Kazuyoshi Hisano is the president and CEO of Conoway, Inc.
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When you develop a plan to coach people on your team, you may focus most of your efforts on employees who are struggling to meet goals or expectations. This is only natural; after all, you want to give support to those who need it the most.
But coaching can also benefit the high performers on your team. They are already excelling in their roles, and the right mindset and tools can help them build on their accomplishments and elevate both their individual and the team’s collective success. In my experience with coaching high-achieving executives, I’ve found that the following strategies are key to maximizing their potential and realizing their goals.
The Importance Of Goal Setting And Habit Formation
Success isn't a one-time event; it's a journey of continuous improvement. To be physically fit, you wouldn’t go to the gym once, do a few push-ups and never go back. You would make exercise a regular habit and aim to hit regular milestones, such as walking a certain number of steps per day or working out several times a week. Similarly, professional performance must be rooted in a culture of regular goal setting and habit formation.
When you coach your team members, encourage them to view goal setting not as a sporadic task but a habitual practice, ideally revisiting and refining goals every week or two. Of course, simply setting goals isn’t enough. People need to take consistent action toward their desired outcomes, and relying on willpower or motivation often leads to disappointment. Help your team cultivate ongoing habits that become like second nature over time.
The Comfort Zone Challenge
Many high performers have already established practices for setting goals and sticking to habits. They’re ready for the next phase of development, which requires stepping outside their comfort zone.
I use the term comfort zone in a slightly different way than other people. For me, it is synonymous with self-image, or the perception you have of yourself that shapes and limits your performance. Your comfort zone is the area where you feel at ease, both physically and mentally. Staying in your current comfort zone will allow you to give the best performance you are capable of at this moment. To perform at a higher level, you have to expand your comfort zone—which is easier said than done.
I divide the comfort zone into three dimensions:
1. Future self-image (goals, dreams and objectives)
2. Present self-image (daily habits)
3. Past self-image (memories)
Advise your team’s high performers to set their past self-image aside. Interpretations of past experiences can cloud their vision of the future and get in the way of maintaining good habits in the present. To break free from the constraints of their current comfort zone, they need to set a clear goal and visualize themselves reaching it. This process of image training, picturing what they will do and how they will feel inhabiting this goal world, helps them treat their desired state as a reality. They can begin to shift their comfort zone and advance toward their goal.
The Power Of The People Around You
Reshaping your comfort zone should not be a solitary process. It is important to find likeminded people who share similar goals and can support you in your endeavors. When coaching high performers, have regular conversations about the types of individuals they admire in their goal world. Who are these people? What qualities or abilities do they possess? Which communities do they belong to?
Encourage team members to look for opportunities, inside and outside the organization, to meet people who are further along the path than they are. I believe it’s crucial to earn the trust of people you admire before you ask for their guidance, and I recommend these actions to my high-performing clients.
• Meet Appropriate People
To meet with the right individuals, start by setting clear goals. You will often find that, with a goal in mind, you will begin to identify possibilities for connection all around you. Focus on aligning your objectives with your daily actions. Go to that networking event. Strike up a conversation with that person from another department. Offer help to others when you can. By creating a goal-oriented mindset, you can be more open to initiating meaningful interactions.
• Be Accepted In The New Comfort Zone
Building authentic connections doesn’t happen overnight. When you meet people in your new comfort zone, prioritize forming genuine, not transactional, relationships.
• Gain Trust In The New World
Trust is paramount in any new environment. Build trust by showcasing your authenticity, competence and commitment. Look for ways you can be helpful as well as helped. Do you have a skill or area of expertise that would be beneficial to others? Could you make valuable connections between people in your networks?
• Earn Introductions To Other People
Once you’ve established trust, you’ll likely see doors opening to broader networks. Being introduced to others in the new environment helps solidify your position and expands your reach. These new relationships, rooted in trust, pave the way for more collaborative endeavors.
• Communicate Your Goal
Share your goals without imposing them on others. Talk about your vision, and leave space for people in your new comfort zone to offer their ideas and advice.
• Let Others Make Their Own Decisions
Give your new connections enough information about your goals, then let them decide if they want to help in any way. Respect their time and decisions.
• Remind, Remind, Remind (Gently)
Consistency is key here. Over time, gently remind others of the goals you are pursuing and updates on your progress, and give them ongoing opportunities to provide support along the way.
Coach your team’s top performers to view the journey they’re on as a virtuous cycle. To move to the next stage of development, they will need to be helped by others. And if they are already successful in another area of their career, they should in turn help other people who want to get where they are. By paying it forward, they can contribute to someone else’s dreams as well as realizing their own.
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