Coaching and Counseling: Two Ways to Guide Employees

Course Description:

This one day workshop is designed to increase a manager's skills as a coach and as a counselor. As a coach, a manager identifies an employee's need for instruction and direction, usually a need directly related to his or her current work assignments. For example, an employee may be having difficulty learning a new computer system and may need coaching. A coaching relationship is indicated when the employee is open to advice and shows little defensiveness. As a counselor, a manager identifies a problem that interferes with an employee's work performance. For example, an employee may be suffering from burnout and may lack interest in his or her work. A manager needs to switch from a coaching to a counseling mode when employees are less open to the manager's input. In a counseling relationship, the manager builds trust by approaching the employee in an especially supportive, nonthreatening manner.

This program gives equal weight to affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of the topics of coaching and counseling. Participants are asked to examine their own feelings about coaching and counseling, to practice key skills, and to acquire a basic understanding of when and why those skills are necessary.