Seeing Is Believing — in Coaching
 You haven’t golfed in two years, and your form is rusty. So you hire a pro to observe you and coach you on your swing. But after teeing off a few times, you realize she’s simply watching and not saying anything to help you. Where’s the coaching?
“Knowing how to do something is important,” says Jackie Pierce, PDRMA Risk Management Consultant. “But when you incorporate coaching, you move from just watching someone perform a job task to observing it and providing feedback to the employee.”
This summer, many seasonal employees will return after a two-year hiatus — and naturally they’ll have lost ground on safe practices. “Core 6 is not like riding a bicycle,” Pierce points out. “A quick refresher course won’t make everyone remember all the safety principles, even among summer workers who return year after year.” So supervisors will need to sharpen their observation — and coaching — skills.
For coaching to be successful, it’s essential for managers to review Core 6 guidelines themselves before heading out to observe field staff and coach employees with feedback. But don’t feel overwhelmed. Hone your observation skills by focusing on one or two key Core 6 concepts, instead of all of them, at the beginning of the season.
Watching vs. Observing
When you “observe” job tasks, you’re looking for opportunities to coach your employees, not only to watch them work. According to Mike Deblieux, SHRM-SCP, who teaches PDRMA member supervisors about on-site coaching, there’s a difference between watching and observing. “Coaching is a habit, so it’s important for managers to learn the steps behind effective coaching. Once they learn how to coach, they then must look for opportunities to use it in their daily interactions with their direct reports.”
While all Core 6 principles are important to reinforce, if Deblieux had to pick one, it would be the 30-second Site Safety Walk Through. “It’s a great opportunity for a supervisor to reinforce the importance of planning to prevent workplace injuries, accidents and illness.”
When and How To Coach
 Whether your observations and coaching occur immediately or you have a more formal meeting to discuss them, Deblieux suggests a three-step approach for a successful coaching encounter:
- The supervisor should start the discussion by defining the performance expectation. (“Our agency requires you to do a 30-second Site Safety Walk Through before beginning any job task.”)
- The supervisor must explain the expectation in positive terms.
- The supervisor must plan to lead a collaborative discussion about what the employee is doing to meet — or what she needs to change to meet — the expectation moving forward.
Don’t Skip This Step!
One aspect of effective coaching that many supervisors skip, according to Deblieux, is positive reinforcement of proper job performance. “Managers tend to take proper job performance and safety practices for granted. By doing that, they miss the opportunity to show appreciation and reinforce safe, productive work practices.” Be sure to recognize your employees’ efforts when you observe them performing job tasks safely and according to Core 6 principles.
Reopening park districts safely this summer will require more from everyone — at all levels. Supervisors and their direct reports should review our Core 6 principles available on our website and in training materials.
“The supervisor’s job is to create an opportunity for employee success,” notes Deblieux. “An employee’s job tasks constantly change and evolve. An effective supervisor pays attention to those variables and uses them to build upon employee strengths and redirect subpar performance on a timely basis.”
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