As a leader, are you effectively coaching your team? It’s intriguing to come across leaders who claim, “I have highly experienced individuals who know how to perform well. I prefer to stay out of their way. If I have to get heavily involved, then I need different people.” While this mindset is not uncommon, I’ve always found it somewhat puzzling. Americans have a strong inclination for sports and often idolize athletes in baseball, football, basketball, golf, and more. Isn’t it odd that even the greatest athletes—Babe Ruth, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods—never went a day in their entire careers without someone coaching them to reach their peak and stay there? Yet, our experienced team members supposedly know what to do and don’t require coaching; we should simply stay out of their way.
A leader’s most valuable resource is often their time. It never seems to be enough, does it? However, this precious resource is frequently wasted on activities that fail to yield substantial returns. Your greatest asset is your people, yet they are often left to drift without clarity regarding expected behavior or a proven path to success in their roles.
If you were to interview owners or senior executives of OOH companies, or any company for that matter, and ask them about the secret to their success, you’d likely hear a scripted response: “It’s our people. We have the best, most dedicated individuals who genuinely care about delivering outstanding results for our clients and our company.” Are they being dishonest? I don’t think so. When they express these sentiments, they truly mean them. And I don’t disagree with that perspective.
Emerson’s words resonate with this topic: “Your actions speak so loudly I cannot hear what you are saying.” As leaders, do our actions contradict our words? It is said that to truly understand someone’s priorities, you should examine their calendar and their financial transactions. How do they spend their time? What do they invest their resources in?
A common question asked by new OOH clients is: “How much of my time should be dedicated to coaching my team?” While I don’t know the specifics of your team, generally, best practices suggest that leaders should allocate approximately one-third of their schedule to coaching their direct reports. This figure may vary depending on the number of individuals reporting directly to you.
The next question often raised is: “With whom should I spend my coaching time, and how much time should I dedicate to each individual?” The most frequent mistake leaders make in this area is spending an excessive amount of time working with their “C” players, attempting to coach, incentivize, and lead them toward significantly better performance. Every person may have a different definition of what constitutes an “A,” “B,” or “C” player on their team. In my view, a “C” player is not solely determined by their current results. Rather, a “C” player is someone with a negative attitude who fails to do what they can to drive performance. Frankly, these individuals are unlikely to rise above a B- grade, regardless of the effort invested in them.
Your coaching time should be viewed as a reward for your team. Reserve the majority of it for those who truly deserve it. Who deserves it? Those individuals who, even if they are not currently achieving outstanding results, demonstrate a willingness to learn, experiment, possess a positive attitude, exhibit high self-awareness, and embrace intellectual humility—acknowledging their potential for improvement and desiring it. Invest your time here and those returns will beat the stock market every time!
Need help with sales skills or coaching to take your out of home company to the next level. Learn more about OOH Sales Mastery at oohmastery.com or Contact Dan Nausley at dan.nausley@sandler.com, 423.702.5579.
Lisa & Dan Nausley of Sandler Chattanooga have developed the OOH Sales Mastery Program after more than a decade of training/coaching scores of OOH Operators across the country in sales, leadership, and executive coaching.
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