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Advising vs Coaching. What is the best solution ? – Part 2

25 May 2016

In Part 1, we discussed the main differences between advising and coaching in a franchise network. We also introduced the GROW model, a simple structure for coaching sessions, but warned against taking transitioning to coaching lightly. Becoming a coach involves many challenges that, once identified, make any franchise relationship more efficient. Here are some pitfalls and traps you might come across along your coach training path.

 

Coach Training Challenges

• Moving to the next step of the GROW model without properly completing the current steps. Advisors who learn coaching tend to fall back into their solution-driven habits.
• Asking yes/no questions that do not encourage constructive thinking.
• Asking leading questions. Example: Have you considered giving training to your employees to develop their customer communication skills? The key purpose of coaching is to help franchisees find answers, not to suggest answers to them.
• Rushing to suggest answers or asking other questions when a certain question leaves trainees baffled. It is their “issue awareness moment”, a realization that requires additional thinking. This extended silence is a positive sign, it means you touched upon a fundamental issue.

 

The Very Nature of a Franchise Network Is a Challenge for Coaching

Although we believe that support staff should become better at coaching, we also realize that it is not easy to implement this new philosophy in a franchise network. The solution lies in aligning these changes with specific strategies in order to generate interest among advisors to grow professionally, to develop their skills and to help franchisees recognize the advantages of the coaching method. Here are some key challenges:

• Any change is difficult to implement in a network of independent entrepreneurs. Franchisees are mostly interested to get answers when they call their area manager.
• Franchisees who have been in the network for several years were often selected based on their personality that made them easier to regulate. This personality type also often needs more guidance. Transition to coaching may throw them off balance. It calls for designing individual approaches based on personality types.
• Area managers often have strong personalities, putting their opinions and expertise upfront. Coaching however requires humility and reserve, which might go against their nature.
• Coaching is somewhat more time-consuming than simply providing solutions and answers. However, with the implementation of the coaching approach, we observe a significant shift in the nature of issues that are brought to the attention of the support staff. Franchisees learn to be more self-reliant and autonomous in solving simple concerns, thus freeing up advisors to tackle bigger issues.

 

Despite all the challenges, this change helps to create a stronger commitment to the banner in addition to improving franchisee performance. It transforms the role of area managers; their involvement becomes more strategic and oriented towards coaching.[1] It should be noted that in our opinion making coaching the only support approach does not fit the franchise network context. However, when used strategically, it can make a real difference in your network and, in the medium to long term, free up management resources to focus on fundamental strategic issues. As they perfect their coaching skills, area managers will be able to support franchisees in their efforts to become great coaches.

 

Learn the Subtleties of Coaching

There are several methods and strategies to hone the four steps of the GROW model, but first and foremost, to give your advisors the skills to convince your franchisees of the benefits of the coaching approach. An area manager must have effective coaching skills and must be able to judge when to act as a coach and when to be an advisor. Learning to apply the tools is only part of your success. These skills take practice. Lots and lots of practice.

 

Contact Totem Performance organisationnelle to learn more about our solutions to train your coaches and to optimize the effectiveness of your coaching efforts.

 

Sylvie Grégoire, MBA, CRHA

President, Totem Performance organisationnelle

 

© Totem 2016, All rights reserved

[1] GERSON, Keith, Training Your Trainers: Coach Your Support Staff for Improved Franchisee Performance

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