Holding your team to high standards requires a coaching mindset

Sarah walked into her office one morning and noticed the newest team member, Alex, was visibly distressed at his desk, head buried in his hands. Concerned, she asked, “Is everything OK?” Alex, with a trembling voice and on the verge of tears admitted, “I messed up the presentation for our big client pitch. I didn’t double-check my data, and now I feel like I’ve let everyone down."

This presented Sarah with a long list of choices: should she comfort, punish, jump in with a solution, brush it off, motivate, lay down the hammer, change Alex’s work scope? All potentially viable. And all problematic. 

Short-answer: Sarah must adapt a coaching mindset. Leaders cannot avoid challenging emotions for fear of inefficiencies or distractions, nor shame team members. Leaders, instead, must address those emotions and use them as a springboard for development conversations.