Novak Djokovic’s choice of Andy Murray as his new coach shows that even when you’re performing at the top of your game, you can benefit from working with a great coach. As a manager, it can be easy to overlook the importance of coaching the high performers in your team. Maybe they always hit their target and can be counted on to get things done, meaning you’re tempted to focus on the people who struggle or lack motivation. However, as Djokovic has demonstrated throughout his career, coaching can help high performers make incremental improvements that result in significant gains.
Below are 3 steps to help you coach high performers so they can optimise their performance and take their career to the next level.
- Identify their key motivators
Different people are motivated by different things. Avoid the rookie mistake of presuming the other person will be motivated by the same things you are. Some of the most common motivators are material rewards, recognition, purpose, expertise, creativity, security and autonomy. Encourage your coachee to select their top three motivators from this list and ask them to explain exactly what this motivator means for them. It’s only by understanding what truly motivates them, that you can help them set the right goals to optimise their performance.
- Set the appropriate level of challenge
High performers generally have both the skill and the will to achieve great results. This makes them the ideal person to performance coach. As a manager, this means inspiring them to raise their game by challenging them to stay in their area of best performance. Encourage them to set stretching goals but be mindful that high performers can be susceptible to burnout. You aim should be to support them by breaking down their goals into manageable chunks to set them up for success.
- Give meaningful feedback
Feedback is described as ‘the breakfast of champions’ for a reason. It helps high performers hone their skills, reinforce good behaviours, become aware of unhelpful behaviours and stay motivated and engaged. Giving meaningful feedback in a specific and timely way is a powerful way to close down any blind-spots and help high performers keep raising their game.
By taking the time to understand what truly motivates the high performers in your team and challenging them to be the best version of themselves, you can help set them up for even greater success in life. After all, as both Djokovic and Murray know, “Behind every fearless player is a fearless coach who refused to let them be anything but the best they could be.”
