Purpose of Coaches
The purpose of a coach is to inform, guide, advise, and show industrial construction foremen the best way to supervise and lead.
The coach is the bridge between those who are learning the job and those who seek effective performance for the company. Coaches provide the “glue” that makes the teachings from the classroom stick. With the help from a coach, a foreman can apply new knowledge to practical application in the field. They can develop their classroom skills into on-the-job skills with the assistance of a more experienced co-worker, peer, or senior supervisor.
Quite often good coaching is visible in the person being coached. The person being coached tends to be more positive, shows improvement and learns from their coach. A strong coach is respected and seen as a leader.
An effective coach will:
-
Transfer knowledge and skills from an experienced, capable senior supervisor to a less experienced foreman
-
Help foremen improve skills, both technical know-how and soft skills, such as managing people issues (e.g., safety, running meetings, communication, resolving conflicts, work planning and teambuilding)
-
Ensure that foremen correctly complete applicable company-specific paperwork and understand the importance of this task
-
Help foremen administer company policies and procedures in a constructive manner
-
Foster a positive and constructive attitude towards safe work practices
Selecting Coaches
Establishing coaches for a foremen development plan requires a strong commitment, including time and money. In addition, the success of your development plan depends on picking the right coach.
The right coach understands that teambuilding between front-line foremen and management is necessary for success.
The right coach has these qualities:
- Is an experienced and competent supervisor in a particular skill
- Believes that they can be successful as a coach and is competent in their coaching role
- Believes that the foremen they are coaching can grow their supervisory skills
- Understands and can relate to the person they coach
- Knows where to find other resources and is able to point the foreman in the right direction
- Cares about people
- Respectful of people
- Communicates well
- Is positive
- Is a good listener
- Is patient and trustworthy
- As a role model - coaches live an attitude of leadership, trustworthiness, fairness and respectfulness
The right coach performs these tasks:
- Champions safety
- Informs foremen about these best practices as defined by the industry
- Supports the company’s initiatives
- Carefully plans the coaching activities
- Reviews the foreman’s assessment to prepare a plan for developing the areas that require further development
- Can help the foreman identify skill gaps and ways to improve
- Works with foremen to help them apply what they have learned in formal training
- Provides timely, constructive feedback
In addition, a foreman can have more than one coach to address specific skills requiring development. Coaches bring their expertise to a foreman. The company plays a critical part in identifying, assessing, and assigning coaches to foremen. With large companies, coaching teams may be set up. Coaching sessions can vary from a brief meeting to a longer development period as needed.
Many think that coaching is from supervisor to worker, but coaching can also be peer to peer. It’s about developing workplace skills and personal development from one skilled person to another.
Considering Being a Coach?
The success of a company’s foremen development plan depends on selecting the right coaches.
Perhaps you’ve been asked to be a coach, or perhaps you’d like to offer your expertise. In either case, becoming a coach requires a strong commitment of your time and skills.
Be sure you enter into the process fully aware of what’s involved. You are responsible for teaching foremen what the industry and your company want you to present.
To be a good coach, you possess these qualities:
- Positive attitude toward the job and tasks
- Clear understanding of all aspects of the work, including both the work of the project and the coaching role
- Respect the coaching role and know that using it incorrectly can harm the foreman and company
- Ability to relate to those being coached
- Shows respect for others
- Maturity and patience
- Solid communication skills
- Are honest, truthful, and ethical
To be a good coach, you must:
- Provide feedback in a constructive manner, whether good or bad
- Help the foreman shape a positive attitude and define a strong work ethic
To be a good coach, you believe:
- That the people being coached “can ultimately do this better than I can”
- That you are a role model and act accordingly
- That you and other crew members contribute to the success of the project and the client
Training Coaches
Coaches may need some training as a coach. Although the coach is knowledgeable in the industrial construction foremen position, additional skills are required to be an effective coach.
Coaches need to clearly understand:
- What is the foreman’s scope of work?
- How does coaching fit with the organizational structure?
- What are the hand-off points?
When training coaches, ensure they learn:
- Coaching techniques
- Developing a coaching plan
- Understanding the role of a coach
- Adult learning principles and techniques
- How to properly assess the skills of a new foremen
- How to provide clear expectations of the task and its outcome, and how this task fits in the big picture
- How to constructively provide feedback to the new foremen
- How to support a foreman that has become frustrated
- How to deal with difficult situations of foremen
- How to engage leaders to support foremen
Courses
Some of the industry-based supervisor or foremen programs have coaching components. The following are recommended courses to consider:
- Leaders Building Leaders by Better SuperVision and the Building Trades of Alberta (BTA)
- Other training as identified by your organization: you may have some in-house programs. If not, you may consider developing your own workplace coaching skill development program.
Since coaching is not a new concept, you may already have training or programs in place for coaching to occur within your organization. Whether you already have a coaching program or are looking to develop one, explore the links under On-The-Job Training for helpful practices.
Coaches Must Provide Feedback to Foremen
Providing feedback to foremen is one of the most critical tasks that coaches must complete.
Finding the foreman doing things right and providing positive feedback is important. Feedback should be positive and constructive.
Feedback:
- Can be verbal and possibly written, depending on the circumstances or procedures followed by the company
- Is used to reinforce or alter a foreman’s actions
- Must be given immediately (or as timely as possible)
- Can relate to hard or soft skills needed by foremen
Tips for Coaches
Assess your coaching qualities:
- Be approachable and available to the foremen you are coaching
- Be objective, supportive, and respectful — always
- Be open and available as much as is required by the foreman
- Be transparent and explain your intentions when you are providing advice or directing the foremen — trust is critical
Develop your coaching techniques:
- If you don’t know something, admit it: brainstorm about where the answer might be found
- Keep a beginner’s mind: remember what it was like when you were a new foreman and use that to help you in your coaching role
- Walk the talk — don’t teach what you don’t practice yourself
- Take training on workplace coaching
- Love what you do
On-the-job development with foremen:
- Take the time to make a plan
- Ensure that your plan for the foremen aligns with your company’s strategy or project plan
- Clearly define expectations of the foreman and others
- Evaluate what each foreman needs: some may need to discuss their needs; others not so much
- Make connections with other coaches and role models to help the foreman get advice from other professionals
- If needed, set up meetings for the foremen with subject experts