Coaching Nurses: A Real Example of a Real Difference

Consider the following scenario:

You were very pleased with your decision to select Mala during your last recruitment initiative. Just out of college, Mala has the enthusiasm and professional drive that could benefit your health care organization. However, you recognize that Mala will have a lot to learn in a clinical setting. As a nurse manager, you have led many successful group trainings, but have far less experience coaching employees one-on-one. You wonder how you should approach this relationship and what steps you should take to increase the positivity and effectiveness of this experience.

Coaching is an ongoing process that is an integral function of the management role. It focuses on the development needs of the employee and is built on a relationship of trust between the leader and follower. Coaching is a powerful activity that demonstrates value of and respect for the employee. In this Assignment, you examine how you could serve as a coach to facilitate an individual’s professional development.

To prepare

• Reflect on the information shared in the article, “Coaching Nurses: A Real Example of a Real Difference.” Which of these best practices might you use to strengthen your own coaching skills?
• Review Chapter 7, “Coaching and Developing Others” in the course text, From Management to Leadership: Strategies for Transforming Health Care. Consider how the author compares coaching staff in a health care setting to coaching athletes, directing a movie, and conducting a symphony. Then, examine the six steps of the coaching process. How does each of the coaching steps build upon one another to create a positive and effective coaching experience?
• In preparation for this hypothetical coaching exercise, identify one individual, staff member, or employee (from your current organization or a past setting) who could benefit from coaching. Create a pseudonym for him or her.
• Use the six-step coaching process to develop a coaching and development plan.

Note: This assignment also serves as your portfolio submission.

To complete

By Day 7 of Week 6

Submit a 5- to 7-page paper in which you do the following:

• Step One: Determine your intention.
  • Describe your intention and purpose for coaching this specific individual.
  • Explain the goals, skills, and/or competencies you have in mind, and define your primary focus.
  • Explain how you would engage this individual in identifying these and other development opportunities.
• Step Two: Assess the performer.
  • Identify the individual’s strengths and level of development.
  • Explain the leadership style and interventions that would be most appropriate to help this individual achieve his or her identified goals, skills, and/or competencies.
• Step Three: Clarify expectations and parameters.
  • Describe the roles and expectations of both you and the individual.
  • Outline the learning opportunities you could provide and the order in which they should be approached.
  • Identify the specific objectives to be achieved for each learning opportunity.
    • Explain the coaching best practices you would apply and why.
• Step Four: Carry out the coaching intervention.
  • List the coaching questions you might develop to ensure that learning opportunities and interventions are applied as needed, and explain how any additional development opportunities might help to address your intended coaching goals.
• Step Five: Observe performance.
  • Explain the observation method you will use to assess whether or not your coaching has been effective.
• Step Six: Give feedback.
• Describe how you will administer feedback to this individual.

Resources or optional References

Manion, J. (2011). From management to leadership: Strategies for transforming health care (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

• Chapter 7, “Coaching and Developing Others” (pp. 283–349)This chapter compares the roles of leader and coach and explains why some leaders fail to employ effective coaching strategies. The author discusses coaching best practices and reviews in depth one practice, the six-step coaching model.

Kanefield, A. (2011). Know your own strength. Smart Business St. Louis, 4(2), 6.

This article provides simple rationale for employing strengths-based leadership in clinical settings.

Tyra, S. (2008). Coaching nurses: A real example of a real difference. Creative Nursing, 14(3), 111–115.