport is one missing element in such an
organization. On the other side of the equation, as Cummings and Worley
(2015) underlined, in over-organized business systems operating in highly
automated and bureaucratic systems, there is a rigid relationship to the
organization structure, management styles, structure, and implementa-
tion of policies and procedures established for an effective job and task
performance.
Often this rigid work environment might be a barrier to establishing
relatedness and creating rapport between managers and their subordinates.
However, experiences have shown organizations’ values, and culture has
much to do with the organizations’ openness to give managers a chance to
establish a healthy rapport with their subordinates, which (in turn) results in
higher performance.

Organization Values and Rapport

Organization values are a set of beliefs about personal or socially desired
principles that influence action (Schwartz 1992). Organizational values
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  115

demonstrate what the organization regards as important. Values are related

to ethical principles, what is considered right or wrong.
Organizational values help workers to establish a clear path toward
results. Values are building blocks to creating an organizational culture
based on empowering the working environment and high productivity and
performance. An organization’s values are crucial in guiding employees’ atti-
tudes and behavior. In fact, “organizational values must be able to meet the
needs of different employees, and organizations need to clarify their work
values and expectations with staff” (Cennamo and Gardner 2008, 891).

Organizational Culture and Rapport

Mindset is to individuals what culture is to organizations. A strat-

egy to change culture is often required, one that assesses which
aspects of the current culture already support the desired future,
which block it, and what may need to be created to better serve it
(Rothwell et al. 2016, 73)

Organizational culture is a dynamic strength embedded in various aspects

of personal (employees) and professional (organization structure and busi-
ness strategies), comprising deeply rooted behaviors, a history of interac-
tive employee–employee dynamics, and sensitivities for traditions and
norms of an organization and its workforce. According to Aristotelous
(2019), given this overall dynamics, organizational culture and its business
strategy should be aligned with all stages of an organization to guaran-
tee the execution of its goals and the desired outcome by its workforce
involved with assisting the organization in achieving its vision, mission,
and purpose (Aristotelous 2019).
We are spending more time on organizational culture and values because
they have a deep influence on managers and the employees’ abilities and
desires to establish a rapport among themselves. It is hard to pinpoint a
specific definition for what organizational culture is! Research on organiza-
tional culture has delivered over 50 different definitions and descriptions of
it! Many organization managers define the views of their culture as “the way
we do things around here” (Colquitt, LePine, and Wesson 2015). But we all
know there is much more in developing an organizational culture intention-
ally or just by the force of time and sets of organizational processes, prac-
tices, and norms. About this concept, Colquitt et al. (2015) invited us to look
at one reason for various definitions for organizational culture. He noted
116  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

that differences stem from the people who have researched it. For example,
sociologists who have studied organizational culture used anthropological
investigation models and the methods employed to study social cultures
such as nationalities, tribes, and civilizations. Psychologists are inclined to
study cultures by conducting survey methods.
Colquitt et al. (2015) defined organizational culture as “the shared social
knowledge within an organization regarding the rules, norms, and values
that shape the attitudes and behaviors of an organization” (534). This defini-
tion underlines several important issues about organizational culture:

 First: Given culture is a social knowledge between employees of an

organization, they learn essential facets of the organizational culture
through their interactions with each other through observation and
communication, which creates consensus about their culture.
 Second: Organizational culture is communicating what the organiza-
tion’s values, rules, and norms are, which assist with an employee’s
mindset, attitude, and behavior about the organization and their
relationships.
 Third: Organizational culture is shaping and strengthens certain
employee mindsets, attitudes, and behaviors by engaging them in some
organizational systems that would have control over employees. This
approach causes employees’ goals and values to align with the organi-
zation’s goals and values.
(Colquitt et al. 2015)

Fit and Match Person in Organizations

Establishing a good rapport among managers and employees as the concept
of “fit and match person and organization” is essential to workability and real-
ization of the organization’s culture and vision. Amos and Weathington (2008)
empirically investigated the correlation between a fit and match with individu-
als and organizations. “Overall findings have supported the existence of a
positive relationship between the congruence of employee and organizational
values with employee attitudes toward the organization” (615). The research
results indicated that employees’ view of employee–organization values is
positively related to (1) employees’ satisfaction with their job, (2) their satisfac-
tion with the organization, and (3) their organizational commitment. Research
findings indicated a negative link between what organizations claim as their
values and the results of high employee turnover (Amos and Weathington
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  117

2008). Again, we can see the importance of organizational value and culture in
managers’ abilities to establish good rapport with their employees.

The Leadership Role in Values

The organization’s leaders demonstrate the organization’s values through
their attitudes and behaviors and spread the culture by holding their
subordinates (lower managers, supervisors, and so on) accountable for
behaving in ways consistent with the leaders’ values (Rothwell et al. 2016;
Bakhshandeh 2008). Therefore, establishing a good rapport between man-
agers and their employees is essential to establishing credibility and trust.
Managers can lose credibility and undermine trust by cutting corners to save
time instead of following proper procedures. If managers do not follow the
organization’s rules, policies, and procedures, then workers will lose respect
for the rules.

Role of Competencies, Skills, and Training

To establish good rapport, a high-performance coach needs to develop
specific competencies as mentioned in Figure 4.1. But before we get to the
six competencies that need to establish relatedness and rapport, let us talk a
little about what we mean by competencies.

Defining Competencies, Skills, Knowledge, and Training

In this section, we review definitions and descriptions of several key termi-
nologies in professional business and Organization Development (OD) and
training, which assist readers in understanding the differences among the
terms (1) competency, (2) skills, and (3) training.

Competency
The term competency has been commonly used without clear awareness of
its meaning or the context in which it was used. In organizational develop-
ment, business, and education, the term competency describes individual
proficiency, such as knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors against a set
of guidelines and established standards (Donahue 2018). The following are
definitions of competency by several professionals:
118  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

 “Measurable and observable knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors

(KSABs) critical to successful job performance. Competencies refer to
the specific KSABs that a person can readily show. They include not
only technical skills but also what are known as soft skills” (Donahue
2018, 21).
 “An underlying characteristic of an individual that is causally related
to criterion-referenced effective and or superior performance in a job
or situation, where ‘criterion-referenced indicates that competency will
predict performance” (Spencer and Spencer 1993, 9).
 “Certain characteristics or abilities of the person [that] enable him or her
to demonstrate the appropriate specific actions” (Boyatzis 1982, 12).
 “A personal capability that is critical to the production of a quality out-
put or outputs” (McLagan 1988, 374).

Often the words competency and competence are used interchangeably.

Organizations depend on the qualifications of their workforce, especially
their managers, who are trying to develop rapport with their subordinates to
coach them to improve productivity.

Skills
Skill is the ability to execute an action or task with established results within
a time frame. Skills mean know-how. In fact, a skill is an ability to do some-
thing. Skills are what make individuals confident in their life and career
pursuits (Rothwell 2015). As much as developing skills requires willpower
and practice, almost any skill can be learned, developed, and improved
(Donahue 2018).

Skillset
A skillset is the mixture of personal qualities, knowledge, and abilities that
individuals develop through their life spans personally and professionally. It
typically included two types of skills: (1) soft skills and (2) hard skills.

Soft Skills
Soft skills cover interpersonal skills or people skills. It is difficult to quantify
these skills; however, in a general sense, they are an individual’s person-
ality and ability to work with others. These skills include being detailed-
oriented, using critical thinking, being a problem solver, possessing good
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  119

communication skills, listening without prejudice, displaying empathy and

compassion, and many more (“The Balance Career,” n.d.).

Hard Skills
Hard skills are tangible, quantifiable skills. They include some specific tech-
nical and profession-related knowledge and abilities required for conduct-
ing a job or task. Hard skills could be accounting, computer programming,
mathematics, or data analysis (“The Balance Career,” n.d.).

Knowledge
Knowledge refers to a theoretical, conceptual, or functional understanding of
a trade or a subject matter (Donahue 2018). According to Krathwohl (2002),
knowledge is classified into four categories:

 factual knowledge,
 conceptual knowledge,
 procedural knowledge, and
 metacognitive knowledge.

It is essential to understand the characteristics and categories of our knowl-

edge base and its strengths in our personal and professional endeavors.
Being a knowledgeable manager-as-coach is no different.

Training
Training has been defined in several ways:

 “Training helps individuals meet minimally acceptable job requirements

or refine, upgrade, and improve what they presently do. When employ-
ees finish their training, they should be able to apply it immediately”
(Rothwell and Sredl 2014, 9).
 “Learning, [is] provided by employers to employees that are related to
their present jobs (Nadler and Nadler 1989)” (Rothwell and Sredl 2014, 9).
 “Change in skills (Lawrie 1990)” (Rothwell and Sredl 2014, 10).
 “Its major focus is providing basic knowledge and skills for famil-
iar tasks tied to present jobs (Bartz, Schwandt, and Hillman 1989)”
(Rothwell and Sredl 2014, 10).
120  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Figure 4.1 Relationship between Accruing Knowledge, Competencies, and Skills in

Training.
Source: Adapted from Rothwell and Sredl (2014).

Training is also described as a short-term learning intervention intending to

construct people’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes to assemble their work
requirements at their jobs. In this context of an organization, business, and
education, knowledge refers to the realities, facts, standards, and informa-
tion essential for executing a job or task while skills are the individuals’
abilities linked to a successful performance at work, and individual atti-
tudes refer to their feelings and emotions, as expressed by the individu-
als (Rothwell and Sredl 2014). As a manager-as-coach, we need to clearly
understand distinctions between competencies, skills, and training so we
can imply them appropriately to enhance our competencies and skills
through training and education.
Regardless of industries or types of organizations, a business, a perform-
ing team, or even individuals running their businesses as technicians, the
outcome of proper training relevant to a particular concept (e.g., rapport)
will be the relationship between competencies, skills, and knowledge (see
Figure 4.1).

Fundamental State of Being and Competencies

for Establishing Relatedness and Rapport
Now that we established what competencies, skills, and training are, we
move on to what it takes to establish relatedness and rapport. See the details
of this segment in Figure 4.2.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  121

Manager/Coach State of Being

For performance coaching to work, the managers-as-coaches need to pay
attention to their state of being while approaching employees or teams. We
are making the most significant difference in what we are prepared to do
with them during our approach to people. Who we are is where we begin
with establishing a positive rapport with people (Bakhshandeh 2009). On
average, 75% of all change efforts in organizations fall significantly below
management’s desired expectations. Either way, the failure rate is high.
Research also indicates that two-thirds of employees in organizations under-
going change activities would choose not to become involved at all (Levi
2016; Rothwell et al. 2016; Rothwell and Sredl 2014). Managers-as-coaches
should pay close attention to this type of information.
Why do most people going through a change effort come out unchanged?
Why don’t these efforts have impact? It may have something to do with the
trainer, coach, consultant, or manager’s state of being. Managers tend to plan
change efforts with a focus on what to do and not how we are (how people
perceive us to be). There are two sides to any performance change.

The Doing side is about processes, measurement, tools, structures,

and procedures. This side is about management. The Being side is
about relationships, participation, commitment, attitude, creativity,
overcoming resistance to change, and self-leadership. This side is
about leadership
(Primeco Education, n.d.)

When implementing high-performance coaching interventions, we remind

the management team that doing good management cannot generate sus-
tainability and growth in the organization or in the team they are trying to
restore and rebuild. They need to adjust the being of an individual to ensure
the sustainability and longevity of individuals because what they are being
(resentful, regretful, or disappointed), directly influences what they are doing
(performance, communication, or productivity) (Bakhshandeh 2009). In one
of Martin Heidegger’s books, Being and Time (1953), the German philoso-
pher and ontologist, expressed his views on the transparency of being as
“the self-evident concept. Being is used in all-knowing and predicting, in
every relation to being, and every relation to oneself, and the expression is
understandable without further ado” (3).
122  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

One important, influential element of OD is the role modeling of organi-

zation leaders by displaying positive behavior aligned with desirable behav-
ior associated with implementation (Rothwell et al. 2016). This personal
development effort by organizations is possible through behavioral coaching
for individuals who have a direct and impactful influence on an organiza-
tion’s well-being. Behavioral coaching is not a new phenomenon in applying
OD. As part of behavioral coaching, coaches use the model of person-
centered psychology based on “holding up a mirror” (Rothwell 2015) for the
individuals to get to know themselves on a much deeper level and know
how they behave (and how others perceive and interpret their behavior)
through the years.
Usually, self-realization is somewhat bad news. However, it is a good
thing to know sooner rather than later. For example, some may discover
that they are opinionated, and they are always judging and evaluating
others. Nobody wants to be known as that judgmental person (the bad
news). But it is also a good thing, a good opportunity to face it, own it,

Figure 4.2 Being, Doing, and Mindset Relevancy.

Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  123

and do something about it. This way, this behavior has no power over
those individuals; now, they have a choice to continue behaving that way
or change their behavior given they see the cost of this behavior on them-
selves, their families, and people around them, such as people at work
(Bakhshandeh 2009).
You can see the relevance between Being and Doing in Figure 4.2.
We are attempting to shed light on some state of being under the
leadership part we think makes a big difference in establishing rapport.
We are using the following display (Figure 4.3) to walk our readers into
establishing a rapport with individuals or teams needing to increase their
productivity using the steps mentioned in Figure 4.3.

Business Case Examples throughout the Chapters

Throughout this book, we will continue using different organizations from
different industries as case examples for each step to create high-perfor-
mance teams. This way, we are displaying the unified implementation and
the use of High-Performance Coaching for Managers in different situations
in various industries. As a manager-as-coach, you should pay attention to
the context of steps and how they will affect your team or individuals you
are coaching.
In this segment of Chapter 4, we use a business case example of working
with a manager and his team to establish a background of relatedness and
rapport to increase the productivity and performance at their jobs. However,
in this chapter, the emphasis will be on the consultant/coach’s state of
being that made a difference in establishing rapport with the individuals in
this team. Pay attention to who the consultant/coach was being that would
support what he was doing. Some of the following content was in the last
chapter as part of understanding the EI (Emotional Intelligence). But it is
beneficial to address several elements again in this chapter briefly.

Background
In 2012, we received an invitation from MBD, an organization that has par-
ticipated in the beauty supply distribution industry in Southern California
since the early 1980s. The organization had four distribution centers with
112 employees and independent contractors throughout California. The
primary job of this workforce was involved in sales and the administration
124  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

of distributing products to the hair and nail salons, spas and massage busi-
nesses, gyms, and motel and hotel chains. The sales managers and sales
teams in these three locations were 82 people, including four sales managers
and 78 salespersons throughout the four distribution centers. The rest of the
team were administrations, accounting, shipping, quality control, marketing/
public relation, and IT people. The apparent issue was the decreasing level
of quarterly and annual sales for the last two consecutive years. Mike, the
owner/CEO, could not make a difference with his sales team, he was not
able to get to mindset of his sales team and could not get them to discuss
the issues and what is in the way of their performance and productivity. It
was a clear breakdown in a channel of communication and understanding
of employees’ needs and wants in their career with the MBD. Some of the
issues were Mike’s lack of abilities and competencies to relate to his sales
team, and another issue was the fact that members of the sales team were
resisting Mike’s management style and just avoiding his domination from
their point of view.
Note: We will use the MBD case throughout the entire book to make an
example of how we use our performance coaching model (see in Chapter
3) to coach and walk the MBD team through spaces of the performance
model to find fundamental issues in their performance and productivity as
well as to develop them as a high-performance team. That being said, you
will see examples of the MBD team throughout other chapters of this book,
plus possibly other examples from performance development issues with
other organizations and some examples of coaching dialogs and perfor-
mance conversations.
Since this part of this case is about establishing rapport and building
relatedness, the case is not about collecting data, analysis, and the process
of the change intervention. However, we are walking you through how
we conduct building rapport and getting to understand the issues that
MBD has missed in communication and relatedness with the sales teams.
Two things to consider here are as follows: (1) In this book, we are cover-
ing creating a high-performance environment and coaching a manager to
become a high-performance coach and make a difference in their perfor-
mance as a manager-as-coach. (2) If you are interested in understanding
the levels of the individual, team, and organization change interven-
tions and their processes, we highly recommend our book Organization
Development Interventions, Executing Effective Organizational Change by
Rothwell, Imroz, and Bakhshandeh (2021) published by Routledge (Taylor
and Francis). These two books can work together.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  125

Figure 4.3 The Fundamental State of Being and Competencies for Establishing
Relatedness and Rapport.
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

We are looking at how to establish rapport with people to establish a

workable foundation for creating a breakthrough for participants and bring
them back to their productive performance and establish a good relationship
with their manager Mike.
We had a one-day workshop on a Sunday with all the 82 sales team
members—including Mike, the owner, and the CEO. Besides establishing
rapport for our work with the sales team, we offered executive coaching to
Mike and worked to empower his current and possible future team mem-
bers about their performance and productivity.
In the following part of this chapter, we explain the fundamental state
of being, competencies, and skills we used to establish a strong rapport
with the MBD sales team. We also indicated “Coaches’ Actions” for each
part.

Being Authentic
Being authentic means that coaches own who they are and what they stand
for. It is a mixture of having the courage to be real and avoid pretending
to be someone else just to please people (Bakhshandeh 2015). “The flip
side of authenticity is pretense” (Bakhshandeh 2015, 34). Some attributes of
126  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

authentic people are (1) practicing self-reflection, (2) being honest, and (3)
not being judgmental.

Approachability
Approachable people are easy-going, calm, and collected, and they are
friendly. They are pleasant and open to others approaching and talking to
them. You would sense no resistance from them by your approach and your
interest in speaking to them or engaging them in some inquiries. It is effort-
less to connect with them (Bakhshandeh 2009). Some attributes of approach-
able people are (1) no presence of ego, (2) being humble, and (3) being open
and welcoming.

Positivity
Being positive has a big impact on others. A positive person influences other
people by easily relating to them. A positive temperament toward other
people creates an environment for building relationships, trust, and loyalty
among the workforce at every possible organizational level (HBR 2017).
Thinking negatively, displaying negative body language, and expressing
judgmental and crude language only results in others resisting and becom-
ing suppressed. When that happens, other people will not talk. People who
practice positivity are (1) optimistic, (2) resilient, and (3) grateful.

Coaches’ Actions
 Acknowledge them for their time and their commitment to their work
and the organization.
 Be real but do not try to act in charge and dominate the process.
 Adopt a friendly and professional approach to minimize the resistance.
 Use self-deprecating humor so they can laugh with you.
 Share stories about your shortcomings and breakthroughs in learning
high performance and productivity.
 Make yourself real.
 Be calm and collected and do not get hooked on their differences.
 Make sure they know that nothing is wrong with them or the situation.
 Assure them you and the organization are counting on their strengths
and what is great about them.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  127

 Ask the owner/CEO to give his word he will not retaliate based on
what the participants are exposing and communicating.
 Ask the owner/CEO to share stories about how he built up the organi-
zation, the hardship and struggles of establishing a good business, and
his dreams and vision for his organization and his employees.
 Acknowledge them when sharing their issues—and do not water them
down.

Being Respectful
Respectful managers and coaches are open to different communication
styles and are sensitive to other differences, such as diversity by age, sex,
gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or any other irrelevant differ-
ences to their duties.

Professionalism
Professional managers or coaches are keenly aware of their boundaries with
their subordinates or coachees. They do not extend their welcome to their
employees and act like they know better or have the answers. Being pro-
fessional means demonstrating respectful manners and calming behaviors.
Some attributes of people with professionalism are (1) using formal lan-
guage, (2) avoiding drama, and (3) displaying ethical behavior.

Sensitivity
Sensitive managers or coaches will acknowledge and recognize the diver-
sity and practice inclusion in their organizations, workplaces, and teams.
They attain diversity awareness when they appreciate and understand the
advantages of cultural diversity and differences among people. A work-
force with diversity awareness can establish an organizational culture built
on the foundation of dignity, mutual respect, and acceptance of the dif-
ferences among people regardless of their cultural background, ethnicity,
age, sexual orientation, gender, religion, socio-economic status, and physi-
cal abilities (Goleman 2015; Goleman 1998). Some attributes of people
with diversity awareness are (1) embracing uniqueness among people, (2)
having mutual respect for everyone, and (3) having universal treatment for
everyone.
128  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Coaches’ Actions
 Use professional and proper language.
 Avoid profanity.
 Mention no differences among participants.
 If any dramatic display occurs, bring the participants back to what they
will accomplish out of the coaching event and what the owner has
expressed about his intentions.
 Display respect and regards for everyone at the same professional level.
 Ask everyone if, for their comfort, they need any special
accommodations.
 Do not compare their issues with other issues or your own experiences.
 Remember that all their issues are real for them.
 Do not interrupt their sharing and expressions.

Being Courteous
Managers and coaches committed to being fair will practice courtesy and
empathize with others’ past, showing compassion to how they might act
or react to past or present situations. They show empathy and compassion
because of who they are at that moment.

Empathy
The simplest definition of empathy is understanding and consciousness of
other’s feelings and emotions (Goleman 2015). An empathetic person can
focus on others and could develop personal, social, and professional rela-
tionships. Managers and coaches able to focus on others effectively are the
ones who can find common ground with others (HBR 2017). One’s pro-
pensity to identify others’ emotional status is in dealing with others relating
to the present state of their feelings and emotions (Goleman 2015). Some
attributes of empathetic people are (1) recognizing talent, (2) understanding
other’s emotional states, and (3) being helpful to others.

Compassion
A compassionate person demonstrates understanding, sympathy, and kind-
ness for others in their time of sorrow, trouble, and hardship. It is the
consciousness of experiencing others’ distress and grief and interests and
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  129

aspirations to ease their pain (HBR 2017; Goleman 2014). Compassion takes
empathy further. People with compassion feel hardship when witnessing
another person in distress. Some attributes of compassionate people are (1)
placing oneself in others’ situations, (2) practicing active listening, and (3)
being okay with others’ failures.

Coaches’ Actions
 Let them complete what they have to say—regardless of how harsh it is
or the pain it provokes.
 Keep acknowledging them for what they have provided for the
organization.
 Let them know what they think is “their failure” is not a failure but
a hiccup in the process, and it does not just belong to them but also
belongs to the team and the owner.
 Ask them to share about their obstacles and difficulties in their lives and
what it takes for them to perform their duties.
 Listen actively while controlling facial expressions and body language.
 Make sure they know they can have any emotions that might come
up—and that includes showing anger and resentment.

Being Engaging
Engaging managers or coaches display their desire to communicate and
understand others. They are communicating to produce relationships and
results, not just manipulating to make their people do something they want
them to do. They show interest in how others communicate while also
paying attention to the facial expressions and body language of others.

Communication
To be engaging and connecting with others is to communicate and be
communicative. This means to express your message in a well-mannered
fashion and listen to the replying person with the same respect and cour-
tesy you demand from them when they listen to you. This is the ability to
transfer information from one location, individual, or team to other peo-
ple or places. All forms of communication include at least one message,
one sender, and one receiver (Jones 2015). Steinfatt (2009) expressed his
view of communication and its vital role in human connectedness: “The
130  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

central thrust of human communication concerns mutually understood

symbolic exchange” (295). Communication is one concept that continues
to be the focus of many theories about human connection (Jones 2015).
Without communication, there is no workability or teamwork. Teams are
synchronized when communicating effectively (Bakhshandeh 2015). Some
attributes of someone with communication skills are (1) being aware of
nonverbal communication, (2) delivering clear and concise messages, and
(3) showing courtesy and listening keenly.
A communicative person knows that harmony and fulfillment can arise in
communication. They know that peace of mind is a function of communica-
tion. They know that, without communication, there can be no efficiency
or effectiveness in the organization. When communicating with others,
remember:

 Stay present to the purpose of your communication.

 Be responsible for your communication and for how your listeners
receive it.
 Be clear, precise, and effective in your communications.
 Speak the truth without causing upsets for others or yourself.
(Bakhshandeh 2015; Bakhshandeh 2004)

Interest
To be interested is to be engaged with the people talking and showing
legitimate interest in their message. Coaches committed to being interested
in the speakers are practicing active listening. Active listening is one essen-
tial element of communication. Active listening is a valuable skill that can
be developed by practicing. One with active listening concentrates on the
people talking and the content and feeling displayed in the conversation
instead of just passively hearing speakers and messages (Rothwell et al.
2016; Goleman 2015). Practicing active listening helps the listeners gain the
speakers’ trust and respect by knowing the listeners appreciate their situa-
tions. It is an essential first step to neutralize a hard situation and pursue a
workable solution to potential crises (Rothwell et al. 2016; Cummings and
Worley 2015). Some attributes of people with active listening are (1) paying
attention to the speaker, (2) responding appropriately, and (3) providing
feedback.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  131

Coaches’ Actions
 Pay attention to the body language.
 Directly connect with them by looking at their eyes while they are talk-
ing and being aware of their facial expressions.
 Listen to what they say as it is the most important thing you need to
hear.
 Show interest in the issues they communicate.
 Make sure your responses are related to what they have communicated.
 Ask their permission to provide feedback.
 Do not interrupt or correct their delivery.
 Summarize and/or paraphrase what they say to demonstrate that you
really understood what they said—and, if you did not, the paraphrase
or summary will give them a chance to correct it.
 When mismatches between stated messages and apparent feelings
occur, follow up to ask for why that apparent disparity exists.

Table 4.1 displays a self-rating system that managers-as-coaches can use to

realize their level of the fundamental state of being and the coaching com-
petencies for establishing relatedness and rapport and planning properly
for expanding their knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide such compe-
tencies during their high-performance coaching with their subordinates or
coachees.
The next step is taking the team to what we call the interview process for
uncovering the reality of relationships.

The Interview Process for Uncovering the Reality

of Relationships
As part of the workshop with the MBD, we conducted the interview process
to uncover the reality of relationships to reveal personal and professional
issues in establishing strong rapport.
Effective leadership is essential to any organization’s performance.
Coaching is a planned intervention to develop people. “Traditionally,
coaching has focused on individual empowerment and achievements.
Organizations are now beginning to rely on team coaching to enhance
organizational performance” (Maseko, Van Wyk, and Odendaal 2019, 1).
 132
Table 4.1 Fundamental State of Being and Competencies for Establishing Relatedness and Rapport.


Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation
Fundamental State of Being and Competencies of Effective Manager-as-Coach Self-Rating System
Day: Participant: Team:
Month: Supervisor: Department:
Rating Scale: 1 = Poor, 2 = Marginal, 3 = Acceptable, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent

State of Being and Rating

Descriptions and Attributions
Competencies 1 2 3 4 5
1 Being Authentic A mixture of having the courage to be real and being oneself
without consideration to submit to something to just please
someone else.
1.a Approachability (1) There is no presence of ego with them, (2) being humble,
and (3) being open and welcoming
1.b Positivity (1) Being optimistic, (2) being resilient, and (3) being grateful.
2 Being Respectful Display equal respect for everyone in any position in the orga-
nization regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality,
religion, or any other differences.
2.a Professionalism (1) Using proper language, (2) avoiding drama, and (3) display
ethical behavior
2.b Sensitivity (1) Embracing uniqueness among people, (2) having mutual
respect for everyone, and (3) having universal treatment for
everyone
 3 Being Courteous Committed to be fair and practicing courtesy to others past or
situation. They show empathy and compassion not because
they have an agenda but because who they are being now.
3.a Empathy (1) Recognizing talent, (2) understanding other’s emotional
state, and (3) being helpful to others
3.b Compassion (1) Placing oneself in others’ situations, (2) practicing active
listening, and (3) being okay with others’ failures
4 Being Engaging Displaying their desire in communication and understanding of

Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport 

the other party in communication. They are not pushing their
agenda and they are not attached to a certain prefabricated
solution.
4.a Communication (1) Being aware of nonverbal communication, (2) delivering
clear and concise messages, and (3) showing courtesy and
listening keenly.
4.b Interest (1) Paying attention to the speaker, (2) responding appropri-
ately, and (3) providing feedback
Two actions for this month that would bring up my two lowest states of being and competencies ratings by at least one scale
on the next month self-rating:
Action 1:
Action 2:

Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

133
134  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Although organizations depend on their teams to accomplish their goals

and targets, numerous organizational leaders are unclear about how to
effectively advance their teams to develop necessary skills and competen-
cies to improve productivity (Maseko et al. 2019).
As we have mentioned throughout this book, we emphasize how impor-
tant it is to develop individuals and team members to understand the rele-
vance between their mindsets, attitudes, and behaviors to their performance
(see Chapter 3, Figure 3.1). Because of this distinction, at this point of
working with the MBD, we introduced the interview process for uncovering
the reality of relationships. This interview was presented as a team coaching
by presenting these steps:

(1) Explain the interview context and intent.

(2) Express the nondisclosure and confidentiality nature of the interview
process.
(3) Assure everyone that they can be free and communicate their issues
with no fear of retaliation or being treated differently.
(4) Walk the team through the entire interview setup and questioner’s
process and explain the intent behind the process and each question.
(5) Ask the team to write notes and ask questions to understand the
intent of the interview completely.
(6) Instruct them to interview them and answer the questions privately
while taking time to think and answer the questions.
(7) Ask them to call their direct supervisor or the owner/CEO and make
a one-hour appointment to interview them in absolute privacy and
confidentiality.
(8) Allow them to express all their issues, concerns, resentments, or
emotional hardships.

How do we know if our relationships with others (personally or profession-

ally) are the way we think they are? How do you know what you think of
someone? How do you know something is correct or even real? How do you
know what you think they think of you is even accurate? You do not! You
might say to yourself, “Unless you ask, right?” Wrong! How often have you
asked others to tell you the truth about your relationship, and they just said
something that sounded good—but was not true? You have done the same
thing, right? So just asking will not do it.
There are many reasons why people may not tell you the truth. Perhaps,
they wish to avoid conflict. Perhaps, they are worried how you will react.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  135

Perhaps, they simply do not wish to take the time to work out the reasons
for conflict.
So how do we know where we stand with others? To get to that level of
understanding of others, we need to ask questions. We just said asking ques-
tions makes no difference because people will not always tell the truth.
This process of uncovering the reality of relationships is a very effective
tool for managers and to establish strong rapport and start a new, authentic
relationship based on mutual respect. Table 4.2 explains how to set up for
the interview by the owner, manager, or supervisor. Table 4.3 displays all the
interview questions submitted to the team members in advance to prepare
their answers to questions that their managers or supervisors would ask to
Mike, the owner, and the CEO of MBD company.

Table 4.2 Powerfully Setting Up the Interview Process for Uncovering Reality of
Relationships.
Setting Up the Interview Process for Uncovering Reality of Relationships
Part One: What is the purpose of the interview?
 To face the reality of your relationships with others, how it is for them being
with you, working with you, or just being around you.
 To understand how you have affected others’ experiences of life/working with
you, around you or when you are with them.
 To discover how and why they view you the way they do, good, bad, or ugly. All
of it.
 To understand why they respond or react, the way they do to you during day-
to-day interactions, communications, or dialogue.
 To have an opportunity to be related to your team on a higher and more pro-
found level, the level you never knew was available.
 To have an opportunity to own your mess and clean up your messes in your
relationships with others.
 To start from a whole new starting point with clarity and understanding of each
other, personally or professionally.
 To build a new relationship from a clean slate and build a brighter future, rather
than drudging up the upsetting past, trying to hide it, or fix it.
Part Two: Who to interview?
 People with whom you are not comfortable or with whom you have issues.
 Someone with whom you have some upset, resentment, regrets, or resistance.
 The people whom you are avoiding because of some past arguments or
difficulty.
(Continued)
136  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 4.2 (Continued)

Setting Up the Interview Process for Uncovering Reality of Relationships
 The people who are the targets of your gossiping, listening to their gossip, or
hearing gossip about.
 These people could be anyone from your manager, colleagues, and business
associates.
Part Three: How to set it up?
 Communicate your commitment to the relationship and how important it is for
you to clear the air.
 Explain that you learned about this process and that it is an effective tool for
communication for both parties to understand each other without resistance.
 Say that it is all about the other person who will also be the only one who will
speak and express any opinions.
 Ask for an appointment. Indicate that at least one hour will be needed.
 Have privacy, and both of you are comfortable without having to rush to
another appointment.
 Reproduce the “Interview Questions” and have them with you, including a
writing pad to take notes.
 Write their responses in a shortened form so you are focused on what is being
said rather than being distracted by writing notes. The purpose of taking notes
is so you can accurately reiterate what was said rather than what you thought
was said. By doing this, you are preparing for repairing and restoring.
 When you sit together and based on past damages, create a safe space by mak-
ing a promise and giving your word that:
– The other party can say anything with no concerns or fear of your retaliation,
not now or later.
– The other party can be upset, angry, and resentful, or loud if needed.
– You will not defend yourself for or about anything that was said or done.
– You will not say, “It was not that way” or, “No, you are wrong,” or any other
statements that would cast you as defending yourself or invalidating what the
other party is saying.
– You will not justify your past actions; you will sit and listen with an open heart
and open ears.
Part Four: What not to do?
 Do not get too involved in your writing. Pay attention to the other party.
 Do not be attached to how the other person is talking. Just listen with
compassion.
 Do not justify your actions about any issues.
 Do not defend yourself against criticism or accusatory claims.
 Do not say, “It was not that way!”
 Do not interrupt. Be patient and empathetic during the process.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  137

 Do not listen to your inner chatter about what is being said. This is simply the
other party’s perspective.
 Do not say, “You do not understand me!” It is not about you.
 Do not get upset during the process. Stay present to your commitment.
 Do not leave the interview because “You cannot take it anymore!” Remember,
it is not about you. It is all about the commitment to workability and
relationships.
 Do not answer your office or cell phone. Give your full and undivided attention
and listen without interruptions.
Part Five: What to do?
 Listen as if the other party is telling the truth, regardless of what you think
about what you hear, your opinion about the other party, or the issue.
 Remember, it is the truth as the other party sees it; regardless of what you
think, the truth is for you.
 Pay attention to what is being said. It is very important. Maybe you are in an
upsetting situation because you did not listen.
 Take on everything that is said and exactly the way it is being recounted, just as
if you have done it according to how the other party says you did.
 Be responsible for the other party’s experience of you. Regardless of what and
how you are justifying or explaining your past actions, this experience with you
will leave a lasting mark.
 Take accountability for the results you have produced with the other party.
 Establish compassion for the effort put forth to discuss the issue with you. This
is especially true about upsetting and sensitive matters.
Part Six: How to be during the process?
 Be patient. Listen as if your life depends on it. Do not rush through the process.
 Be compassionate. Take what is said to heart and try to feel what they have felt.
 Be authentic. Genuinely show interest in the other party, what is being con-
veyed, and what is being felt.
 Be responsible. Believe that they are correct about their experiences with you.
Part Seven: What to do after the interview?

 Clean up your mess! After the interview is completed, take charge, and apolo-
gize for anything you think that you need to apologize for.
 Apologize for any disputed experience with them. It does not mean you agree
about what the other party said you have done. But you are showing dignity,
class, and interest in resolving the issues.
 Be articulate and detailed about what you are cleaning up. Be specific and
speak with clarity. Stay away from generalizing.
 Clean up all your broken promises. Make new ones no matter how small or big.
Remember you are cleaning up so leave nothing on the floor.
(Continued)
138  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 4.2 (Continued)

Setting Up the Interview Process for Uncovering Reality of Relationships
 Make new promises authentically and realistically. Do not look good and look
committed but then do nothing; otherwise, you will be in the same hole again
soon.
 Ask the other party if it would consider interviewing you. Do not insist, just
naturally offer. If agreed, then set it up.
 Acknowledge the person’s commitment and desire to go through this process
with you. Ensure that you know how difficult it was for the other party to be
open and share and how much you appreciate it. The process is complete.
Source: The content of this table is from the book Anatomy of Upset; Restoring Harmony
(Bakhshandeh 2015, 167–78) and used with express permission from Behnam
Bakhshandeh and Primeco Education, Inc.

Although these two tables present the interview process in a professional

setting, with minor modifications such as a change in questions and direc-
tions, this interview can be used on a personal level—such as in relation-
ships, marriages, and friendships.
Table 4.3 displays the set of questions that managers or supervisors
would ask participants. The questions are given to participants in advance of
a meeting.

Table 4.3 The Questions for the Interview Process for Uncovering Reality of
Relationships.
The Questions for the Interview Process for Uncovering Reality of Relationships 
Section One: Job and Relationships
1. What do you like the most about working here?
2. What do you not like about working here?
3. How do you envision yourself with this organization?
4. What is your dream for yourself and your life?
5. Do you have a set of goals for yourself and your life? What are they?
6. What obstacles can you see are in your way for fulfilling your dreams?
7. What obstacles can you see in your way of fulfilling your goals?
8. What do you like about your job?
9. What do you not like about your job?
10. What do you like about your location office?
11. What do you not like about your location office?
12. What do you like about this organization?
13. What do you not like about this organization?
14. How do you rate your job performance? And why? (Score from 0 being the lowest
to 10 being the highest)
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  139

15. Do you have any specific plans for increasing your job performance? What is it?
16. How do you rate your relationship with your direct supervisor (me or others)? And
why? (Score from 0 being the nonexistent to 10 being excellent)
17. Do you have any specific plans for improving your relationship with your direct
supervisor (me or others)? If yes, what is it?
18. How do you rate your relationship with the organization? And why? (Score from 0
being the nonexistent to 10 being excellent)
19. Do you have any specific plans for improving your relationship with the organiza-
tion? What is it?
20. What is in your way to perform and be productive?
Section Two: Promises and Targets
1. What did you say you would accomplish in the last year?
2. Which ones did you accomplish?
3. Which ones did you not accomplish?
4. What were your goals and targets for the last year?
5. Which goals and targets were met last year?
6. Which goals and targets were not met last year?
7. How have you been being that allowed you to accomplish your goals?
8. What new actions did you create that allowed you to achieve your goals?
9. How have you been being that keep you from achieving your goals last year?
10. What could you have done that you have not done yet, that had you done that,
you would have met your goals?
11. What could you do differently that would forward your individual performance,
team productivity, and the organization’s success?
12. What are your new promises for this year?
Section Three: Completing
1. Who do you have a hard time working with? And why?
2. What do you have a hard time working with? And why?
3. What are you willing to do about it?
4. If you could change one thing about your job, what would that be?
5. If you could change one thing about your relationship with your supervisor (me
or others), what would that be?
6. If you could change one thing about your relationship with the organization, what
would that be?
7. What were your contributions to the team and the organization?
8. What would you like to be acknowledged for?
9. Is there anything you want me to know about you?
10. Is there anything you want me to know about your job or your future?
11. Do you have any requests for me?
12. Is there anything else you need to say?
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.
140  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

The length of this interview process depends on the number of interviews

performed by the manager and how many participants are involved. With
MBD, Mike completed all twelve interviews in one week in three locations.
The next step for Mike was to organize his notes and create a tally about:

 What he has discovered during these interviews.

 What of his relationship with his team?
 What he needed to alter about his mindset, attitude, and behavior.
 What training and development he needs to bring to his team for altering
their mindset, attitude, and behavior?
 What he needs to change in his business operations.
 How he can train and develop his team for greater responsibility and
accountability.
 And more.

The overall result of this rapport-building process was very satisfying

for the organization and all the people involved. The work environment
changed from a “have to” to a “want to” attitude. Team members commu-
nicated the issue publicly, and they came up with new ideas that would
empower the organization’s vision and mission statement. Having an
authentic relationship with others provides the foundation for an effective
working environment.

Key Points to Remember

 Relatedness is the key to trust and rapport

– Effective coaches will not act as if they are better than, or above,
their coachees. They will display respect, empathy, and compassion
for where the coachees are in their lives and careers.
 Be aware of reactions
– To consider you as a manager-as-coach is the source of resistance.
Not being liked is real but provides a possibility for a more effective
approach that results in a better outcome for you.
 Who you are being makes the biggest difference
– Look at your state of being and be the judge and jury of your
self-evaluation.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  141

 Values as sources of operations

– Remember your values. They are the source of healthy business
operations and the cause of having healthy rapport.

Coaching and Developmental Questions for Managers

(1) Do you have a good rapport with your subordinates and team members?
(a) If yes, what are you crediting this good relation to?
(b) If not, what do you think is on the way?
(2) Do you have a good rapport with your manager or supervisor?
(a) If yes, to what are you crediting this good relation?
(b) If not, why do you think it is what it is?
(3) Have you studied and rated yourself on the Fundamental State of Being
and Competencies for Establishing Relatedness and Rapport?
(4) What are the areas of building rapport you need to expand your KSAs
(knowledge, skills, and abilities)?

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Chapter 5

Step 2: What Is the

Issue at Hand?

Behnam Bakhshandeh

Chapter 5 focuses on the second step after the coach and coachees have
established a good rapport and working relationship. The second step is to
understand what is happening. At this stage, it is necessary to gather informa-
tion about the situation—and particularly to clarify facts rather than mere per-
ceptions. This chapter reviews what kind of information a high-performance
coach needs to know, collect, and analyze to reveal present conditions. In
addition, this chapter summarizes what fundamental approaches and models
are needed for the process and what competencies are required by a high-
performance coach to reveal what is the issue at hand (Rothwell 2013).
Chapter 5 as the second step of high-performance coaching covers:

 Elements of the Human Performance Enhancement approach in

organizations
 Environments affecting human performance in organizations
 Manager’s understanding, clarifying, and awareness of the performance
environment
 The distinction between goals and values, and how we determine our values
 What a High-Performance Coach can learn from an HPI practitioner
 Reviewing, collecting, and documenting information
 An inductive and deductive approach to collecting facts and perceptions
 A business case example, useful tools, and key factors to remember
from this chapter

DOI: 10.4324/9781003155928-7 145

146  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Start by Examining “What Is Happening,”

Facts or Perceptions?
The first question for realizing “What is happening” or “What is the issue
at hand” is to contemplate: “What are we looking for?” Given the human
psyche, it is to have perceptions. Are we interested in digging up the (1)
facts, (2) perception, or (3) both simultaneously? Facts are indisputable and
can be independently authenticated. Examples of facts include the organi-
zation’s name, starting date, hierarchy and structure, name and position of
the executive team, balance sheet, income statement, inventory, and list of
products and services (Rothwell 2015a). Facts can be checked—and veri-
fied (shown to be true) or falsified (shown to be false). While some facts
may be changed over time—such as account receivable information, which
could change by the minute—facts can be shown as true or false.
Perceptions, on the other hand, are shaped by opinion. They may be
influenced by experience, beliefs, values, principles, mindsets, and emotions.
They cannot be independently authenticated.
Examples of perceptions include an employee’s opinions about the orga-
nization’s values, morale, accountability, key work processes, management
actions or lack thereof, HR policies, customer service, and satisfaction, and
what the organization should do in the present or future (Rothwell 2015b).
These opinions run both ways, from employees to managers and from man-
agers to employees. “Managers and employees lack complete facts on which
to base decisions. They rely on perceptions. Moreover, perceptions affect
reality” (Rothwell 2015a, 86). Perceptions can create a self-fulfilling prophecy
in which what is perceived is to be true (or false) actually becomes true or
false. If a bank is perceived to be on the edge of bankruptcy, a run on the
bank can lead to bankruptcy; if the stock market is believed to be crashing,
panicked stockholders selling their shares can lead to a crash. Perception can
affect facts. If workers are perceived to be poor performers and are treated
as poor performers, they may become poor performers because others have
discouraged them from achieving results. That can happen even when the
facts—actual performance data on workers—demonstrates that the worker
perceived to be a poor performer is actually average or even exemplary.
Performance coaches must separate perceptions from facts. It is wise to
follow the simple advice to “listen to what people say based—but get the
facts anyway.” Perceptions cannot be completely trusted because they can
be influenced by who likes whom, who dislikes whom, and by other issues
that may shape feelings but not facts.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  147

Experienced performance coaches know that the organizational environ-

ment shapes worker job performance far more than individuals do. That is
an important point to remember at the outset of an investigation into worker
job performance. While managers tend to blame employees for poor job
performance, the reality is that organizations (and managers themselves) cre-
ate many obstacles to performance. As W. Edwards Deming once observed,
“managers create most of their own problems.”
It is not difficult to cite examples. If workers have to secure the permission of
their immediate superiors before they can take action, then their actions will be
predictably slow. If the managers chose the wrong person to carry out a job—
someone lacking the appropriate motivation or skills—then the results may not
be good. If managers save money by scrimping on company-provided tools,
equipment, or software, then workers can scarcely be expected to perform at
peak when lacking necessary resources. If managers establish a pay system that
rewards “going along to getting along,” then they have incentivized mediocrity.
Coaches should thus begin investigations by gathering information on:

 What is common or typical performance by other, similar performers?

 What is outstanding performance?
 What is recommended performance?
 What is the past performance of the individual or team?
 What is the present performance of the team?
 What is the performance trend line of the individual or team?
 If time permits, what can be found out about common or typical per-
formance in the same job in other teams, departments, divisions—or
even in other organizations?

Environments Affecting Human Performance in

Organizations
As we have established in the previous section, these four areas (Figure 5.1)
affect human performance in organizations. The corresponding questions
would assist the internal or external practitioners in gathering needed back-
ground information that can shape the performance investigation. These
questions can be modified, if necessary, but provide a good place to begin:

The Organization Environment

 What does the organization do best?
148  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

 How does the organization compete in its market?

 What is the biggest challenge facing the organization and its managers?
 What are the clients’/customers’ perceptions of the organization?

The Work Environment

 What are the biggest internal challenges of the organization?
 What has occurred recently?
 What are the causes of these changes?
 How well do workers and managers work to achieve common goals?

The Work
 How does the organization produce results?
 How does the organization serve clients/customers?
 How up to date is the organization’s technology and services?
 What factors affect the work?

The Workers
 What are the strengths of the organization’s people?
 What is the reputation of the organization among its people?
 What are the turnover and absenteeism rates, and what causes them?
 What is the biggest dissatisfiers among workers?
(Rothwell, Stavros, and Sullivan 2016)

Often organization environment and performance are associated with

organizational assessment, that arise from organizational diagnosis, which
is the process of a systematic examination of how well an organization is
functioning and how well their workforces are performing. Understanding
the organization’s environmental forces (organization environment, the work
environment, the work, and the workers) and their relevancy for change
grants a management system to swiftly come up with ideas that would
support the change effort’s success. Unfortunately, in some cases, change
intervention efforts flunk given that an organization is not prepared for
change intervention, and for one reason or another, are not ready to take on
changes (Rothwell, Stopper, and Myers 2017).
Sometimes, especially when using an external consultant, it would be
very useful if practitioners become familiar with the organization’s culture
and structure before collecting performance data.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  149

Figure 5.1 Four Environments Are Affecting Human Performance in Organizations.

Source: Adapted from Rothwell et al. (2016).

Table 5.1 assists internal or external performance coaches by conducting

an inquiry to their level of familiarity with the organization and design their
action plan to get to know what they need to know for better data collecting
and analysis process.

Individual’s High-Performance Is
the Results of Their Choice
While it is true that most performance problems stem from management
decisions, it is also true that workers sometimes have a tendency to blame
others rather than take responsibility for what they can do and what they
can control in their own job performance. People can choose to be produc-
tive. They can focus on what they can control and take proactive action
rather than delegate problems upward or bewail their fate rather than act.
The choice of being productive is completely generated from individuals’
interests on what they are doing along with their mindset about their individ-
ual values and principles. We talk about the relevance between who people
150  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 5.1 Manager’s Understanding, Clarifying, and Awareness of the

Performance Environment.
Manager’s Understanding, Clarifying, and Awareness of the Performance Environment
Action
# Area of Inquiry—Are You Familiar with Yes No N/A
Needed
The Organization Environment
1 Organization’s vision, mission, and core values
2 Organization’s reputation in the community
3 Affiliations with other organizations
4 Organization’s long-range goals
5 Organization’s short-term goals

6 Your department’s overall goals

7 Recent major problems in the organization’s performance
8 Recent major problems in your department performance
9 Human resources policies and procedures
10 Diversity, equality, and inclusion policies and practices
11 Recruitment practices
12 New hire orientation
13 Employees’ appreciation and social events
14 Compensation and benefits
15 Organization’s presence in the market
16 Succession planning
17 Profit-sharing plan
18 401K and retirement plan
19 Bonus plan and structure
20 Expansion plan
The Work Environment
1 Current products or services
2 Recent changes in products and services
3 Issues with suppliers or distributors
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  151

4 Core competencies and strengths of the organization

5 Core competencies and strengths of your
department
6 Any weakness of the organization
7 Any weaknesses of your department
8 Clear management hierarchy
9 Job descriptions
10 Work responsibilities and accountabilities
11 Annual or quarterly performance evaluations
12 Disciplinary policies and actions
13 Age of facilities and building safety
14 Age of equipment and inspections
15 OSHA and safety policies
16 Comparison between intended plan and actual
results
17 Composition of groups and teams
18 Absenteeism and turnover records in your department
19 Rate of accidents and their causes
20 Training and development opportunities
21 Promotion opportunities
22 Educational reimbursement
23 Supervision and management style
24 Communication and information distribution systems
25 Open door policy
26 Amount of gossip and drama
27 Work hours, overtime, and holidays off
28 Social events
29 Fairness and respect
30 Rapport, relatedness, and communication
(Continued)
152  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 5.1 (Continued)

Manager’s Understanding, Clarifying, and Awareness of the Performance
Environment
The Work
1 Distribution of workers among groups and teams
2 Quality of products and services
3 Reputations of products and services
4 New products training
5 Hard skills training
6 Soft skills training
7 Customer complaints about the products and services
8 The reputation of products and services in the
community
9 Use of new technologies and relevant training
10 New products and services plan
The Workers
1 Number of employees in your department
2 Employees’ diversity
3 Employees’ tenure and history with the organization
4 Employees’ ages and closeness to retirement
5 Employees’ turnover rate and causes
6 Management and supervisors’ perception of employees
7 Employees’ perception of management and supervisors
8 Employees’ exit interviews
9 Employees’ complaints and resentments
10 Camaraderie and team attitude
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

are Being and the quality of what they are Doing in Chapter 4
(see Figure 4.2) and the role of people’s mindset in this process. For this
process to work its magic, there is a need for leaders who understand the
place of interest and choice in their workforce and organization systems. To
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  153

understand this process, the organization management and leadership need

to understand the workforce’s individual and team doubts and concerns and
what is in their way to fulfill their interests. This relationship requires merg-
ing the interests of all the three elements of high performance: (1) individuals,
(2) teams, and (3) the organization (Davis 2001). For this reason, just com-
ing with some fast fix and rational solutions to convince the workforce to be
faster or better has not produced any inspiring results yet! “All of these were
seen as legitimate and honored by the process used, which was designed to
build on and integrate the strengths of individualism, teamwork, and leader-
ship. These, I believe, are the three primary forces operating in all organiza-
tions at all times whether we acknowledge them or not” (Rothwell 2015a, 27).

Distinction Between Goals and Values?

Individual interests are emerging from their values and what they care
about; the things that are drivers of their choices. We hear about goals a
lot, but what is the distinction between goals and values? Goals are things
individuals want to have or accomplish; they are objectives. While Values
form our character and define us, they shape who we are for ourselves
and others. Our values are what make us unique and memorable and what
makes us distinct from others. Our values give our life meaning, determine
our purpose, and give us direction in life. Ultimately, values determine our
choices and guide our mindset, attitude, and behaviors (Bakhshandeh 2008).
As Roy Disney said, “[w]hen your values are clear to you, making decisions
becomes easier.”

How Do We Select Our Values?

As individuals are growing, they are experiencing the presence of values
from the following sources:

 In their home, by observing their parents, grandparents, siblings, and

other family members, they learn to care for certain values that are
passed down through family generations.
 Learned through process of being at school and interactions with other
children and influence of teachers.
 National pride, as some values come from being raised in a culture we
are proud of and love.
154  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

 Participating in any faith-based groups and churches.

 Learning from society, media, politics, and global events.
 Effects of professions and careers on selecting values based on profes-
sional positions.
 What they think is the right thing to do, such as moral, ethics, and
integrity.
(Bakhshandeh 2009)

Values that Exist in Our World

In this section, we are looking at what values exist in our own world, our
environment, our lives in general, and how they define us from others.
Clearly, as we mentioned in the previous sections, our values determine our
choice in the matter of our actions and behaviors, which directly influence
our productivity and performance in personal and professional environ-
ments. As a manager-as-coach, if we can understand our workforce’s values,
then we can have a window to the source of how the workforce operates,
makes decisions, the reasons for their actions or inactions. This awareness
allows us to be effective performance coaches (Bakhshandeh 2008).

Personal Values
These are values that define who we are as individuals and how to relate to
ourselves and guide us in relationships with others. Some examples of per-
sonal values are (1) integrity, (2) honor, and (3) respect.

Social Values
These are values that define how we relate to groups of people, such as a
team. They define how we are connecting with the communities around us
and the people with whom we often interact. Some examples of social val-
ues are (1) fairness, (2) diversity, and (3) equality.

Cultural Values
These values define how we relate to other people in the world in gen-
eral, our place in the world that guides our general interests and behaviors
around other cultures and customs, and the degree of our interests or the
acceptance of them. At the same time, they define how we relate to people
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  155

with similar backgrounds as we have. Some examples of cultural values are

(1) family, (2) traditions, and (3) celebrations.

Professional Values
These values define how we relate to ourselves in affiliation with the pro-
fessional work we are doing. They are guiding our mindset, attitude, and
behaviors in the work environment and situations. They are determining
how we relate to others with whom we work, such as managers, supervi-
sors, and coworkers. Some examples of work values are (1) loyalty, (2) team-
work, and (3) responsibility.

How to Determine What Our Values Are

This simple but effective little practice would bring up individuals’ values
that might be hidden from their view, or they have not given enough weight
or the determination to understand them or even be aware of them. As we
are trying to understand what is happening or the issue at hand, under-
standing individuals who are engaged with the potential issue is valuable for
uncovering the source of the problem.
When you value productivity, your work becomes more prominent. When
you value serenity, your home becomes more important. When you value
your family, you spend more time with them. When you value your faith, you
practice it more often. When you value health, you pay more attention to your
body. Value your ideas, your time, and your money, and they become more
valuable. It is all in your hands and in your mind. Value is not determined by a
price tag or any other monetary system. The value of anything is the value we
give it. What do you value most? What do you want to grow and become abun-
dant in your life? Give more of yourself to the things you value, and they will
flourish and become more present in your day-to-day life (Bakhshandeh 2009).
Simply ask individuals of interest to write what is their (1) personal, (2)
social, and (3) cultural and work values by having an inquiry on (1) what are
important to them as an individual, (2) what are important to them in life in
general, and (3) what is important to them at work.
You can use Table 5.2 for conducting this process and allowing the
employees or clients to record their values in one place. At the same time,
you can ask the employees to come with some ideas of actions that would
bring up the presence of the values in their lives and professions. Continue
156  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 5.2 How to Determine Your Values.

Determining Your Values
Date: Participant: Team:
Month Supervisor: Department:

Area of Values Type of Values Answers Actions to Take

Personal

What are important to Social

you as an individual? Cultural
Professional

Personal

What are important to Social

you in life in general? Cultural

Professional

Personal

What are important to Social

you at work? Cultural
Professional
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

working with individuals to determine their values and work on having

these values. Practicing them assists the high-performance coach in discover-
ing problems and designing an action plan to resolve the problems based on
individuals’ values and determinations.

What a High-Performance Coach Can Learn from an

HPI Practitioner
All the coaching models and practices to enhance one’s performance are
worthy and effective if they are applied and managed for effectiveness and
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  157

relevance to increase performance and productivity. One effective way to

make these models and practices systematic is to use them as the source of
an individual, team, and group high-performance and enhancement coach-
ing (Rothwell 2015a).
This would bring us to the roles of high-performance coaches and
what they can learn from an HPI practitioner and the “Six Steps of
the Human Performance Improve Process Model” that is defined in
ASTD Models for Human Performance Improvement. Clearly, the High-
performance coaching model differs from the Human Performance
Improve Process Model in some ways. However, they have characteristics
that can assist and help one another to improve individuals’ and teams’
performances in other ways.
These steps are: (1) performance assessment, (2) cause assessment, (3)
change intervention, (4) action plan execution, (5) change management,
and (6) evaluation and measurement. This model has included the four
important roles of the HPI practitioner and, in our case, the high-perfor-
mance coach as the (1) analyst, (2) intervention specialist, (3) change man-
ager, and (4) evaluator. Figure 5.2 displays the relationship between HPI
practitioners’ roles that high-performance coaches can apply to their pro-
cess of coaching employees (Rothwell and Sredl 2000).

Describing the Four Roles

The following is a brief description of each of the four roles according to
Rothwell, Hohne, and King (2018) and Rothwell and Sredl (2000) for the
high-performance coaches to learn from HPI practitioners and to apply in
coaching subordinates, individuals, or team coaching:

Figure 5.2 What a High-Performance Coach Can Learn from Elements of Human
Performance Improvement (HPI) Process.
Source: Adapted from Rothwell et al. (2018).
158  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Analyst
The role of the analyst is considered the most important role, involv-
ing individuals’, teams’, groups’ or organizations’ performance and cause
analysis. In the analyst role, the high-performance coach is performing
troubleshooting and cause/effect procedures to uncover the causes
of performance gaps or needs for improvements (Rothwell and Sredl
2000). “The process of analysis helps the HPI practitioner to accurately
and thoroughly diagnose the problem or situation before recommending
and implementing the appropriate solution system” (Rothwell et al.
2018, 12).

Intervention Specialist
Many human performance improvement strategies and interventions are
available to the high-performance coach or the HPI practitioner that con-
sist of training or management solutions. It will be the choice of the high-
performance coaches to select the appropriate intervention based on what
they have determined to cause problems in human performance and as the
natural results of analysis (Rothwell and Sredl 2000).

Change Management
Managing the selected interventions and related action plans to implement
changes resulting from the intervention requires short- and long-term change
management. The change manager’s role is to ensure that the results of the
change interventions are executed appropriately and follow the intention to
produce the desired results by individuals, teams, groups, or organizations
(Rothwell and Sredl 2000).

Evaluator
Evaluation is critical to make sure the performance improvement matches
the expected results of the intervention. The emphasis of evaluation is mak-
ing sure that the issues caused by the original performance problems recog-
nized in the analysis process are dealt with effectively and are resolved, or
there remains a need for additional interventions. The evaluator

assesses the impact of interventions and follows up on changes

made, actions taken and results achieved to provide participants
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  159

and stakeholders with information about how well interventions

are being implemented
(Rothwell et al. 2018, 13)

Supporting the Change Intervention

In every potential change intervention, the most important and almost the
hardest phase is to convince decision-makers and stakeholders to accept that
there is a need for a change, either individually or as a team or an organiza-
tion. This convincing act is vital to the success of the change intervention
because if people involved with the change effort are not aligned with the
action, it will be challenging to collect data, analyze, and implement the
change, and it will fail (Rothwell et al. 2016). Regarding resistance to change
“people are unwilling to change unless they see worthwhile reasons for
doing so. When making a case for change, someone or some group will
need to be convinced early” (Rothwell 2015a, 65). The convincing individ-
ual or group that are the change agents and facilitators for needed change
should gather compelling evidence that supports the necessity of such
change (Rothwell et al. 2016; Rothwell 2015b).

Seeking Evidence of the Need for Change Intervention

We need to point out that someone’s or a group’s dissatisfaction with some-
thing about an individual in a team or an organization is not enough to con-
vince the decision-makers to agree with the change efforts or even create a
strong base for the change. It is a reasonable and appropriate place to start the
process, but it is not all that is needed. Usually, the second act is to organize
an open-ended pursuit for collecting evidence that supports the need for the
change to support the case for the change intervention. The techniques of
obtaining evidence are based on the change agent’s knowledge and creativity.
The followings are possible strategies for the change agents, high-performance
coaches, and managers-as-coaches to gather evidence for the potential needed
to change interventions (Rothwell et al. 2016; Rothwell 2015b):

Data from the High-Productive and High-Performance

Organizations
During past decades, many organizations have changed their approach
from making workforce training to only enhancing performance. Asking for
160  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

interviewing executives of these organizations is a great strategy; questions

like the following can open doors for change implementation: What kind
of problems triggered the changes in your organization? What kind of issue
triggered the change in human performance enhancement? What opportuni-
ties arise during or after implementing changes?

Data from the Related Industries or Local Organizations

Given the competition, some organizations are not willing to share their
data and strategies for their change efforts with other organizations and
their representatives. In these cases, the change agent may prefer to
discuss the need for change with organizations in their industry or some
organizations operating near their organization. The change agent should
look for workability, productivity, and higher performance from other
organizations’ efforts and strategies, using the same questions mentioned
in the previous section.

Investigate the Organization’s Strategies and Action Plans

How effective were the organization’s strategies and action plans for enhanc-
ing the workforce’s performance in the past several years? How were the
decided action plans for training and development of the workforce to
increase productivity performance to a higher level?

Clients’/Customers’ or Stakeholders’ Requirements

Another good place to investigate for gathering data is the organization’s
clients, customers, and stakeholders about their requirements and needs and
their satisfaction about receiving quality products or services. How might
problems with the clients and customers be evidence for the need for a
change intervention?

Evidence from Previous Training by the Organization

Were there any previous attempts to implement changes using training and
development programs? What resulted from such an attempt? Any evidence
of success or failure of such attempts, and why? Maybe the collected evi-
dence about the failure of previous attempts is a fresh starting point for sup-
porting a new change intervention attempt.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  161

Distinguishing Underlying Sources of Current Crises

Connect references and evidence collected to determine underlying causes
for crises in the organization. Could these causes be prevented by utilizing
some holistic approach to enhancing the workforce’s performance? Or is
there a need for different approaches and methods to be implemented?

Distinguishing Occurring Problems

What are the most current and urgent challenges confronting the organiza-
tion? Can traditional training make a difference? Or should we implement
high-performance coaching and approach our enhancing human perfor-
mance issue as a form of change intervention?

Develop Based on Decision-Makers’ Values

What are the decision-makers’ values and what do they see as problems in
the organizations? What do they see as high priorities for the organization?
Could the desired change intervention provide a new work environment and
high-performance matching with the decision-makers’ values and priorities?

Reviewing, Collecting, and Documenting Information:

Facts and Perceptions
Whether the change agent is internal or external, fact-finding, and percep-
tion hunting are the keys to understanding what is happening. But what
approaches should be used to gather and document facts and perceptions?
Essentially, there are two approaches to collecting such information, which
are not necessary and mutually exclusive: (1) the inductive approach and (2)
the deductive approach (Rothwell 2015a).
Before we get to explain the mentioned approaches, at this point, it is
beneficial to our readers, including performance coaches and managers-as-
coaches to discuss and distinguish differences between meanings and inter-
pretations of facts, perceptions, plans, and norms in public as well as in any
organizations independently (see Table 5.3). However, as we are all aware,
making interpretations and coming with different meanings about any topic,
incident, and concept is a normal human psyche and thinking process
(Bakhshandeh 2009).
162  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 5.3 Definitions and Meanings of Facts, Perceptions, Plans, and Norms.
Definitions and Meanings of Facts, Perceptions, Plans, and Norms
Scientific or Academic In
Distinctions Dictionary Definitions
Definitions Performance
(1) “a thing that is [Fact: In science, an What is
known or proved to observation that has been actually
be true.” repeatedly confirmed and being done.
(2) “information used as for all practical purposes is The way it
evidence or as part accepted as “true.” Truth in is.
Facts of a report or news science, however, is never
article.” final and what is accepted
(3) “the truth about as a fact today may be
events as opposed to modified or even
interpretation.” discarded tomorrow]
Oxford Language (2021). (NCSE 2016).
(1) “the state of being or “Perception is a mode of How we like
process of becoming apprehending reality and it to be. It
aware of something experience through the should be
through the senses.” senses, thus enabling that way.
(2) “a way of regarding, discernment of figure,
understanding, or form, language, behavior,
interpreting and action. Individual
Perceptions something; a mental perception influences
impression.” opinion, judgment,
(3) “intuitive understanding of a
understanding and situation or person,
insight.” meaning of an experience,
Oxford Language (2021). and how one responds to a
situation” (SAGE Research
Methods 2012).
(1) “a detailed proposal “A plan is typically any How we want
for doing or diagram or list of steps with to do it in
achieving details of timing and the future.
something.” resources, used to achieve How we
(2) “an intention or an objective to do thought it
Plans decision about what something. It is commonly should be.
one is going to do.” understood as a temporal
(3) “a detailed map or set of intended actions
diagram.” through which one expects
Oxford Language (2021). to achieve a goal”
Wikipedia (2021).
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  163

(1) “something that is “Norms are a fundamental How we have

usual, typical, or concept in the social always done
standard.” sciences. They are most it this way.
(2) “a standard or commonly defined as rules
pattern, especially of or expectations that are
social behavior, that socially enforced. Norms
Norms
is typical or expected may be prescriptive
of a group.” (encouraging positive
Oxford Language (2021). behavior, or proscriptive
(discouraging negative
behavior).” Oxford
Bibliographies (2021).

Inductive Approach to Fact and Perception Finding

“Induction means arriving at general principles from specific facts or circum-
stances” (Rothwell 2015a, 95). With a performance coach not knowing much
about the organization or team issues and not being aware of what is hap-
pening or the issues at hand at the current time, an inductive approach is
the most appropriate approach to finding facts and perceptions from people.
To do so, the High-Performance coach, HPE practitioners, or the manager-
as-coach will start by spotting individuals concerned about the apparent
problem or issue at hand.
The questions that might be used during an inductive approach can
be used regardless of the size or dimensions of perceived or recognized
problems or the fact of using internal or external practitioners. These ques-
tions in Table 5.4 are asked of individuals, teams, or groups who are most
involved and concerned in solving a problem(s):
A similar approach should be used to examine possible performance
improvement opportunities. HPE practitioners should begin by identifying
those who are likely to be most interested in the opportunity. They should
then pose these questions:

Deductive Approach to Fact and Perception Finding

In the deductive approach, “[t]he investigator begins with a theory—sometimes
never articulated but evident from the pattern of an investigation—about what
caused the problem or led to the opportunity” (Rothwell 2015a, 99).
164  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 5.4 Inductive Questions for Finding Facts and Identifying Perceptions
about Problem(s).
Set of Inductive Questions for Separating Facts from Perceptions
# Questions Answers Fact Perception
1 What do you think the problem is?
2 Who is part of the problem?
3 What is occurring now?
4 What events led to the situation?
5 What do you think assisted the progress of the
problem?
6 What consequences have arisen from the problem?
7 When did the problem first appear?
8 How did you first notice the problem?
9 Where did the problem first emerge?
10 Can you track the problem to one source or
location?
11 Why do you think the problem was happening?
12 How did you notice the impact of the problem?
13 Can you cite any situation that was palpable to the
problem?
14 How much is this problem costing the organization
in tangible (hard) measures of performance?
15 How much is this problem costing the organization
in intangible (soft) measures of performance?
Source: Adapted from Rothwell (2013).

In contrast to the inductive approach, which depends on series of open-

ended and instinctive inquiries, a deductive approach conducts a more
focused investigation of the problem(s). This approach is steered by a
sense of “what should be happening” (which is the focus of the follow-
ing chapter). Here, the high-performance coach or the HPE practitioner
starts the investigation by theorizing about what potentially has caused the
problem(s) by individuals, teams, or organizations or offered opportunities
to the individual, team, or organization (Rothwell 2015b; Rothwell 2013).
The deductive approach and its reasoning is valuable and benefits the
investigators for facts and perception. Progressively, it has been suggested
to professionals to follow specific norms and suggested guidelines for their
investigations. Examples of such recommended guidelines include (1) ISO
Standards, (2) Six Sigma, (3) Lean Manufacturing, (4) the Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award, (5) the Deming Prize, and (6) the US Department
of Labor’s criteria for High-Performance Workplaces (Rothwell 2015a).
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  165

Table 5.5 Inductive Questions for Examining and Finding Opportunities.

Questions for Discovering Possible Performance Improvement Opportunities
# Questions Answers
1 What is the apparent opportunity?
2 Why do you think this opportunity occurred?
3 Who will be affected by this opportunity?
4 What are the results in discovering this
opportunity?
5 What do you think assisted the discovery of this
opportunity?
6 The costs of pursuing this opportunity.
7 What are the organization’s main competitive
strengths?
8 How can the organization’s strengths be used for
a bigger competitive advantage?
9 When did the evidence of the opportunity show
up?
10 How did the evidence of the opportunity show
up?
11 Why do you think this opportunity came to the
surface?
12 What would be valuable about this opportunity if
it were realized?
13 How did you notice this opportunity?
14 What trend, business issues, customer needs or
expectations, outside of the organization caused
the opportunity to occur?
15 How much would this opportunity be worth to
the organization?
16 What is this opportunity’s value in tangible (hard)
measures for the organization?
17 What is this opportunity’s value in intangible
(soft) measures for the organization?
18 How would the value of this opportunity be an
asset to the organization?
Source: Adapted from (Rothwell 2013).
166  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 5.6 represents deductive methods for gathering data about “what is
happening” or “what are the issues at hand.” There are no orders to using
these methods of collecting data. Professionals use some or all these meth-
ods relevant to be the internal or external facilitator or the organization’s
size, or the level of the change efforts and intervention.

Table 5.6 Deductive Methods for Gathering Data about “What Is Happening?”
Deductive Methods for Gathering Data
# Method Description
1 Extend Data It is recommended to review any existing data related to the
problem or potential gap. These potential data can be
discovered in many forms and shapes. To begin, reviewing vision
and mission statements, organizational values and principles,
business plans and goals, previous surveys, and marketing
reports can add useful awareness for assessing the situation.
2 Historical Examine historical forms, such as exit interviews, HR complaints,
Document employment promotions, demotions and firings, accident reports,
Review profit and loss reports, safety training records, sexual harassment
training records, or performance evaluations. This would help the
practitioner to develop classifications to explain the finding data
based on what was uncovered by reviewing such documents.
3 Observation This is one of the most helpful methods for recognizing a problem
among individuals and their teammates or their managers and will help
to conduct a needs assessment process. Teams and group meetings,
management weekly or monthly meetings, and planning meetings
are good places to observe individuals’ and teams’ interactions. The
observation can be conducted structured or unstructured and uses the
data to help with other collected information.
4 One-on-One This method is very useful and is much the backbone of collecting
Interview sensitive and confidential information that needs to be gathered
quickly. Using this method helps the practitioner collect much
more detailed information than document review or conducting
a survey. One-on-one interviews can be structured, unstructured,
or semi-structured. Preparation and development of interview
protocol and questions are vital as the actual interview and
practitioner’s commitment to a successful data gathering.
5 Focus Group This method is used when the practitioner wants to interview a
particular team member or a group in a department working in
the same working environment or supervision. The focus group
is usually conducted by four to eight participants. The
practitioners conducting focus groups need to have skills and
competencies to deal with participants’ reactions, emotions,
and desires to dominate the conversation.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  167

Deductive Methods for Gathering Data

# Method Description
6 Surveys and Mailed or web-based survey and questions used to collect data
Questionnaire from a large group and broad, quantitative, and nonsensitive
data. To use this method, the practitioners need to develop
thoughtful questions to collect accurate and useful data. The
practitioners need to design a valid, reliable, and user-friendly
survey to gather valuable and useful information.
7 Phone Survey This over-the-phone method offers a more personal touch and
is much faster than written surveys. Similar to interviews and
written surveys, they can be structured or unstructured. This
survey method will allow the participants to describe current
conditions in a much more detailed fashion.
8 Product A production examination is similar to the process of
Examination observation. The coach /investigator visits the work site,
observes the process of making products or finished goods,
how services are provided, and how employees treat customers.
Source: Adapted from Bakhshandeh (2021), Sleezer, Russ-Eft, and Gupta (2014), Trochim
and Donnelly (2008).

Business Case Example

In this section, we will present an example of a business case in which a
business manager is engaging individuals and teams concerning their per-
formance levels based on an organization’s needs for the improvement of
individuals’ and teams’ performance that are not adequate or consistent with
the organization’s quarterly and annual performance and productivity goals.
In this business case example, we emphasize how to find what the issue
at hand is and reveal the actual issue that the organization is facing. These
chapters direct the readers to the next needed steps for developing a high-
performance coach as a manager-as-coach.

Focusing on Improving Performance in the Performance

Coaching Process
Profitability and financial growth are the most critical elements of an orga-
nization’s well-being, success in longevity, and sustainability. To achieve
this essential commitment, organizations must be goal-driven and connect
their performance and productivity to their strategic and business plans. An
168  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

organization can recognize its needs for improving performance, increasing

productivity, expanding its market, or training to compare its actual results
with its committed results, such as goals, outcomes of the strategic plan, and
business plan. As Sleezer et al. (2014) explained, “A learning or performance
gap between the current condition and the desired condition is called a
need” (17). Understanding “what is happening” or “what is the issue at hand”
is a major part of the performance coaching model, which naturally links
the finding in this step to the next step of “what should be happening.” Both
steps have links to organizations’ goals and desired outcomes which deter-
mine teams’, groups’, and ultimately individuals’ performance and productiv-
ity goals.
One of the most frequent questions that High-Performance Coach or
Manager-as-Coach professionals ask of organization leaders regarding train-
ing needs is the apparent performance gap? What is the space or difference
between your desired performance (goals or desired outcomes) of your
workforce and the workforce’s current (actual and in reality) performance?
The vital concepts of goals and performances are very important ele-
ments on which High-Performance Coach and Manager-as-Coach profes-
sionals should focus. They must pay attention to its impact on the final
“Current Performance Level” report or relevant intervention implementation.
Without focusing on improving performances, there will be no organiza-
tion to improve upon as a group or as individuals. Regardless of what type
of assessment approaches has been selected for the organization’s needs or
performance improvement, the outcome of this process is very clear: the
performance assessment direction is setting up the organization for improve-
ment in the areas of productivity, performance, learning, training, and devel-
opment, individually, as groups or teams, and as the organization (Sleezer,
Russ-Eft, and Gupta 2015).

Background
As you might remember, we introduced the organization in Chapter 4, using
the MBD (a fictional name for protecting an organization’s privacy and con-
fidentiality) business and Organization Development cases for examples of
using and implementing High-Performance Coaching steps and processes.
MBD is a successful organization operating in the beauty industry, provid-
ing beauty supplies and products for the last four decades. As we men-
tioned in the previous chapter, MBD operates from four states with nearly
112 workers, performing in the team and group-based structure, from the
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  169

management team, administration staff, sales force, technology team, quality

control, marketing/public relations, and shipping team.

What Provoked the Inquiry?

Our invitation to get engaged with the organization issues was a direct
solicitation because of a history of working with other organizations with
similar workforce issues and other previous engagements. According to the
President and CEO and the HR director, the MBD was facing (1) significant
turnover and absenteeism among their workforce caused by a high level of
work dissatisfaction among their employees and (2) the absence of collabo-
ration and teamwork among the employees, especially between the adminis-
tration, sales teams, and shipping crew.

Start-Up and Preparation

We had various meetings with the organization’s management team, includ-
ing executives, department managers, and team leaders to support them
in understanding the purpose of our presence and answer their questions.
We invited everyone to express their knowledge of and issues in the orga-
nization and welcome any input and perspectives for how they think the
turnover and collaboration issues should be handled. This was a good
relationship-building effort in establishing rapport with all the management
team. We made sure everyone understood we were coming in as a part-
ner, not as an adversary, to minimize their resistance to uncovering “what
is happening?” and to offer potential changes that would result from this
effort. We asked the organization’s CEO to clarify the organization’s need
for this needs assessment and express his unconditional support and back-
ing for this undertaking. The CEO’s demonstration of alignment and sup-
port of the project caused greater buy-in from the rest of the management
teams.

Selected Diagnostic Models

Individuals make organizations; these individuals form teams and groups
which make departments. These individuals influence the organiza-
tions’ systems, including inputs, processes, and outputs and everything in
between. We can confidently say that they are all part of understanding
“what is happening” or “what is the issue in hand.” For this simple but
170  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

significant reason, we have selected four diagnostic models that directly

involve individuals and teams to design the data collecting approach and
analyze the collected data. We used some for the one-on-one interviews
of the executive and senior management team, and some were used
for the focus group interviews with different teams and groups within
departments.
Individual and Group Behavior model (Harrison 2005)
In this model, the high-performance coach is investigating and collecting
information based on these elements of the organization’s operation:

(1) Inputs: Human, material, financial, intangible, etc.

(2) Outputs: Goods, services, products, employees’ well-being, and
satisfaction.
(3) Organizational behaviors and processes: Practices the organization
has adopted to create outputs.
(4) Technology: Equipment, tools, and systems that would transform
inputs into outputs.
(5) Environment: Local environment, such as organization’s competitors,
customers, partners, suppliers, and investors. Remote environment, such
as political system, the economy, social structures, and technological
advances.
(6) Culture: Society’s shared values, norms, beliefs, and behaviors.
(Rothwell et al. 2016; Sleezer et al. 2014)

The Great Place to Work model (Burchell and Robin 2011)

In this model, the high-performance coach is investigating and collecting
information based on these elements of the organization’s workforce rela-
tionship and collaboration:

(1) Trust: Trust involves credibility, respect, and fairness.

(2) Credibility: Credibility is achieved through open communication, com-
petence, and integrity.
(3) Respect: Respect is reached through support, collaboration, and caring.
(4) Fairness: Fairness is achieved through equity, impartiality, and justice.
(5) Pride: Pride can be found in personal achievement, team performance,
and the company’s status in the community.
(6) Camaraderie: Camaraderie is built by facilitating intimacy, hospitality,
and a sense of community in the workplace.
(Rothwell et al. 2016; Sleezer et al. 2014)
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  171

SWOT Analysis (Dosher et al. 1960)

In this model, the high-performance coach is investigating and collecting
information based on these elements of the organization’s characteristics and
environment:

(1) Strengths: Positive tangible and intangible attributes internal to an

organization. They are within the organization’s control.
(2) Weaknesses: Factors within an organization’s control that reduce its
ability to attain the desired goal. Which areas might the organization
improve?
(3) Opportunities: External or internal attractive factors represent the rea-
son for an organization to exist and develop. What opportunities exist
in the environment?
(4) Threats: External or internal factors could place the organization’s mis-
sion or operation at risk. The organization may benefit by having con-
tingency plans to address them if they occur.
(Rothwell et al. 2016; Sleezer et al. 2014)

Environmental Relations Assessment (Harrison 2005)

The environmental relations assessment (ERA) framework was introduced
by (Harrison 2005). Conducting an ERA manages an organization’s environ-
mental relations more effectively. The following is a six-step procedure for
the ERA during an organizational diagnosis:

(1) Step 1: Recognize the main conditions that affect the organization’s
performance. These include competition, technology, markets, and tech-
nical conditions.
(2) Step 2: Identify other organizations (outside of the organization) that
are pressing demands or restrictions on the organization by their influ-
ential actors.
(3) Step 3: Identity who or what team in the organization (internally, such
as HR, PR, marketing, and sales) is interacting with the aforementioned
external key actors.
(4) Step 4: Inspect the organization’s status of environmental relations
management: the variables, the actors, and the gap to resolve.
(5) Step 5: Evaluate the organization’s current environmental relations
management’s effectiveness to categorize where the gaps are. What are
the top management’s expectations for the organization’s environmental
relations management?
172  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

(6) Step 6: Discover and suggest ways to improve the organization’s envi-
ronmental relations management. Brief the top management team on
what needs to get done and who needs to be involved.
(Rothwell et al. 2016; Sleezer et al. 2014)

Critical Role of Data Collection and Analysis in the “What Is

Happening” Uncovering Process
Clearly, for any high-performance coach or HPI and HPE practitioners to
conclude the client’s actual needs, or separate between their wants and their
needs, or to select appropriate data collecting and assessment models or
approaches to use during implementation of intervention and training, they
need to collect reliable and relevant information and data. Then they can start
analysis and diagnosis based on the collected data. Regarding the importance
of data collecting and analysis of such data, Sleezer et al. (2014) mentioned:

[t]he results of a needs assessment reflect the methods that were

used to collect the data and also the methods that were used to
analyze those data. Thus, data collection and analysis are corner-
stone skills for any needs assessment project.
(51)

Professional and well-conducted data collecting will separate fact from fic-
tion and draw a line between what is real and the perceptions and interpre-
tation of a situation.

Data Collection Methods (Best Uses, Best Practices,

Pros, and Cons)
According to Sleezer et al. (2014), there are five methods of data collecting
approaches for a needs assessment project: (1) observation, (2) one-on-one
interviews, (3) questionnaire/survey, (4) focus group interviews, and (5)
document review (see Table 5.6) The following are four of the five methods
we used to conduct our data gathering process.

Historical and Extended Documents Review

This model of collecting data is based on examining HR historical forms and
documents and potentially the HRD efforts results and outcome, such as exit
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  173

interviews, HR complaints, employment promotions, demotions and firings,

and accident reports, as we have stated in Table 5.6 (Rothwell 2015a; Sleezer
et al. 2015):

 Best uses: Examine historical forms, such as exit interviews, HR

complaints, employment promotions, demotions and firings, accident
reports, profit and loss reports, safety training records, sexual harass-
ment training records, or performance evaluations. Extended data are
existing data related to the problem or potential gap. These potential
data can be discovered in many forms and shapes. To begin, review-
ing vision and mission statements, organizational values and principles,
business plans and goals, previous surveys, and marketing reports can
add useful awareness for assessing the situation (see Table 5.6).
 Best practice: Ask permission from the appropriate executive (CEO,
president, HP director) to review these documents. Schedule appropri-
ately and take time to go through all these potential documents. Take
necessary notes, but do not photograph or photocopy the documents.
 Pros: This would help the practitioner to develop classifications to
explain finding data based on what was uncovered by reviewing such
documents (see Table 5.6).
 Cons: The practitioner might establish a perception of what is happening
before conducting the actual data collecting process and developing bias.

The high-performance coach can use Table 5.1 as a guide to collect much
information during data collecting using all recommended methods.

Observation
This method is designed to collect data and evaluate it by first-hand obser-
vation (Sleezer et al. 2014):

 Best uses: Collect data based on actual workforce behaviors or work

practices while working in an actual work environment.
 Best practices: Observe people from inconspicuous spots to reduce
anxiety.
 Pros: Minimize work process interruptions, and collect data directly
from an actual work environment, to reduce bias.
 Cons: Needs a skilled practitioner. The workforce might be concerned
because of an observer, and that might affect their behavior. It also can
be very time-consuming.
174  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

With permission from the executive team and cooperation of the manage-
ment team, we had a chance to (1) observe several managers and team
meetings, (2) observe the employees during their production process in their
work environment, and (3) observe their relationship with their supervisors
and each other. These observations give us a window to their behaviors,
attitudes, and responses during production, dealing with deadlines, their
method of communication or lack of, and their collaboration or conflict with
their supervisors or with one another.

One-on-One Interview
In this method of data collecting, the workforce performance is evaluated
on a one-on-one basis. The best future of this method is human interaction
(Sleezer et al. 2014).

 Best uses: Face to face is the best approach, but one-on-one interviews
are conducted on the phone or via video conference often.
 Best practices: Use a moderate tone, speak slowly, and enunci-
ate clearly; keep the discussion focused; and examine the additional
responses to the questions.
 Pros: Useful at the recognition of details of training needs while the
potential trainer can explore any concerns or reservations.
 Cons: This method is time-consuming and, sometimes, difficult to ana-
lyze due to the practitioner’s lack of experience.

We conducted several one-on-one interviews with the top executives and senior
managers to collect data from all the top managers to make sure we have
included their perspectives on the potential issues. We have used these tables as
the source of our background for the interview questions to gather data:

 Table 5.2: How to Determine Your Values?

 Table 5.4: Inductive Questions for Finding Facts and Identifying
Perceptions about Problem(s).

Besides the previous set of questions, we designed an interview protocol and

questions for the one-on-one interviews with the executives and senior managers
based on (1) individual and group behavior model, (2) SWOT analysis, and (3)
environment relations assessment (ERA). Table 5.7 displays the actual questions.
Note: Before conducting the interviews, all the interview participants
signed a “Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality” agreement.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  175

Table 5.7 One-on-One Interview Questions and Their Sources (for Executives
and Senior Managers).
Questions and their Sources to Be Used during One-on-One Interviews with
Executives and Senior Managers
I. Basic Organization Information
A. Background to Diagnosis
1. What is your position and history of participation with the organization?
2. What kind of problems are you facing in your position?
3. What kind of challenges (in your position) do you foresee soon?
4. What would you consider as a recent (1–3 years) organization success?
5. What would you consider as a recent (1–3 years) organization failure?
6. What can we do for your organization?
B. Outputs
1. How do you assess the reputation of your organization?
2. How do you assess the quality of products and your services?
3. What is the staff turnover history in your organization?
4. How would you rate your staff or team member’s rate of absenteeism?
C. Goals and Strategies
1. What is the organization’s vision?
2. What is the organization’s mission?
3. What are the organization’s core values or principles?
4. What are the top three organization goals?
5. Do you have short- and long-term plans?
6. Are there any new and additional goal(s) for this year?
7. How do you assess the recent changes (1–3 years) in the organization’s strategies?
8. What are the top priorities of the organization’s budget?
D. Inputs
1. What is the percentage of the budget for providing services?
2. What percentage of the budget is allocated to use and maintain physical space?
3. What percentage of the budget is allocated to employment or human resources?
4. Do you have any training and development programs for your staff or teams?
E. Environment
1. What is the organization affiliation? Public, private, or part of a larger
organization?
2. Are there any alliances with other organizations?
3. Are you outsourcing any aspects of your business or production?
4. Are you counting on any grants or exterior public agency support?
5. How do you rate or assess the safety and security around your organization?
(Continued)
176  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 5.7 (Continued)

Questions and their Sources to Be Used during One-on-One Interviews with
Executives and Senior Managers
F. Technology and Work Processes
1. What are the main processes regarding your offering services or products?
2. What type of information technology is being used in your organization?
3. Are you using any automation technology?
4. Do you have any saved data on operational failures or accidents?
5. Do you have saved data on employee turnover and firing history?
G. Structure
1. What are your main divisions or units?
2. How many levels are in your organizational hierarchy?
3. How many employees are in the organization? Full-time and part-time?
4. Do you have employment/labor contracts?
5. Do you have human resources, labor grievance procedures, affirmative action
rules, or quality assurance standards in place?
H. Behavior and Processes
1. What is the pattern of the high-level decision-making process?
2. What are the significant conflicts (labor, staff, and board members)?
3. Is there any level of harshness or militancy in the relationship with staff or team
members?
4. Do any conflicts exist among divisions or programs?
5. What are the main styles of communication (oral, written, and meetings)?
I. Culture
1. How do you describe the organization’s identity (logo, slogans, or advertising
campaign)?
2. What are some of your organization’s historical successes or inspirational
stories?
3. What are some of your recurring events or annual celebrations?
4. How do you rate the physical space, orderly, tidiness, decorations, or style of your
offices, building, or work environment?
5. How are you assessing your work environment (style, hours, and relationships)?
J. System Dynamics
1. What are the most recent (1 or 2 years) significant changes in style or organization
systems?
2. What are the past (3–5 years) significant changes in style or organization
systems?
3. Are there any recent significant changes in the structural elaboration of the
organization?
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  177

4. Are there any significant changes in the profit and loss pattern during the last
couple of years?
5. Is your organization dealing with deficits? Low or high?
II. SWOT Questions (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)
A. General Questions
1. From your viewpoint, how do you describe the organization’s performance?
2. How do you assess the organization’s position and influence in the community?
3. What are the main challenges that the organization is facing?
4. Without holding back, what would you say attributed to the creation of these
challenges?
B. Strengths
1. From your perspective, what are the organization’s top three strengths?
2. What would you say attributed to developing these strengths?
3. How does the organization use and utilize its strengths?
4. How could the organization address its challenges to develop more strengths in
the short term (1 year) and the long run (5 years)?
C. Weaknesses
1. From your perspective, what are the organization’s top three weaknesses or
shortcomings?
2. Without holding back, what would you say attributed to the creation of these
weaknesses and shortcomings?
3. What are the organization’s developmental plans or strategies to transform its
weaknesses?
4. How could the organization address its weaknesses or shortcomings in the short
term (1 year) and the long run (5 years)?
D. Opportunities
1. What opportunities can be arising for the organization by expanding on its
strengths?
2. What opportunities can be arising for the organization by removing its
weaknesses?
3. How could the organization address its challenges in the short term (1 year) and
the long run (5 years)?
4. Do you see any opportunity for the organization?
E. Threats
1. What do you consider threats to the organization, if any?
2. How can these threats weaken an organization’s strengths?
3. How can these threats exploit an organization’s weaknesses?
4. How can the organization use these opportunities to defuse any threats?
(Continued)
178  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 5.7 (Continued)

Questions and their Sources to Be Used during One-on-One Interviews with
Executives and Senior Managers
F. Closing SWOT
1. Do you have any other suggestions for developing the organization as a
productive and effective organization?
2. How do you see the future of the organization?
III. ERA (Environment Relations Assessment) Questions
Status of environmental relations management
A. Internal
1. Who within the organization is managing any internal issues or problems?
2. Are there any pressing internal issues in being handled or resolved?
3. Is there any internal issue not handled? Who is to manage it?
4. Are there any planned interventions or resolutions for these internal issues?
5. Are there any reactionary responses to these interventions among internal
personnel?
6. Do you anticipate any internal issues in any aspects of the organization’s
performance, and what are the preventing measures, if any?
B. External
1. Who within the organization is managing any external issues or problems?
2. Are there any pressing external issues in the process of being handled or resolved?
3. Are there any external issues not handled? Who is to manage them?
4. Are there any planned interventions or resolutions for these external issues?
5. Are there any reactionary responses to these interventions among external
affiliations?
6. Do you anticipate any external issues in any aspect of the organization’s
performance, and what are the preventing measures, if any?
IV. Closing
1. Is there anything else you would like to add to this conversation?
2. Do you have questions for me before we conclude this session?
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

Focus Group
Five to eight employees formed them to discuss their points of view, opin-
ions, and information guided by a moderator (Sleezer et al. 2014):

 Best uses: Conducted by a skilled practitioner, formed by people with

something in common.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  179

 Best practices: Collect responses with a nonjudgmental behavior.

Avoid discussions. Encourage space of confidentiality and respect.
 Pros: Appropriate for complex or debated subjects that only one per-
son might be unable or unwilling to uncover.
 Cons: This method is also very time-consuming due to organizing, the
position of participants, and the potential lack of participation.

We also conducted five focus group interviews with not over eight people in
each group.
This way, we covered most categories of the workforce involved with the
general office and floor production process. We used the general concept of
the information found on the same tables we used during the one-on-one
interviews, plus we designed an interview protocol and questions for the
focus group interviews with the selected teams and groups based on: (1) the
great place to work, (2) SWOT analysis methods and (3) relationship and
performance. Table 5.8 displays the actual questions.
Note: Before conducting the focus group interviews, all the interview par-
ticipants signed a “Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality” agreement.

Table 5.8 Focus Group Interview Questions and Their Resources (for Junior
Managers and Floor Supervisors.
Questions and Their Sources to Be Used during Focus Group Interview with Junior
Managers and Floor Supervisors
I. Great Place to Work Questions
A. Trust
1. What do you think about a trusting work environment?
2. What do you think would add to or take away from a trusting work environment?
3. From your viewpoint, how could someone gain your trust?
B. Credibility
1. What do you feel about the organization’s credibility in the community?
2. What do you attribute to such credibility or lack of it, as you have explained?
3. From your viewpoint, what would make this organization more credible?
C. Respect
1. Tell me about your view of respect?
2. What would take away your respect for a coworker?
3. How can another coworker gain your respect?
(Continued)
180  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 5.8 (Continued)

Questions and Their Sources to Be Used during Focus Group Interview with Junior
Managers and Floor Supervisors
D. Fairness
1. What ideas do you have about fairness in the workplace?
2. What would happen that might make you think this organization is not being fair
to you?
3. How do you gauge fairness in your work position?
E. Pride
1. What would make you proud of this organization?
2. What would make you feel proud of what you do?
3. How important is it for you to feel pride in what you do, and why?
F. Camaraderie
1. Without holding back, what do you feel about camaraderie within your team?
2. From your viewpoint, what would add to a desirable team relationship?
3. From your viewpoint, what is damaging to establishing a productive team?
II. SWOT Questions (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity and Threats)
Mixed Questions
1. From your viewpoint, how do you describe this organization’s performance?
2. What are the main challenges that the organization is facing in your department?
3. Without holding back, what would you say attributed to the creation of these
challenges?
4. From your perspective, what are your department’s top three strengths?
5. What would you say attributed to developing these strengths?
6. From your perspective, what are your department’s top three weaknesses or
shortcomings?
7. Without holding back, what would you say attributed to the creation of these
weaknesses and shortcomings?
8. How could the organization address its challenges in your department in the
short term (one year) and the long run (five years)?
9. How could the organization address its weaknesses or shortcomings in your
department in the short term (one year) and the long run (five years)?
10. How do you see the future of the organization?
11. How do you see the influence of your department on the organization’s success?
12. Do you have any other suggestions for developing your department as a
productive and effective department?
13. Do you have any other suggestions for developing this organization as a
productive and effective organization?
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  181

III. Relationships and Performance Questions

Mixed Questions
1. How do you rate your job performance and why? (Score from 0 being the lowest
to 10 being the highest)
2. How do you rate your team’s job performance and why? Please list them by their
names. (Score from 0 being the lowest to 10 being the highest)
3. Do you have any specific plans for increasing your job performance? What is it?
4. Do you have any specific plans for increasing your team’s job performance? What
is it? Please list them by their names.
5. How do you rate your relationship with the person to whom you are reporting
and why? (Score from 0 = nonexistent to 10 = excellent)
6. How do you rate your relationship with your team members and why? Please list
them by their names. (Score from 0 = nonexistent to 10 = excellent)
7. Do you have any specific plans for improving your relationship with the person to
whom you are reporting? What is it?
8. Do you have any specific plans for improving your relationship with your team
members? What is it? Please list them by their names.
9. How do you rate your relationship with the organization and why? (Score from 0
= nonexistent to 10 = excellent)
10. Do you have any specific plans for improving your relationship with the
organization? What is it?
IV. Closing
1. Is there anything else you would like to add to this conversation?
2. Do you have questions for me before we conclude this session?
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

Two Analysis Methods (Best Uses, Best Practices,

Pros, and Cons)
We thought it would be beneficial to distinguish two of the most used
data analysis methods for refreshing the high-performance coaches experi-
ence to uncover “what is happening” and “what are the issues at hand.”
According to Sleezer et al. (2014), for a high-performance coach and man-
ager-as-coach to collect the data and make an assessment, the data need to
be analyzed.
There are two general methods of data analysis: quantitative and qualita-
tive. In some cases, practitioners are mixing these two methods.
182  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Quantitative Analysis
This method is used when looking at actual numbers. It’s used to get hard
data on how people behave and act. In most needs assessment cases, quan-
titative data analysis is limited to descriptive statistics. However, it can also
perform hand in hand with data collecting software such as Excel, SAS, and
SPSS (Sleezer et al. 2014; Rothwell et al. 2016).

 Best uses: Line workforce performance on a new process.

 Best practices: Using charts, tables, and graphs.
 Pros: It is easier and quicker to collect and analyze than qualitative
data.
 Cons: Bias, and collector’s opinion.
(Sleezer et al. 2014; Rothwell et al. 2016)

Qualitative Analysis
This method is usually used when looking at the intangible’s elements.
This is far more subjective, such as understanding why people behave in a
certain fashion. It involves the classification of collected data into different
categories, which could even have been generated from previous data col-
lecting processes (Sleezer et al. 2014; Rothwell et al. 2016).

 Best uses: Behavioral analysis.

 Best practices: Open-ended questions. Read and reread the questions
and answers. Make notes and underline important sentences. Assign
codes to aspects of data.
 Pros: Provide much richer and detailed data and information.
 Cons: More difficult to gather and analyze the data. It is more
time-consuming.
(Sleezer et al. 2014; Rothwell et al. 2016)

For our business case example, during the data collecting phase to uncover
what is happening and what is the issue at hand, we used a mixed method
of both qualitative (one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and observations)
and quantitative (historical records of turnover, performance evaluations,
and productivity) data collecting methods.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  183

Presenting Findings on “What Is Happening” and “What Are

the Issues at Hand”
Now, it is time to give the organization’s executive and senior managers
results from collecting data and analysis of potential problems and what is
currently happening. It was our recommendation to the organization’s exec-
utive to share the problem-finding report with the management teams in all
tiers of the organization so they can provide their feedback to the organiza-
tion and each other about the issues uncovered during data collecting about
the potential issues at the organization and what are the issues at hand and
how they are influencing individual and teams’ performances.
After reviewing the collected data, listening to everyone’s concerns (mostly
being the apparent symptoms of a larger problem), paying attention to pinpoint
the source of the problems, analyzing the data, and reflecting on the future of
the organization and its well-being, the problem report on “What is happening?”
contained numerous issues raised by management and the employees, and
what they wanted to address and resolve. However, based on our analysis, we
found the following to be the sources of the present organization’s issues and
what are the issues in hand and their impact on employees’ motivation, perfor-
mance and ultimately productivity and desire to stay with the organization:

 There was no clear organization’s vision, mission, and principal values;

just good old pushing the rock up the hill kind of approach.
 Uncertainty among managers and supervisors due to lack of succession
planning.
 Employees and lower managers’ concern about the lack of open com-
munication and sharing planning for the future of their work and career.
 No structured training and development plan for the managers and
workforce.

The aforementioned issues and the absence of creating a workable environ-

ment for workers caused the following among the organization’s workforce
(almost everyone but the executive team):

 developed an “us” versus “them” mindset and attitude

 caused low sales performance and consistently missing daily and
weekly targets
184  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

 created a lack of work and organization commitments and just getting

by and surviving
 fear of the unknown and uncertainty about their future with the
organization
 being resigned about what is next for them
 not taking any ownership of the work, product quality, and organization
 expressing their frustrations on other people, especially their
subordinates
 feeling their efforts not being appreciated

We encouraged the management and the employees to categorize the level

of urgency among the discovered issues and take on only two or three
pressing issues that are directly influencing lack or performance and produc-
tivity within the next six to eight months and confront the remaining issues
over semiannual periods.
We suggested training and development specialized for manage-
ment teams and some other training for the workforce, all-around high
performance and productivity, teamwork, effective communication, and
accountability.

Key Factors to Remember

Remember these key factors from this chapter:

 Create partnership versus resistance

– We talked about the importance of establishing rapport in Chapter
4. As a high-performance coach, you need to create a working
partnership with your employees and coaches to produce an effec-
tive coaching process. Unfortunately, the other side of this coin is
resistance and dragging the process through an unworkable relation-
ship. You can create a partnership with your employees through the
building rapport process (see Chapter 4) and relating to their values
and principles. Taking to them with respect and interest is a magic
key to establishing a partnership.
 Critical role of data collecting process
– Professional, structured, and detailed data collecting processes are
essential to the effective and efficient process of finding what is hap-
pening. Without the data collecting process to present the facts to us,
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  185

whatever we know is only perceptions and interpretations of what

is happening. Accurate and relevant data collecting processes, using
diagnostic models and analysis methods, are gateways to the factual
and real discovery of what is the issue in hand and not all the symp-
toms of real issues.
 Individual values creates organization values
– People always act based on their personal and professional values.
Effective OD practitioners and high-performance coaches will under-
stand the link between individuals’ values and their individuals’ or
team’s productivity and performance, increasing or decreasing. Both
are related to people and their values and keeping close to their hearts
and mind. Individuals are making teams and groups; those teams and
groups are making the departments and the organization; there is no
way out of this powerful collaboration and human connection that
would make or break any organization (Bakhshandeh 2009).
 Role of team members in change
– To implement a change intervention and create high-performance
teams, an OD practitioner or a high-performance coach needs to
understand the critical roles that the organization’s members are
playing in the change effort. Employees and team members have
an essential role in the velocity of the process, by their accepting
the process, by not reacting to it, by not resisting it, and by com-
municating their needs and concerns (Wittig 2012). An OD practitio-
ner or a high-performance coach needs to understand employees’
protentional emotions and cognitions (2012). Making employees
feel included is one of the most important elements of minimizing
resistance.

Coaching and Developmental Questions for Managers

(1) Are you competent in understanding and implementing diagnostic
models and analysis methods? If no, why not? What do you need? What
would be your way to do so?
(2) Would you consider yourself as someone who can conduct a complete
data collecting process? If no, why not? What would be your way to do so?
(3) Are you capable of talking to your team members to see what their
values are and if they are performing based on their values? If no, why
not? What would be your way to do so?
186  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

(4) Do you see any need for conducting an interview process with any key
individual or a focus group with a team to discover what is happening
with them?
(5) From your perspective and applying what you learned in this chapter, is
there any problem within individuals who made your team?
(6) Are you aware of and can see what is happening in your direct team?
(7) What kind of training and development do you think you need to
expand your competencies and skills in recognizing individuals and
teams’ actual problems versus symptoms of a situation?

References
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Unpublished Training and Developmental Course on Coaching Executives and
Managers. San Diego, CA: Primeco Education, Inc.
Bakhshandeh, Behnam. 2009. Conspiracy for Greatness; Mastery on Love Within.
San Diego, CA: Primeco Education, Inc. 
Burchell, M., and J. Robin. 2011. The Great Workplace: How to Build It, How to Keep
It, and Why It Matters. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bakhshandeh, Behnam. 2021. “Perception Of 21st Century 4cs (Critical Thinking,
Communication, Creativity & Collaboration) Skill Gap in Private-Sector
Employers in Lackawanna County, NEPA”. An unpublished dissertation in
workforce education and development. The Pennsylvania State University.
Davis, Larry. 2001. “Performance Breakthroughs Are the Results of Human Choices,
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1960. The SWOT Analysis Method. Mento Park, CA: Stanford Research Institute.
Harrison, M. I. 2005. Diagnosing Organizations; Methods, Models, and Processes,
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Sage Publication.
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Improvement in Human Resources Development. San Francisco, CA: John Willy
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Performance Through a Measurable Focus on Business Impact, 3rd ed.
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Strategic Change. Alexandria, WV: ATD Press.
Rothwell, William J., Carolyn K. Hohne, and Stephen B. King. 2018. Human
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York, NY: Routledge.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  187

Rothwell, William J., and Henry J. Sredl. 2000. The ASTD Reference Guide to
Workplace Learning and Performance: Present and Future Roles, 3rd ed., 2
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Organization Development: Leading Transformation and Change, 4th ed.
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Chapter 6

Step 3: What Should

Be Happening?
Behnam Bakhshandeh

This chapter focuses on the third step in performance coaching: envisioning

what should be happening. To determine the gap between what is happen-
ing and what should be happening, it must be clear what the desired target
or vision of a desired future must be. That is what this chapter describes. It
covers these issues:

 What is sourcing the power for high performance?

 Vision and envisioning
 Vision statement versus mission statement
 Job performance standards and best practices
 Key performance indicator (KPI)
 Best industry practices
 Performance criteria
 Use of Big Data and AI in measuring employees performance
 How to establish agreement on “what should be happening”
 Potential team dysfunctions and conflicts
 Asking powerful and effective questions that will make a difference
 Step-by-step process of conducting a “what should be happening” ses-
sion for establishing agreed “job performance standards” among manag-
ers and employees

DOI: 10.4324/9781003155928-8 189

190  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

What Are the Anchors? What Is Sourcing

Your Power for High Performance?
This chapter is about looking at “what should be happening” in contrast to
“what is happening.” In the last chapter, we discussed how individuals’ high-
performance results from their conscious choice by understanding, recogniz-
ing, choosing, setting their values, and acting on them because they believe
operating based on their values and principles are not just honorable but
also effective and productive; their values become an anchor that holds them
in place and sources their power in life. We also touched on the choice of
Being productive as generated from individuals’ interests in what they are
Doing and their mindset about their values and principles. We discussed
the relevance between who people are Being and the quality of what they
are Doing in Chapter 4 (see Figure 4.2) and the role of people’s mindsets
in this process. One of the main places that these individuals are looking
to see what should be happening is in their lives through their values and
principles. The same concept is relevant to professional work and the orga-
nizations’ operations. Organizations look at two places to determine their
anchors about what should be happening in contracts to what is happening
and those are:

(1) their set values and principles, which are manifested in their vision and
mission statements and
(2) set of operational and performance standards, KPI, criteria, and best
industry practices.

This chapter is about distinguishing these two anchors that source organiza-
tions’, teams’, and individuals’ power and access to high performance and
productivity. It is also about envisioning the future and what should be hap-
pening to produce their targets, end results, final outcomes, bottom lines, or
any other terminologies they use in their organizations.
Please read the following segment while you have these figures in the
background:

(1) Relevancy and a link between one’s mindset, attitude, and behavior
(Figure 3.1).
(2) Individual’s state of Being and what they are Doing (Figure 4.2).
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  191

What Is Vision?
Vision is an anchor for individuals to center their mindset, attitude, and behav-
ior in a productive way, both personally and professionally (Bakhshandeh
2009). Individual vision and organizational vision are intended to motivate
individuals, teams, and organizations in their performance and productivity by
offering compelling guidance for the future in the organization or one’s indi-
vidual career and progress. An organization’s vision helps individuals form a
team and creates an environment of teamwork, a point at a productive direc-
tion, allows for improvement ideas and generates a shared sense of camara-
derie and ownership among employees (Rothwell, Hohns, and King 2012). “a
clear, coherent view of how the future should appear. It is essential in provid-
ing a point of departure for what is happening” (Rothwell 2015, 106).

Organization’s Vision versus Mission

Organizations have many ways to create their visions. However, they are
designing, collaborating, and creating their vision statement, an empowering
and guiding one will answer these questions for an employee or affiliate:

 Who are we, and what are we about?

 What are we creating and what do we stand for?
 What is the purpose of our organization?
 What are our core values and principles?
 How do we relate to each other?
 How do we relate to our clients or customers?

An organization’s vision statement explains its anticipated future and posi-

tion in the market and communities they are serving. A vision statement
is created first, displaying the organization’s directions, intents, and goals.
Then, an organization would design its mission statement that describes the
organization’s objectives, how they are fulfilling the organization’s goals and
outcomes, and how they are getting there. The vision statement is about
the Being, the Leadership (the mindset, attitude, behavior, participation,
commitment, creativity, overcoming resistance, implementing change, per-
formance, and self-regulation), and the mission statement is about Doing,
the management (the processes, procedures, measurements, tools, goods,
productivity, and structure) (Bakhshandeh 2008; Bakhshandeh 2002).
192  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Figure 6.1 Relationship between Organization’s Vision and Mission Considering

Performance and Production.
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

Figure 6.1 displays the place and relationship between an organization’s

vision and mission concerning performance and production. For example,
the outcome and end results are both related to the organization’s vision
and mission and supported by the Being part of the organization or the
leadership that is provided by the management and the structure, while set-
ting goals, designing, and managing milestones, managing action plans are
all about the Doing part of the organization or management and mission.
However, what holds the whole thing together and sources the process of
performance and productivity is the vision.

What Are the Characteristics of a Vision?

Let’s go through the characteristics of a vision; how do you know if you
have a vision and how do you understand how to create one, such as hav-
ing a checklist for designing a vision and knowing what you have created.
Imagine yourself holding an electrical object in your hands, such as a cof-
fee maker, laptop computer, or hair dryer, and you are trying to use it. What
would you do with the two or three prongs at the end of the power cord?
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  193

You would connect them to a receptacle on the wall, right? Without the power
sourced by electricity, your electrical device would not function. Even if you
had a battery-operated device, you would still have to charge it—and for
that, you would have to connect to a power source. Without electricity, your
devices would have no functionality, which meant they would be no use to
you. Your device is sourced by electricity. What source is powering your func-
tionality? What are sourcing your choices and actions? Usually, you will see
that the only things that have sourced you were your past decisions and expe-
riences in life. You decided about yourself, others, and life mostly polluted
by negative, painful experiences. When you plug yourself into the receptacle
called your past, you keep getting the same results you do not like.
You keep missing the writing on the wall. We worry about what will
happen to us and feel nervous about tomorrow or next week because we let
our past experiences determine our future moves. We think we are power-
less because we do not realize we have another option called “Design your
Future.” Consider this quote from George Bernard Shaw from one of his
plays written in 1893:

[p]eople are always blaming their circumstances for what they are.
I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this
world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances
they want, and if they can’t find them, they make them.

There is another source of power we keep missing. It is the receptacle called

the future.
What separates something inspirational from a true vision? How can we
distinguish a Mission statement from a Vision statement?
A mission statement is where many businesses and corporations clarify what
they do. Their vision statement describes who they are being while they are
doing what they do. These elements of vision characteristics apply to individu-
als, teams, and organizations. We are mostly pointing at the individual level, as
individuals are creating the organization’s vision. Let’s go through what vision is:

 Seeing a future and fulfilling dreams

Can you envision a future? Are you fulfilling a dream? Or are you just
trying to fix something you do not want to see anymore? Vision repre-
sents something in the future and something you are dreaming about.
 Being ‘at cause’
If you are not at cause about something, you will be on the other side,
at the effect end. Look at your complaints in life. Most are generated
194  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

from being ‘at effect,’ and thinking you cannot do anything about it or
feeling powerless around it. Vision moves you to be at the cause of a
movement that makes a difference in your life or the lives of others.
 Having fun with it and turned on by it
Fulfilling your vision is fun. It is not something that you would not like
to do or to be. It turns you on, and you enjoy doing it. It is obvious to
others that you are having fun with it.
 Seeing a bigger picture and not doing it alone
Fulfilling a vision is a much bigger picture. It is bigger than just a task
or a project. It might involve different projects and so many tasks you
cannot do it by yourself. In fulfilling your vision, you will enroll other
people to embrace the possibility of getting those projects completed
because your eyes are on the big picture. This is something way bigger
than just you. It affects others around you.
 Including you but not limited to you
Fulfilling a vision is not only about you but also about others. It is
about everyone around you: your family, your coworkers, your team-
mates, your community, and every person with whom you are con-
nected. While your vision is bigger than just you, be sure it includes
yourself. You are the cause, and others will enjoy the effect around it.
 Why are you doing this, and how will it turn out
The answer to this question could be a part of your vision. Why are
you doing what you do? How will all these things you are doing turn
out in the end? Is it just about money and a feeling of security? Or is
it for a bigger cause and a bigger plan that will distinguish for others
around you and yourself?
 It takes you to make it work, and it will inspire others
A powerful and empowering vision will take you to work every day.
You will not be tired of doing what you need to do to accomplish
and fulfill your vision. You will not complain that it is hard work. You
will not complain and nag because you are inspired and moved by
the cause. That will inspire others around you because they can see
themselves in you. We always believe that you can live your life based
on not failing or live it based on succeeding. Both produce the same
results but offer two life experiences.

Notice that nearly all of the aforementioned characteristics are common in

the world leaders who inspire you. They describe anyone who inspires you
to follow them or respect them for what they do. Notice that your experiences
around these people are different. By noticing this about yourself, you will have
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  195

many great experiences to draw from when inspired and motivated to accom-
plish something bigger for yourself. That is the magic of being around someone
with a vision. When you create and invent your life vision from your future ver-
sus from your past, your experience of yourself and the people around you are
altered into something more positive and empowering. This brings you inner
peace and the freedom to be (Bakhshandeh 2009, 232–35 and 268–71).
As a high-performance coach, you will have your vision about who
you are and what you are standing for to coach your people in an inspir-
ing direction directed by the organization’s vision and mission statements.
The relationship between an organization’s values, vision, and mission is
depicted in Figure 6.2:

Figure 6.2 Relationship between the Organization’s Values, Vision, and Mission.
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

Having teams and groups aligned with the organization’s vision, mission,
and core values is essential to the cohesiveness and workability of the orga-
nization’s operations, productivity, and individual and team performance.
For this vital reason, a high-performance coach or a manager-as-coach can
use one of the useful tools to assess the clarity of the organization’s vision
among individuals and teams during performance and productivity inter-
ventions. Table 6.1 is designed to interview individuals or teams to under-
stand their connection to the organization’s vision, get ideas for what is
missing or needed, and receive their input.
Establishing rapport with these individuals and teams is critical to the
workability of this process.
196  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

Table 6.1 Assessing the Current Vision Clarity of an Individual or a Team.

Assessing the Current Vision Clarity of an Individual or a Team
Day: Participant: Team:
Month: Supervisor: Department:
Rating Scale: 1 = Poor, 2 = Marginal, 3 = Acceptable, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent
# Clarity on the Organization’s Vision by Rating What Is Missing?
the Team Members Actions to Increase
1 2 3 4 5
Clarity on the
Organization’s Vision
1 Agrees on the vision of where the
organization or the team should go.
2 Understand and align with the organi-
zation and its mission statement.
3 Understand and align with why their
team exists.
4 Understand and align the functional-
ity of their team to the organization’s
vision and mission.
5 Share a vision of how the team should
get where it is going.
6 Understand the plan of progress and
agree on how to measure it.
7 Align with the organization’s and their
team’s values.
8 Align with what is important and what
is not urgent in executing progress
plan.
9 Share the same view about what the orga-
nization or their team should be doing
best.
Source: Copyright 2021 by Behnam Bakhshandeh.

Envisioning “What Should Be Happening?”

Recognizing what should be happening begins by envisioning what should
be happening by the managers who oversee an individual, a team, or a
department with the problems.
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  197

Envisioning is synonymous with visualizing something, seeing a potential

future, picturing what is coming, or dreaming about something.

 Oxford Languages describes it as to “imagine as a future possibility;

visualize” (Oxford Languages” 2021).
 Merriam-Webster describes envisioning as “to picture to oneself”
(“Merriam-Webster” 2021).

In the context of our book and revealing what should be happening,

“[e]nvisioning what should be happening means establishing a vision of
desired results. The vision established becomes a norm—a prescribed
standard or an ideal, the desired end state” (Rothwell 2015, 105). In some
shape and form, there is a close similarity between the analysis of envision-
ing happening and what is happening we went through in the last chapter.
Sometimes, examining and analyzing what is and what should be could
be done simultaneously. Either separately, or, gathering data and analyzing
the data about what is happening and what should be happening have one
shared purpose—to reveal gaps to improve individuals, teams, and an orga-
nization’s performance and productivity (Rothwell and Henry 2014), “[t]he
problem is that, without imagination, managers cannot recognize potentially
profitable opportunities or predict long-term consequences of their actions”
(2014, 218).
Envisioning is similar to the process of environmental scanning, which
should be part of an organization’s strategic planning that studies and
inspects potential exterior future trends with an impact on the organiza-
tion and how posing future threats or opportunities for the organization
(Rothwell et al. 2012). As we have touched on environmental relations
assessment (ERA) in Chapter 5, the ERA framework was introduced by
Harrison (2005). Conducting an ERA manages an organization’s environmen-
tal relations more effectively.

Research indicates that organizations that conduct environmental

scanning are more profitable and successful than organizations
that do not conduct it. Environmental scanning is the counterpart
of internal appraisal, the step in strategic planning that examines
existing conditions inside the organization and discovers the orga-
nization’s competencies (strengths) and areas for improvement
(weaknesses)
(Rothwell 2015, 105)
198  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

By envisioning what should be happening and comparison between the

results of an internal appraisal of an individual, a team, or the organization
and the environmental scanning, the high-performance coach or a man-
ager-as-coach can distinguish evidence pointing to the directions that an
individual, a team, or the organization is taking. These revealing clues may
point at what is seize future opportunities or threats, what could develop
on current strengths, or transcend weaknesses, in individuals, teams, and
the organization (Rothwell and Henry 2014; Rothwell, Stavros, and Sullivan
2016).
In both cases, the envisioning process and the environmental scanning
process are revealing what should be happening and focusing on ideals
(what should be) or norms (what it is) instead of actualities or realities.
Envisioning and environmental scanning about what should be happening
can be based on situations or focused on the potential issues (Rothwell et
al. 2016). “Change rarely occurs unless people are dissatisfied with pres-
ent conditions, can conceptualize ideal alternatives, and are motivated to
change” (Rothwell 2015, 105).

What Are the Job Performance Standards?

A minimum degree for the required performance of an employee is known as
a job performance standard. A job performance standard is known as the out-
put degree of an average but knowledgeable employee or a worker’s average
tempo of producing in popular jargon. This description branches out from the
perception of McCormick (1979), as a model based on a job analysis, that

establish[es] the standard or the view, as noted in a classic source

on job analysis, that establish[es] the standard or allowed time for a
given unit of work . . . based on the amount of time required by a
qualified worker, using a standard method and working at a stan-
dard work speed, to perform a specified task
(McCormick 1979, 79).

A job performance standard in this way exemplifies a floor level or mini-

mum acceptable level of performance by an employee. The job perfor-
mance standard is not a goal, outcome, or objective but represents desired
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  199

minimum expected performance targets or levels by workers (Cummings

and Worley 2015).

Key Performance Indicator

During the last two decades, many organizations attempted to associ-
ate organizational values, vision, mission, and strategic goals to the KPI
and measure it based on elements of the balanced scorecard by estab-
lishing performance targets for individuals, teams, departments, and
organization.
The balanced scorecard allows a high-performance coach, HPI practitio-
ners, or managers to review the organization’s performance from four key
perspectives (see Figure 6.3) and offers answers to four basic but essential
questions tied to the organization’s performance measures on the back-
ground of the organization’s values, vision, mission, and strategies (Kaplan
and Norton 1996; Kaplan and Norton 1992):

(1) Customer perspective: How do our clients/customers see us?

Figure 6.3 Organization’s Performance from Four Key Perspectives.

Source: Adapted from Kaplan and Norton (1992).
200  Building Relationship and Recognizing the Situation

(2) Internal perspective: Business processes’ and procedures’ efficiency,

effectiveness, and level of performance. What are we good at, and what
do we stand out for?
(3) Growth and learning perspective: Our underlying capabilities and
improvements. Are we able to continue growing, improving, and creat-
ing values?
(4) Financial perspective: How do we appear to the organization’s share-
holders? Bottom-line measurements as the cost of goods and revenue
extremes.
(Kaplan and Norton 1996; Kaplan and Norton 1992)

Though this methodology looks innovative, each of the four classifications

of the balanced scorecard is associated with the traditional functioning ele-
ments of a health organization and its management structure, such as finance
(bottom line and financial), marketing (clients and customer), operations
(processes, productions, and structure), and growth and learning (human
resources development) (Kaplan and Norton 1996). KPIs are taking an organi-
zation’s targets and bringing them down to smaller levels on the organization’s
performance chart that managers and workers can understand (Liraz 2013).

Best Industry Practices

Besides job performance standards and KPI, many organizations are using
Best Practices approach to set a benchmark for their workforce’s perfor-
mance indicators. “A best practice is an exemplar, a practice worthy of
emulation because it represents the best approach” (Rothwell 2015, 118).
Most organizations are practicing searching for and applying the best prac-
tices they find throughout their internal benchmarking and what they have
learned from external benchmarking. Camp (1989) defined benchmarking
as “the search for industry best practices that lead to superior performance”
(11). The concept of Best Practices is another possible approach to recog-
nize “what should be happening” in the organizations’ dealings with their
internal and external environment, including their workforces’ performance
and productivity.
High-performance coaches and managers-as-coaches can envision “what
should be happening” by assessing comparison practices at their teams, depart-
ments, and organizations to learn the best practices within their industries’ best
producers and high performers or even from the same categories outside their
industry. Table 6.2 is a good tool to use to determine whether benchmarking
 Establish Relatedness and Building Rapport  201

Table 6.2 Evaluating the Needs for Benchmarking the Best Practices in High-
Performance Coaching.
Evaluating the Needs for Benchmarking the Best Practices in High-Performance
Coaching
Instructions:
Use these inquiries in the left column to determine whether benchmarking for those best
practices is justified. For each inquiry in the left column, check, yes, no, or n/a in the middle
columns. Come with some actions you can take to get that area moving in a productive
direction (or if you need support from senior managers or organization executives) and post
them in the right column.
# Area of Inquiry and Interest Yes No N/A Action
Needed
1 Have you explored existing practices in your team?
2 Have you explored existing practices in your
department?
3 Have you explored existing practices in your
organization?
4 Have you researched practices that have been used
for resolving major issues you know about the
team’s performance?
5 Have you researched practices that have been used
for resolving major issues you know about depart-
mental performance?
6 Has your organization explained its desired outcome
from implementing the best practice in your team?
7 Has your organization explained its desired out-
come from implementing the best practice in your