Charlotte’s spotters had great news. “She’s made tremendous progress in the past two months.” Spotters do more than report progress. They help bring it about. When you understand how spotters improve coaching results, you’ll probably want to assign a few of your own. But before you invite them, it’s important to understand how to engage spotters in your success, and theirs.
What Spotters Do
Spotters improve coaching results by providing timely feedback about what you’re doing, and/or not doing, to be a better leader. It’s similar to what sports coaches achieve by reviewing films with players. I know, I’ve been there.
In my pre-teens, I was on a competitive swim team. Our coaches filmed us during practice. We all watched the films as they critiqued. To this day, I recall the replays of my flip turns – butt high up in the air for all eyes to see. We watched my butt in slow motion and fast motion, backwards and forwards. I’ve been tucking my butt ever since. That two-second clip was all the feedback I needed to make immediate and lasting change.
Change usually involves eliminating behaviors that have negative effects in certain situations, and increasing their complementary opposites. To show more appreciation for direct reports, you decrease criticism and take advantage of more opportunities to thank them. Because no one’s filming you at work, spotters watch for these changes, then describe what you’re doing well and what you’re not.
Immediate feedback is best for maximum impact. This allows you to feel the behaviors, to fully embody them. Visceral memory is powerful and effective. I felt my butt up in the air when I watched that film. I felt my way into tucking my butt the very next time I practiced my turns. In fact I couldn’t wait to redeem myself by making, and perfecting, that correction.
How to Engage Your Spotters
Spotters need to know what they’re spotting for. Identify what you’re working on. Be brief, specific and describe observable behaviors.
I’m working on being more sensitive to people’s needs and feelings by:
- Making fewer critical statements, directed at individuals, during team meetings
- Expressing more appreciation by publicly thanking team members for specific contributions
Ask your spotters to provide feedback when they observe you in action and to do so as immediately as possible. One of my clients and her spotters do 5-minute feedback sessions after every team meeting. I also check in with spotters on a regular basis. It’s part of the up-front deal we set during a 3-way meeting involving client, spotters and coach.
Thank your spotters.
3 Ways Spotters Improve Coaching Results
- Spotters are your human sticky notes, your reminder to do more of X and to stop doing Y.
- Spotters’ positive feedback acts as a reward, a gold star on your forehead. Each reward elicits positive feelings. Positive feelings motivate us continue practicing the behaviors that elicited them. I call it The Febreze Moment. So named after discovering homemakers rewarded themselves with a squirt of Febreze while smiling upon their achievement – a sparkling clean room. (Personally, I find the smell cloying.)
- Spotters spread the word about your success because they’re part of it. It surprised me the first time a spotter reported he was talking to others about his manager’s improvements. But it made sense. Spotters have skin in the game and are proud to tell people when they’re on a winning team.