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What are the differences in coaching and training, management, and performance evaluations?
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5 Answers
As folks have mentioned, they are separate, but inter-related.
Performance Evaluations: Every organization should have a performance planning/management process. It sets the goals and expectations of the individual and is the basis by which they are evaluated. Unfortunately, most companies, managers, and individuals do a terrible job with this. Too many have no process in place, so performance management becomes rather arbitrary. Too often the process does not engage the individual, so there is no ownership to the performance plan. The plan needs to be established mutually. Without a strong performance management process, it is difficult to coach---which is a separate but related activity.
Coaching is the highest leverage activity a sales manager can undertake. Coaching focuses on maximizing the current and future performance of the individual and team. Coaching cannot be confused with a performance evaluation or assessment---but effective coaching should drive improvements in the performance evaluation (remember a bad performance evaluation of a sales person is a reflection on the manager's performance as well. It may indicate the manager has done a bad job in coaching). Coaching needs to be integrated into the day to day activities of the manager and sales team. When doing a deal review, the manager should be coaching on developing stronger deal strategies. When going on a sales call, the manager should be coaching on how to do high impact sales calls. Coaching is not just about correcting and improving, but it's about recognizing great performance as well. Every one gets coached, the manager should seize every opportunity possible to coach. Great managers reinforce training in their ongoing coaching.
Training is focused on developing new skills and driving new behaviors. It should reinforce the performance expectations, it should focus on areas that improve the ability to people to meet the performance expectations, and to be successful in their roles. Training does not stand by itself, but needs to be integrated into the processes, tools, systems, programs and strategies of the company--otherwise training becomes an event and has no lasting impact. Managers must continue to reinforce the training in their coaching, otherwise training has no lasting impact.
Coaching is one thing; training is another; and management/performance evaluations fall under a third category.
I think the most incompetence occurs in that third category, management/performance evaluations. A great example is the practice of forecasting. I see it as a waste of time since almost no salespeople are honest on forecasts, and the time spent creating and reviewing forecasts is valuable time that should be spent selling, instead of sitting around trying to magically predict what next month's numbers will be.
Here's an easy way to get an accurate forecast: Take an average of the last 3 months' numbers. That's going to give a far more accurate result than asking sales reps how much they're going to sell next month. And it doesn't waste valuable selling time.
Training: imparting the fundamental knowledge and/or skill set of a thing, be it a new position, corporate orientation, new processes, equipment use or other knowledge and skills necessary to serve a given function.
Coaching: providing a more personalized and deeper training, zeroing in on an individuals own strengths and weaknesses and teaching strategies for success.
Evaluations: comparing knowledge and skills to a predefined benchmark.
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Belldon Colme
belldoncolme@gmail.com
As others have pointed out – Training, Coaching, and Evaluating are separate process – but are interrelated.
Training is concerned with the inculcation of new knowledge and/or skills.
Coaching is providing assistance in improving learned skills – either in an individual or a team.
Performance evaluation is concerned with how well those skills are practiced on the job.
The best objective is to have all three functions operate together - toward an agreed upon end.
As others have mentioned, usually performance evaluation is the one that is most criticized, and perhaps that is because of conflicting expectations. Personally, I prefer a 360 approach because more than one person is providing feedback. After some 20 years of using various instruments, I prefer the 363 for Leaders® because it is the most flexible and its “CommentSmart” technology eliminates gratuitous malicious comments. Even if used only by the subject and his/her manager, there are at least 2 points of view on the table.
Bill's post is right on the money. Mostly, training doesn't work and we even say that on our website.
Training, as currently practiced in most organizations, is the delivery of content. Whether it be technical, managerial or behavioral, it is giving people information about something.
Coaching is often about the application of skills delivered in training and other times it is unrelated to a specific training event. Training, even with some follow-up is usually treated as an event while coaching is an in-depth process for skill enhancement and behavioral change.
Performance appraisals are the "Balance Sheet" of the human development cycle. They are a snapshot in time of one's performance against standards and an opportunity to set goals and dialog with one's manager.
What we recommend in performance management is to supplement the annual appraisal in the following ways:
Monthly one on one meetings between manager and direct reports. These meetings should contain some elements of coaching and focusing the direct report on the goals in their current plan as well as the day to day operational issues.
Quarterly meetings which deal specifically with the progress against the formal appraisal with coaching and the development of corrective actions should the individual be falling behind.
Lastly is the appraisal itself. The appraisal should be nothing more than a roll-up or documentation of the items covered in the one on ones and the quarterly meetings along with the setting of new goals for the upcoming period..
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