Coaching Skills Does Matter At Chick?fil-A

In this discussion, we talk about Coaching Skills with Phil Orazi, Dean of Chick-fil-A University and Scott Mayson, Business Consultant with Chick-fil-A in Atlanta, Georgia. Q ? What is the role of an Operator at Chick-fil-A, and what are some of the challenges that an Operator faces?

Phil ? Operators are selected and are independent contractors for Chick-fil-A. We have some leverage with what they do, but they operate very independent from us. Growth opportunities for the operator can be an additional restaurant. Opportunities come as performance is monitored and the Operators are counseled and supported by the Business Consultants.

Scott ? As independent contractors, they are the CEOs of their organizations. The contractor is the president of marketing, the president of human resources, and the president of operations. They are responsible wholly for their restaurant. You can imagine, being in the position, they have to deal with a lot of different people; they have to delegate a lot of responsibilities out. They have to provide insights and direction for all types of people. They are dealing with folks from high school aged team members on up to senior citizens. When you're in a fast paced environment, dealing with 30 or 40 employees at a time, there are limited time constraints for being able to have some real effective opportunities to coach and counsel their team members. Q ? What are some specific coaching skills issues that your Operators face?

Phil ? It's a challenge to ease off some focus on the present, and be more responsible for the future. As that relates to coaching skills, it allows the Operators to work on the development of their own people to be more responsible for what is going on in the present so that they can focus more of their time on what is going on in the future.

Scott ? One [issue] is always the lack of performance. We have quality requirements, so there's an opportunity to work through. People may not follow procedures for a lot of different reasons. I think that the coaching model allows an Operator to work through each situation by defining the task or issue. There are a lot of opportunities to help a team member understand the value of the requirements and why they're there. CMOE's coaching skills model allows great opportunity for dialog. The person who is being coached feels more that it's an opportunity for learning and development rather than punishment. Q ? Can you give me a specific example of the Coaching Skills model working?

Phil ? I think as a manager and director of people, you need everything you can get. Certain steps of the Coaching Skills model affect people differently. I think what is does is it gives you a lot of different behaviors, some of which will work more successfully with some people than others. I found overall I'm more effective when I use the Coaching Skills model completely because one of the steps in the model will generally have an impact on most everyone.

Scott ? I recently had a store become available, and I had four Operators ask for this location. So this model gave me a very effective process to go through and almost interview them to help them understand. It's not just something that I can say "yes, you're qualified" or "no, you're not qualified." It's just given me a great process so that when we get through, the two of us feel good about the outcome or the decision that's been made. Q ? What is the one thing that you would tell workshop participants before sending them out the door?

Phil ? I would say that they don't need to hide this. They should openly use the Coaching Skills Model. Apply it to every situation you can. I think you can be real open with this, whether it is for performance improvement or starting a project, or whatever.

Scott ? They need to seek out every opportunity they can to use the model. And more importantly, use the individual behaviors or skills associated with that model. Use it in as many opportunities as you can. It's just like a muscle, you know you've got to use it or lose it. It is probably the most powerful tool of influence that I've found, and it's just because of the questions that I ask. First, it comes across that I really care, and second, I'm asking very insightful questions that are important to the issue and I'm not providing all of the answers. When I ask those questions, it either engages them emotionally or intellectually. It's like you grab their heat or their head. It invokes emotion or thought. When you sit down and take somebody through that process, it's just a very healthy process to follow and it just gets powerful results. Q ? It sounds like you're telling me that effective Coaching Skills is not just something you do, it's something you become?

Scott ? Yes. That is the deal. You know, I have a very strong desire to become good at what we understand is coaching (skills). I kind of equate it with focusing on results and focusing on the relationship. We all want to get results, but I never want to get results at the expense of sacrificing the relationship. But if I spend all my energy on the relationship and not focus on results, we'll be the best friends in the world, but neither one of us will be very effective. Both are important in the process.

If you would like to learn more information about CMOE's coaching skills program and the success we have had in your industry, please contact a Regional Manager at (801) 569-3444 or visit their website.

---

Google News Updated : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:25:52 GMT US Oil, Gas Producers, Pipelines Brace for Gustav (Update1) - Bloomberg ABC News US Oil, Gas Producers, Pipelines Brace for Gustav (Update1) Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Margot Habiby Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc plan to finish shutting oil and gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and Enbridge Energy Partners LP will close pipelines as Hurricane Gustav gains strength and moves ... More volatility seen with hurricane, payrolls Reuters Airlines bounce as oil gives up early gains MarketWatch Forbes - DesMoinesRegister.com - CNNMoney.com - guardian.co.uk all 3,463 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:21:02 GMT Obama campaign buoyed by convention - Los Angeles Times ABC News Obama campaign buoyed by convention Los Angeles Times - 5 hours ago He sees an unusually strong jump in support after the carefully choreographed event in Denver. By Peter Nicholas, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer DENVER -- Amy Pearl is the sort of Democrat who made the Barack Obama campaign nervous. Look out, Palin The Hillary factor . . . Chicago Sun-Times Hillary supporters aren't bitter; they're concerned Chicago Tribune The Associated Press - CNN - Philadelphia Inquirer - New York Daily News all 8,528 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:00:48 GMT Comcast to Place a Cap on Internet Downloads - New York Times ABC News Comcast to Place a Cap on Internet Downloads New York Times - 3 hours ago By BRIAN STELTER Comcast, one of the country’s largest Internet providers, said this week that it would place limits on customers’ broadband usage. Comcast's Answer to ... InternetNews.com Critics Question Comcast Broadband Caps PC World CNET News - Wall Street Journal - ZDNet - InformationWeek all 386 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 09:08:14 GMT Hurricane Gustav Strengthens, Accelerates, Heads for Cuba, Gulf - Bloomberg BBC News Hurricane Gustav Strengthens, Accelerates, Heads for Cuba, Gulf Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Patrick Donahue and Robin Stringer Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Gustav strengthened and picked up speed as it headed toward western Cuba and the US Gulf Coast cities ravaged by Katrina and Rita in 2005, after lashing the Cayman Islands with ... Video: Gustav Follows Katrina's Path CBS Some leave Gulf Coast ahead of likely evacuations The Associated Press Reuters - Minneapolis Star Tribune - New York Times - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal all 6,069 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:40:06 GMT Experts: Silver lining for ‘viable’ Mitt Romney - Boston Herald Experts: Silver lining for ‘viable’ Mitt Romney Boston Herald - 8 hours ago By Edward Mason Mitt Romney - once a top contender to be John McCain’s running mate - may have suffered a bruised ego when he was passed over for the little known Gov. It's not Pawlenty, it's Palin Worthington Daily Globe Pawlenty, after the pick, another day at fair Minneapolis Star Tribune Post-Bulletin - Washington Post - Grand Forks Herald - CNN all 2,700 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:13:29 GMT Sign of the times - BBC News San Diego Union Tribune Sign of the times BBC News - 1 hour ago As Russia and the West warn of a new Cold War after the Georgian conflict, the BBC's Humphrey Hawksley in Moscow tries to imagine what it would look like. European Union to Hold Urgent Meeting on Russia Voice of America last straw" for Russia Reuters New York Times - Financial Times - Wall Street Journal - Jerusalem Post all 333 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:10:28 GMT S. Ossetia to be absorbed into Russia - United Press International BBC News S. Ossetia to be absorbed into Russia United Press International - 1 hour ago TSKHINVALI, Georgia, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- South Ossetia says it will become part of Russia and host Russian military bases under a new agreement. Video: UN does have double standards RussiaToday Kremlin announces that South Ossetia will Times Online The Associated Press - AFP - Civil Georgia - New York Times all 6,104 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:01:52 GMT Data Feed Content for Web Pages Amazon Tool

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Live With An Attitude Of Gratitude

Imagine for a moment one of those nights when you... Read More

Viewpoints - Communication Destruction Or....

Viewpoints! Everyone has them and they are personal. However, when... Read More

101 Winning Choices

Personal missions statements (PMS) are just nothing but the winning... Read More

So Why Are They Really Here?

It does make you wonder sometimes, doesn't it? You know... Read More

Training is Not the Same Thing as Exercising

What it takes to GROW!In almost every workshop we deliver,... Read More

An Easy Way to End The Year

As a healthy business owner or independent professional, how do... Read More

Top Ten Things to Build a Bridge and Get Over

God must love Top Ten lists because she made so... Read More

Become More Self-Confident

Signs of Self-ConfidenceLet's explore the meaning of self-confidence by taking... Read More

Pecked to Death By Ducks

Ever been in a situation where it seems like minor... Read More

Theres Gold in that Silence

Can you recall a time where you utilized silence to... Read More

What Can Be Changed In Management To Improve Bottom Line Results?

If you don't have the full support and understanding of... Read More

Our Perception Determines Our Experience

Not long ago, I traveled back east to Ohio and... Read More

How To Increase Your Coaching Record By At Least 25%

"How can I become a better and more effective coach?"... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Coach Yourself to Total Success!

Coaching is about being your best. It's about performance, about... Read More

Choosing The Perfect Coach

So, you're ready to start coaching. You either have some... Read More

Coaching Book Review: The Coach: Creating Partnerships for a Competitive Edge

Leaders today have many challenges when it comes to guiding... Read More

What Is A Personal Trainer

Imagine stepping into the gym for the first time in... Read More

Are You A Work Addict?

Work addiction is very common in our society today, yet... Read More

Still Wondering About Coaching?

A friend called me the other day from Lower Alabama.... Read More

Voice Care for Coaches

Coaches rely heavily on their voice to service clients. If... Read More

Can You Say No?

As a manager you are constantly being asked to do... Read More

Addiction to Blame

Allen consulted with me because his wife of 18 years... Read More

Integrating Life and Work

Organizations are finally creating cultures that support a work and... Read More

3 Tips for a Great Summer - Developing Life & Business While Having a Blast

As the last day of school arrives I feel the... Read More

Personal Core Values: Your Key to Success and Happiness

Each of us has our own set of personal values;... Read More