D.A.R.E. Coaching Model: Guide Employees to Better Performance

Want to do more coaching? Here’s a model we believe you’ll find helpful!

Effective coaching focuses on a host of important activities and behaviors. These include:

Providing honest and specific feedback to reinforce desired skills.
Guiding individuals to help them assess their strengths and weaknesses.
Working with individuals to help them set realistic expectations and measurable performance goals.
Helping them solve problems.
Providing guidance to help them discover ways to improve job-related behaviors.

To coach effectively, individuals need good listening, questioning, and brainstorming skills. Those who coach must be able to reinforce positive performance and offer constructive feedback. They must also be accessible and supportive and willing to provide guidance and recognition.

The best approach to effective coaching is a problem-solving one. With this approach the coach works collaboratively with the person being coached to determine the best way to achieve desired results. When this approach is used, coaching assures successful implementation of solutions and empowers each individual who participates in the process.

Try the D.A.R.E. coaching model from QwikCoach the next time you have a coaching opportunity.

Steps

What Is It?

Who Does It?

Discover

what can be better

Discover what needs to be strengthened or improved by engaging in reflective thinking, dialogue, and formal or informal assessment activities.

Discovery is done by the person who seeks coaching support. It can also be prompted by input from a coach or others such as a manager, colleague, business partner, or HR professional.

Act

on a plan that works

Act on what needs to be done. Start by creating an Action Plan that specifies the steps and the resources needed to reach desired goals. Also define measures, set milestones, and establish time frames.

Action steps are performed by the coachee. Using conversations, resources, all types of development activities and coaching support, the coachee makes things happen and achieves objectives.

Reinforce

to stay on track and move ahead

Reinforce improvement activities by providing feedback, best practices, tips and techniques, practical advice, and access to additional resources that help people to improve their ability to perform effectively.

Reinforcement is a “job” for the coach — live or electronic. Effective coaches keep people “on course” by providing appropriate coaching support and feedback. They also help people change behavior and make adjustments that enhance their ability to achieve desired outcomes.

Evaluate

to determine progress and sustain improvement

Evaluate progress to determine if performance is improving and to identify and make adjustments needed to promote performance excellence.

Evaluation is a shared responsibility. It may be formal or informal. “Informal” evaluations are typically a joint effort between the coach and the coachee. “Formal” ones are usually performed by management.

A Model for Effective Coaching