The following contains excerpts from the book, The Performance Coaching Process (Carnegie Institute).
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we believe that music more than sound, it is relationships. The subjects of Leadership and coaching come into play when dealing with the understanding of how relationships work.
This book outlines seven steps to ensure that what is taught remains a positive habit that is ‘cemented’ and not lost.
We view the process of training and coaching students in our music school in Odessa, Texas as a wonderful opportunity to see growth, not only in artistic competencies, but in life-skills, as well.
Step One: Identify the Opportunity
-Identify an opportunity for another person
-The person identifies an opportunity for themselves
-A customer, vendor, or other outsider identifies an opportunity
-You identify new skills needed within your team
-A situation creates an opportunity
-An assessment tool uncovers a need for a person’s development
When opportunities are identified, prioritizing becomes essential in order not to overwhelm people.
Teachers at our music school in Odessa, Texas weigh the decisions of goals balanced with the aptitude of the student, for a successful growing experience.
Step Two: Picture the Desired Outcome
Once the opportunity is identified, it is important to take the time and pinpoint what the situation will look like when the gap is filled. This is the step that many people skip or don’t develop fully, which can lead to confusion, misunderstanding, and frustration for all involved.
One of the most important concepts in coaching is having a vision or end goal in mind. Without that, people often lose sight of the importance of making the needed changes. How we create this picture of what is possible is the central component of this step.
People with a clear vision of what the end result of coaching is, tend to move in that direction more quickly than those without. But, it is critical the goal be owned by both the coach and the trainee.
Without that sense of ownership, motivation may be lost.
One of the most important guiding principles at our music school in Odessa, Texas is consent of the vision and direction of the student. Ownership of the goal and vision from student, teacher and parent is an essential component for success.
Step Three: Establish the Right Attitudes
How well we really know our people may determine how quickly we know that we have the right trainee for the job and how they are motivated. This step is a critical part of the process of effective coaching. Without it we spend a great deal of our time just overcoming resistance.
People resist change when they 1) don’t’ see the need, 2) don’t want to do it, or 3) believe that the change is not possible for them.
The necessary skills to move past resistance are: 1) Leadership, 2) Communication, 3) Building trust, and 4) Getting commitment versus compliance.
Step Four: Provide the Resources
In order for a Coaching Process to be successful, it is important the appropriate resources be available, which includes time and the personal commitment to succeed by all involved. Other resources may include money, equipment, training, information, and upper-level buy-in and support.
Make sure that the appropriate resources are in place and available. Nothing is as frustration as being promised something and them not getting it.
At our music school in Odessa, Texas our teachers have ample background, experience and knowledge that provides the necessary foundation for our students to acquire the skills they need for success.
Step Five: Practice and Skill Development
Once the resources are in place and t correct skill set has been identified, explained, and demonstrated, it is now time for the trainee to practice and apply what has been learned. A coach ensures that the trainee is practicing the new skill and not just the old habit.
A coach must consider:
-How to encourage others to success
-How closely to monitor and when to let go
-How to hold other accountable for progress
Step Six: Reinforce Progress
Making progress is one thing, but without a way to reinforce it and keep it in place, people may quickly go back to the way they did things before. One of the biggest fallacies managers hold to is the assumption that if people know something, they will do it. People don’t do what they know; they do what they have always done.
The value of having teachers provide observation, correction, and positive feedback cannot be underestimated. At our music school in Odessa, Texas these benefits are continuously helping students succeed, not only in musical advancement, but also in life-skills, such as discipline, focus, patience, and goal-setting.
In order to reinforce new skills, a coach must:
-Empower people to get results after they have learned new skills
-Give the right kind of feedback
-Follow up
-Handle nonperformance issues
-Handle mistakes and people who get off track
Step Seven: Reward
One of the best ways to cement growth and progress is to reward it. What we reward gets repeated. What gets repeated becomes habit. Change is uncomfortable. That is why people often revert back to their former ways quickly if reinforcement and reward are not there. Habit is stronger than knowledge. To ensure change happens quickly and is kept in place as long as needed, celebration and reward are important.
Several ways a coach may reward are as follows:
-Praise and recognition
-Positive feedback techniques
-Recognize people’s strengths as well as their accomplishments
-Have the right credibility and impact in the delivery
These are all common-sense ideas that are more easily shared than practiced. However, the more these concepts are used, the better the results will be. Probably the most powerful point made was “Habit is stronger than knowledge.”
The value of studying music and the arts in our culture is underestimated. When a student focusses on the core competencies of learning to participate in musical endeavors, they also grow in aptitudes that are intangibles. The value of making music with others requires that the student not only prepare and play their own part well, but also that they stay aware of the other players around them – first, those closest to them, then, their section. Finally, they must be aware of the entire group and even the audience’s response. This kind of three-dimensional perception develops empathy, teamwork, intuitive and reflexive agility (knowing how to change and adapt to circumstantial variances with speed), and what I call 3-Dimensional awareness.
This kind of thinking is glaringly absent from today’s developmental processes of learning. The value of coaching in these areas cannot be overstated.