Coaching is an art and likely a science, yet there are also some things you just don’t say – at ALL!
Earlier this week, in our Monday Moment, we talked of the importance of being direct versus subtle. It’s also important to address when the pendulum swings too far to the side of direct. Are you overbearing, demanding, dictatorial, aggressive, or in the face of those employees you want to coach. If so, they might be getting the message, but finding creative ways to keep from doing it or getting even with you for sharing it the way you did.
Here are Ten Never Use Phrases that might get you labeled some words usually represented in cartoons like this, *@$#%., shared with you from a great article on Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
If you don’t want this job, I’ll find someone who does
I don’t pay you to think
I won’t have you on eBay/ESPN/Facebook/etc. while you’re on the clock
I’ll take it under advisement (which sounds like it should be followed by: “You idiot”
Who gave you permission to do that?
Drop everything and DO THIS NOW! (Read more about how to handle a Commander under stress!)
Sounds like a personal problem to me
I have some feedback for you … and everyone here feels the same way
In these times, you’re lucky to have a job at all
Especially, please dear goodness, don’t say this last one to an employee unless you want to motivate them to work their fannies off to show you just how many jobs they CAN get in “these times”.
Also, here’s access to the full article, which has a subtitle of “Nope, it’s Not Just You, There are Jerks Out There” – Ha!, here’s the link.
My next question of course, just to show what kind of reaction these phrases might get you if you can’t come up with something more objective to say, is how would you respond if a boss told you these things, thinking they were coaching you to improved performance?
Stay Contagious!
Monica
