Coaching In Turbulent Conditions

Recently we spent a week kayaking on the Sea of Cortez in Baja, Mexico. Our sun-drenched fantasies quickly vanished as we faced adversity from the moment we set out. The first crossing from the mainland to Isla Danzante was challenging due to wind and rain. And our efforts the next day to paddle to Isla Carmen were thwarted by high winds. Personally, I felt that our guides were being overly cautious. After all, we were not beginners, we had all kayaked before. However, the guides decided to spend the day improving our skills and practicing techniques – an idea that sounded ridiculous to me and other members of our team.

But as soon as we ventured out toward a nearby cove, I realized that the winds and currents were a formidable obstacle. Even the simplest maneuvers became true tests of physical endurance. Mathew, our fearless leader, spent the next few hours helping us practice the basics – facing our kayaks into the wind, maintaining position, and turning 360 degrees. It was agonizing! Things that had been so simple in the past were now monumental accomplishments. But Mathew encouraged and pushed us, providing immediate feedback on what would make us more efficient.

Early the next morning we set out amidst small craft warnings for Carmen. Once in the open waters, the wind picked up to over 20 miles per hour and waves washed over our kayak. We had to paddle as hard as we could to make painstakingly slow progress. And we couldn’t pause for a moment without quickly drifting backwards. I thought that we were doing well until Matthew told us that if we didn’t speed up we would have to be towed. Never one to admit defeat, this piece of honest feedback was just what I needed to dig deep and push myself beyond anything I could have imagined. During four grueling hours of paddling, it seemed obvious that our previous skills and experiences had not adequately prepared us for these unusually turbulent conditions.

Safely entrenched in our (dry) office in San Francisco I look back on this experience and see obvious parallels with coaching in the call center environment. As more “routine” calls are handled by a variety of self-service options, an increasing percentage of calls to representatives are exceptions, problems, complications – in other words, “high risk” situations. And the skills and techniques that worked well with “routine” calls are not enough for these turbulent situations. So, front-line supervisors need to do what our kayak leader Matthew did – spring into action and COACH! Ignore the protest cries of your representatives, and push back against the conflicting priorities and endless special projects imposed by senior leadership. Put on your whistles, and make sure your representatives have truly mastered the critical skills and techniques that will enable them to succeed in the toughest conditions.

Service To Sales Tips

• It’s difficult to provide coaching if the person being coached doesn’t see a need for it.
• As a situation becomes more complex, more challenging, or more urgent, people need (and are receptive to) more coaching.
• As coaches, we need to be flexible and adjust our coaching to the needs of the individual and the requirements of the situation.