July 9, 2025 • 28 mins
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What if the most effective coaching techniques weren't found in the latest business bestseller, but in the timeless wisdom of Scripture? This episode explores how biblical principles transform employee coaching into a powerful ministry that simultaneously boosts performance and honors Christ.
Harold Milby begins with a spotlight on Buy On Purpose, an exemplary Christian-run company donating 50% of profits to local charities while maintaining competitive pricing in the office supply market. Their commitment to integrating faith into business practices sets the stage for the episode's focus on biblical coaching.
Drawing from Philippians 2:3-4, Harold explores how Christian business leaders are called to servant leadership that develops others through intentional coaching. He shares six essential skills that align with biblical values: active listening (James 1:19), empathy and compassion (Colossians 3:12), clear communication (Proverbs 15:4), encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:11), goal-setting (Proverbs 16:3), and adaptability (Galatians 6:9).
The episode provides practical guidance through a six-step coaching process: assessing current performance, setting a growth vision, giving constructive feedback using the "sandwich method," developing skills through mentoring, monitoring progress while celebrating milestones, and addressing setbacks with grace. Throughout, Harold emphasizes how faith integration transforms coaching from a mere management technique into a ministry that reflects Christ's love.
Most powerfully, the episode reminds us that coaching isn't just about improving metrics—it's about seeing employees as whole people created in God's image, worthy of investment and development. By approaching coaching from this perspective, Christian leaders foster workplaces where performance excels because employees are valued, encouraged, and guided with both truth and grace.
Ready to transform your coaching approach? Listen now, then share this episode with fellow business leaders who want to lead like Jesus while achieving remarkable results.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with
your host, harold Milby.
Christian Business Concepts isdedicated to guiding companies
and business owners in becomingeffective, efficient and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, haroldMilby.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Thanks, kelly, and welcome everyone to this week's
Christian Business Conceptspodcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and I'm so glad that you've
decided to download and listento this podcast.
I'm excited that you've decidedto make a part make us a part
of your growth plan, yourpersonal growth plan and you're
(00:40):
a part of the CBC community.
You know I'm just so excited.
I'm praying for you and I'mpraying that the biblical and
godly principles that we discusshere today is going to help you
find true godly success.
I pray that you'll beencouraged, enlightened and
empowered by today's topic.
(01:01):
Now, before we get moving on toour next segment, I just want
to give a big shout out to thecountry of Rwanda for the many
CBC podcasts that you guys havedownloaded.
We're so appreciative of all ofyou there in Rwanda and we are
praying for you.
And thanks to all of you thatlisten on a regular basis, even
(01:23):
if this is maybe your first timelistening.
We want to welcome you toChristian Business Concepts Now.
In today's business spotlight, Iwant to let you know about a
company called Buy On Purpose,that's, buy B-U-Y, buy On
Purpose.
They are a Christian-owned andChristian-run company.
(01:43):
You know we've talked about thedifference before of being
Christian-owned and then beingChristian-run.
That's another podcast, so youcan feel free to find that
podcast and listen to that.
But you know, but they're basedhere in the United States and
they're basically they're anonline retailer of office
(02:04):
supplies and they were startedand founded by a man by the name
of Simon Lee, who is a verydevout Christian, and he was
really inspired by this divinevision that he felt like God had
given him to integrate hisfaith into his business
(02:25):
practices.
Their mission statement statesto honor God by providing
quality office supplies whiledonating a significant portion
of profits to local charities,reflecting a commitment to
Christian stewardship andcommunity impact.
Wow, what a great missionstatement.
(02:47):
It's a tall order, obviously,but I got to tell you they are
really reaching and stretchingthemselves and their business to
fulfill this mission.
You know they really theircharitable giving.
You know it's probably really ahallmark of Buy On Purpose's
(03:13):
Christian ethics and itscommitment to being a good
steward.
You know they donate 50% of allof their profits to local
charities.
Now, that's putting your moneywhere your mouth is right.
You know the company reallyemphasizes integrity in its
(03:35):
business practices and it alignsall their decisions they try to
align with their Christianvalues such as like honesty and
fairness and service, and thisincludes providing high-quality
office supplies at competitiveprices while maintaining a real
strong focus on customersatisfaction.
(03:58):
When they try to sourceproducts, this is a very serious
thing for them because eventheir sources, even their supply
chains it's important to themto have ethical actions and
ethical plans when they'retrying to source all their
(04:19):
products as well.
So they really are aChristian-run company and we are
so appreciative of this company, buy On Purpose.
If you need office supplies,why not support a Christian-run
company like Buy On Purpose?
So we encourage you to do thatand we thank Buy On Purpose for
(04:42):
giving us a great example againof how to find true godly
success, and we're excited aboutthat.
We're really happy for them.
Now let's jump into today'stopic.
You know, as Christian businessleaders and you've heard me say
this before in different waysbut we're called really to be
(05:03):
leaders, but not just leaders,and you've heard me say this
before in different ways butwe're called really to be
leaders, but not just leaders,but we're called to be leaders
with integrity and humility andreally to have a servant's heart
.
You know, you can look atPhilippians 2, verses 3 through
4, and see that you know, andpart of that is coaching.
It's a real coaching is a vitalskill that really aligns with
(05:28):
these values, enabling you toguide your employees towards
growth and productivity and evenfulfillment in their work.
I think that's so important tohave employees that feel
fulfilled at what they're doing,and it really helps to bring a
lot of satisfaction and reallybring, you know, greater
(05:49):
efficiency through youremployees when they feel that,
when they sense that, and so Ithink that's, you know,
important for us to take a lookat, because what we want to try
to do today is talk about how wecoach to improve employee
performance, because, you know,when you're coaching people, yes
(06:11):
, you want to help them, yes,you want to encourage them, but
the bottom line is is that weneed to coach our employees to
bring about a better performanceand to help them to, you know,
bring their A game, if you wantto say it that way, and so
that's what we want to look attoday, that's what we want to
talk about, and, you know, todayI want to outline some really
(06:35):
essential coaching skills that Ithink are noted and rooted in
biblical wisdom, and I want toprovide you with some actionable
steps to really enhance youremployees' performance.
You know, while you coach them,reflecting Christ's love and
leadership.
You know, tom Landry, the greatfootball coach, said a coach is
(06:58):
someone who tells you what youdon't want to hear.
Who has you see what you don'twant to see, so you can be who
you have always known you couldbe.
So great quote from Tom Landry.
So let's talk about a fewessential skills that you need
to have for great coaching.
(07:20):
First of all, you need to be areally, really good listener,
and when I mean a good listener,I mean an active listener.
You know, the Bible says inJames 1 and 19, everyone should
be quick to listen, slow tospeak and slow to become angry.
You know active listening,where you try to understand the
(07:46):
employee's needs, you understandtheir challenges and their
aspirations, and you do thiswithout interrupting them when
they're trying to talk.
And when you do this, it reallybuilds a lot of trust.
It shows respect for theirperspective.
It shows respect for theirperspective and I think you
(08:09):
should practice reflectivelistening.
One great way to do that is byparaphrasing what you hear.
In other words, you might saysomething like you know, it
sounds like you're feelingoverwhelmed by the project's
timeline.
Is that what I'm hearing by theproject's timeline?
Is that what I'm hearing, youknow?
So you want to be able tocreate this safe space, to open,
(08:31):
to have open dialogue.
When you have one-on-onemeetings with your employees,
they need to be able to feellike they can talk to you.
They need to feel like thatthey can bring things to you.
You know Winston Churchill saidcourage is what it takes to
stand up and speak.
You know courage is also whatit takes to sit down and listen,
(08:54):
and he's right.
He's right about that.
We need to be an activelistener.
Another skill that I think issuper important to be a great
coach and have a great effect onthe productivity and the
efficiency that your employeesare showing is empathy and
(09:15):
compassion.
You know, colossians 3 and 12says Therefore, as God's chosen
people, holy and dearly beloved,clothe yourself with compassion
, with kindness, humility,gentleness and patience.
You know, understand and sharein your employees' emotions.
Offer your support rather thanjudgment.
(09:38):
You know what this will do isthis will really create a caring
environment where that there'sgoing to be growth, and you know
you need to acknowledge theirstruggles.
That doesn't necessarily meanthat you allow people to bring
in all their personal issuesinto the job, into the work, but
(09:59):
you can have empathy andcompassion for that person and
what they're going through, youknow.
An example might be that youknow, hey, I can see this has
been a tough has been tough foryou or a tough day for you.
You can pray with them.
You can pray with them if theyso desire, if they're willing to
(10:22):
do that.
But you can spend time and youcan pray with them.
There's nothing wrong with thatif they allow you to do that.
But I just think it's importantthat you're reinforcing a
faith-based company and I thinkpart of that is to show this
empathy and compassion andacknowledge their struggles,
verbally, acknowledge it, youknow.
(10:44):
Communicate with them on aregular basis, but make sure you
have that opportunity to showthem empathy and compassion.
All right, moving on, a nextskill that I think is really
important is clear communication.
You know, proverbs 15 and 4says the soothing tongue is a
tree of life, but a perversetongue crushes the spirit, you
(11:07):
know.
So you want to communicate veryclearly.
You want to communicate goals,you want to make sure you get
their feedback.
You want to communicate veryclearly what your expectations
are and you want to make surethat you do everything that you
can to avoid any kind ofconfusion, Because really, at
(11:28):
the end of the day, what you'retrying to do is inspire them to
action.
Right, that's what you'retrying to do.
So you have to have very clearcommunication when you're trying
to do that, and I suggest usingwhat's called the sandwich
method, the sandwich method.
So you start with positivefeedback and then you may
(11:49):
address some areas forimprovement and then you end
with encouragement.
So, in other words, an examplemight be you might say you know,
hey, you've shown greatinitiative, let's work on time
management and I'm confidentthat you will excel with this
slight adjustment.
(12:10):
So that's what you've done.
You've kind of sandwiched theimprovement, the expectations
that you have.
You've kind of sandwiched thatin between some positive
feedback and then, on the flipside, some encouragement.
So that's what you want to do.
You know, tony Robbins great,really great motivational
(12:32):
speaker said that the way wecommunicate with others and with
ourselves ultimately determinesthe quality of our lives, and I
agree with that.
All right, the next skill thatwe need to have is in
encouragement and motivation.
You know, 1 Thessalonians 5 and11 says encouragement and
(12:52):
motivation.
You know, 1 Thessalonians 5 and11 says therefore, encourage
one another and build each otherup, just as in fact you are
doing.
So you need to inspire youremployees.
You need to recognize theirstrengths, recognize their
potential, make sure you aligntheir work so that it helps them
to have that sense of purpose.
(13:13):
So align it with their sense ofpurpose.
And you want to just regularlyaffirm their efforts.
You know you can say somethinglike, you know your dedication
is making a real impact and sothat helps them.
That helps them, it stretchesthem, it motivates them and
encourages them, and that's whatyou're trying to do.
(13:35):
So you want to make sure youhave that skill set of
encouragement and motivation.
And another skill is goalsetting and accountability.
You know Proverbs 16 and 3 sayscommit to the Lord whatever you
do, and he will establish yourplans.
So collaborate with youremployees.
(13:58):
Again, we talked about settinggoals.
Well, set smart goals.
You know S-M-A-R-T specific,measurable, achievable, relevant
and time-based.
And then you hold themaccountable, but you do it with
grace.
You know, don't wait for themto make a mistake and then you
just bring the hammer down.
(14:18):
You know, have grace and reviewtheir progress, whether it be
weekly, whether it be biweekly.
I don't think you want toreview things much past two
weeks, but I would say you wantto review their progress on a
weekly basis and then yousupport them through that, maybe
adjust the goals if it's needed.
(14:39):
Pray for wisdom, pray forguidance to help you, you know,
help them develop their plansthat they need to have, whatever
it may be, or to help you tohelp them make those plans that
you both agree on, all right.
The next skill is adaptabilityand patience.
Oh yeah, you know this is onething that we just love to talk
(15:02):
about, isn't it?
Patience.
You know Galatians 6, 9 sayslet us not become weary in doing
good, for at the proper time wewill reap a harvest if we do
not give up.
You know you've got to adaptyour coaching style to those
people's individual needs, andthen you've got to exercise some
(15:25):
patience as these employeesgrow at their own pace, right.
So you've got to tailor yourapproach because some people may
need very detailed guidance,while others really need some
autonomy.
They don't want you, you know,giving them direction all the
time.
They want to drive the car well, so to speak.
(15:45):
You know they want to drive,they want to be in the driver's
seat, and then I think it'salways important that you
celebrate small victories.
Make sure that you celebratesmall victories, and I think
those things are important ifyou're going to be adaptable and
you're going to show patience,all right.
(16:06):
So how do we coach people?
Those are some of the skillsthat we've been talking about,
that you need to have.
But what can we do to coachpeople to improve their
performance?
Well, first of all, I thinkwhat you have to do, you have to
assess what their currentperformance is.
You've got to know where you'restarting from.
You know you've got to have abaseline and the only way to do
(16:29):
that is you have to assess whattheir current performance is.
So you've got to begin byobserving.
Maybe do a performance review,make sure that you ask
open-ended questions, like youknow, what do you feel is going
well and where do you see thechallenges?
(16:50):
That's a great question to askan employee and really begin to
assess them.
You know the Bible says inProverbs 27 and verse 23,.
It says Be sure you know thecondition of your flocks, give
careful attention to your herds.
Now, don't misunderstand me.
I'm not trying to comparepeople to sheep, you know, and a
(17:13):
flock, but what I'm saying isthat we need to know our people.
We need to know them, we needto know where they're at in this
level of performance, and thenwe need to begin to observe and
then take an assessment andassess them.
So that's the first step thatyou have to take if you're going
to coach them, you know, toimprove employment I mean
(17:38):
performance.
So step two is to set a visionfor growth.
You know you need tocollaborate with them and
develop a plan that really linesup with what their role is and
what their personal goals are,and this ought to be rooted in
(17:59):
prayer and get God's mind on itas well, which is what we should
be doing with all of thesedecisions.
Jeremiah 29 and 11 says For Iknow the plans that I have for
you, plans to prosper you, notto harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future, but we needto have that plan.
We need to have it.
It's amazing to me that thebusiness owners that I see that
(18:23):
lack plans for employee growthand to try to bring them up
higher and try to encourage themto be better next year than
they are this year.
You want them to grow, so youneed to be able to help them and
set a vision for growth.
The third step is you've got togive them constructive.
(18:46):
Now make sure you get thatConstructive feedback right.
You've got to offer some veryspecific things, some very
actionable feedback, but you doit in a spirit of love.
You know, again, use thesandwich method to balance that
critique with encouragement.
(19:06):
So make sure you do that.
You know Ephesians 4.15 says,instead speaking the truth in
love, we will grow to become inevery aspect the mature body of
him who is the head, that isChrist.
So you know, you can say thingslike hey, you've built very
(19:27):
strong client relationships, butlet's kind of refine your
reporting accuracy a little bit.
Yeah, you know, your effort isreally valuable to us and this
is going to elevate your impact.
So, again, that sandwich method, all right.
The fourth step is to developskills.
(19:49):
Help them to develop skillsthrough training and mentoring.
Those are two areas that youcan utilize to help them develop
the proper skills.
So you want to identifywhatever those needs are.
Maybe it's time management,maybe it's technical skills, but
you pair that employee up withmaybe some mentors, a supervisor
(20:14):
or even yourself depends onyour situation and then make
sure you provide some goodresources.
I think the resources is very,very important, and maybe enroll
them in some workshops, or youknow something like that.
You can do some great thingsthat way.
(20:39):
Then step number five you wantto monitor their progress,
monitor their progress,celebrate their success with
them.
You know.
Schedule a regular check-in,you know, just to kind of track
that progress.
You know, offer them support.
Maybe you've got to adjust somestrategies if you need to.
You know Proverbs 1, 6 says,being confident of this, that he
who began a good work in youwill carry it on to completion
(21:02):
until the day of Jesus Christ,you know.
So again, you want to make surethat you monitor their progress
, acknowledge those milestones,whatever they may be.
You may want to create thosemilestones, let them know what
they are and then you can assessthat.
You can monitor that progress.
(21:23):
You know.
You may say you know, hey,you've really improved in being
punctual, you know, and that'sreally boosted a lot of the team
morale.
Great job, and you cancelebrate.
You know, and that's reallyboosted a lot of the team morale
.
Great job, and you cancelebrate.
You know, with the team, andyou can do that when you
celebrate as a whole team, itreally helps to build
camaraderie within yourorganization, all right.
(21:45):
Step six address the setbacks,but do it with grace.
You know, if performance kindof dips a little bit, maybe look
at some root causes.
Maybe it's something personal,maybe it's an outside force.
But make sure you investigateroot causes but do it with
empathy and create a correctiveaction plan what I like to call
(22:09):
a corrective action plan but doit without condemnation.
You know the Bible says in 1John, 1 and 9, it says if we
confess our sins, he is faithfuland just to forgive us of our
sins and purifies from allunrighteousness.
We have an example.
That's what Jesus did for us.
Let's make sure that we walknot in judgment, but we walk in
(22:33):
empathy with our employees.
You know, offer your support.
You know you can say thingslike hey, let's work together to
overcome whatever thischallenge may be, and then pray
for them, pray for strength,pray for focus.
Now you've got to think aboutintegrating your faith into your
coaching.
Uh, you know we're talkingabout Christian business owners,
(22:57):
christian business leaders.
You want to integrate yourfaith into your coaching.
So you want to lead by example.
You know you want to.
You want to model Christ-likebehavior.
You know Jesus models humilityand integrity and love
Christlike behavior.
You know Jesus models humilityand integrity and love.
And that's what we need to do,you know, and pray for guidance,
(23:17):
seek God's wisdom and get God'smind on it, especially during
coaching sessions.
You know James 1 and 5, it saysif any of you lack wisdom, you
should ask God.
So encourage them to growspiritually.
(23:43):
And you need to put your faithin action and you begin to pray
for God's wisdom and usewhatever that is that God may
beginning to share with you.
Because God, you know, thething of it is, don't go to God
asking him for something ifthat's not something that you're
willing to hear God on.
Make sure that you listen towhat the Lord is saying, because
(24:05):
I tell you, I've had employeesthat I didn't know what I was
going to do with if it wasn'tfor God's direction, when I
spent time in prayer saying God,how do I handle this situation?
Because God will speak.
God always speaks to us and Ithink that is so, so important.
And so pray for guidance, getGod's wisdom and, especially
(24:29):
when you're coaching them, andreally encourage them.
Really encourage them to grow,not just in their career, not
just professionally, but to growspiritually, you know, help
them to see their work as aministry.
Help them to see that they arealigning their work with
Colossians 3.23, which sayswhatever you do, work it with
(24:52):
all of your heart as working forthe Lord.
Share that with them.
Let them know that.
You know, I believe that asChristian business leaders, your
coaching role is a ministrythat's going to help to empower
your employees.
I believe it's going to reflectGod's love and I believe that
(25:14):
by honing in on these skillsthat we've talked about you know
the active listening, theempathy, clear communication I
believe that you can foster agreat workplace where
performance really thrives Imean really, really thrives and
brings a great efficiency toyour business.
But it also is being donethrough faith and through your
(25:38):
love for the Lord and love foryour employees.
So commit yourself to regularself-assessment on your own to
see how are you doing, how wellare you coaching, how effective
are you?
And if you don't feel likeyou're as effective as you'd
like to be, then I wouldencourage you to spend some time
(25:59):
in reflection and find out whatthe issues are.
Come back to this podcast,maybe write some of these skill
sets down and some of thesesteps that you need to take to
be effective in coaching youremployees to improve performance
.
Lord, we come before you rightnow in the name of Jesus.
We thank you, lord, for eachand every person that's been
(26:21):
listening to this podcast.
Lord, we pray that you'd helpthem in a great and mighty way
to become really effectivecoaches in coaching their
employees to a higher level ofperformance.
Lord, I pray for them.
I pray, lord, that they seetheir employees as more than
just employees, but they seethem individually, as people
(26:45):
that you love and that you careabout and then help them to
operate towards these people asindividuals and helping them and
strengthening them.
And, lord, I think they'regoing to see great performance
and the level of performancerise.
Lord, I thank you and I praiseyou for that In Jesus' name,
(27:05):
amen.
Well, thanks again for listeningto this week's CBC podcast.
I'm so appreciative of youbeing a part of that every week
and I'm just going to ask youhelp us grow.
You know the Christian BusinessPodcast ministry.
Help us to grow.
You know, go out there andshare this podcast with three or
four or five other people thisweek.
(27:27):
Really, you know, the best wayto do it is to put a post out
there on your LinkedIn or onyour Facebook with a link to
this podcast and let people knowhey, check this out, hey,
listen to this.
This was an encouragement to meand I just want to be an
encouragement to you.
(27:48):
So take a listen.
So we really appreciate eachand every one of you for
listening this week.
We're so glad that you decidedto join us and we just want you
to know that we're praying foryou.
We're praying that you findthat true godly success.
So that's all the time we havefor for this week.
So until next time, rememberthat Jesus is Lord and he wants
(28:13):
you blessed.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts podcast.
Go tochristianbusinessconceptscom for
more information and resources.
Be sure to check out otherpodcasts that will help you take
your business and your personallife to a whole new level of
success.
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with
your host, harold Milby.
Christian Business Concepts isdedicated to guiding companies
and business owners in becomingeffective, efficient and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, haroldMilby.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Thanks, kelly, and welcome everyone to this week's
Christian Business Conceptspodcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and I'm so glad that you've
decided to download and listento this podcast.
I'm excited that you've decidedto make a part make us a part
of your growth plan, yourpersonal growth plan and you're
(00:40):
a part of the CBC community.
You know I'm just so excited.
I'm praying for you and I'mpraying that the biblical and
godly principles that we discusshere today is going to help you
find true godly success.
I pray that you'll beencouraged, enlightened and
empowered by today's topic.
(01:01):
Now, before we get moving on toour next segment, I just want
to give a big shout out to thecountry of Rwanda for the many
CBC podcasts that you guys havedownloaded.
We're so appreciative of all ofyou there in Rwanda and we are
praying for you.
And thanks to all of you thatlisten on a regular basis, even
(01:23):
if this is maybe your first timelistening.
We want to welcome you toChristian Business Concepts Now.
In today's business spotlight, Iwant to let you know about a
company called Buy On Purpose,that's, buy B-U-Y, buy On
Purpose.
They are a Christian-owned andChristian-run company.
(01:43):
You know we've talked about thedifference before of being
Christian-owned and then beingChristian-run.
That's another podcast, so youcan feel free to find that
podcast and listen to that.
But you know, but they're basedhere in the United States and
they're basically they're anonline retailer of office
(02:04):
supplies and they were startedand founded by a man by the name
of Simon Lee, who is a verydevout Christian, and he was
really inspired by this divinevision that he felt like God had
given him to integrate hisfaith into his business
(02:25):
practices.
Their mission statement statesto honor God by providing
quality office supplies whiledonating a significant portion
of profits to local charities,reflecting a commitment to
Christian stewardship andcommunity impact.
Wow, what a great missionstatement.
(02:47):
It's a tall order, obviously,but I got to tell you they are
really reaching and stretchingthemselves and their business to
fulfill this mission.
You know they really theircharitable giving.
You know it's probably really ahallmark of Buy On Purpose's
(03:13):
Christian ethics and itscommitment to being a good
steward.
You know they donate 50% of allof their profits to local
charities.
Now, that's putting your moneywhere your mouth is right.
You know the company reallyemphasizes integrity in its
(03:35):
business practices and it alignsall their decisions they try to
align with their Christianvalues such as like honesty and
fairness and service, and thisincludes providing high-quality
office supplies at competitiveprices while maintaining a real
strong focus on customersatisfaction.
(03:58):
When they try to sourceproducts, this is a very serious
thing for them because eventheir sources, even their supply
chains it's important to themto have ethical actions and
ethical plans when they'retrying to source all their
(04:19):
products as well.
So they really are aChristian-run company and we are
so appreciative of this company, buy On Purpose.
If you need office supplies,why not support a Christian-run
company like Buy On Purpose?
So we encourage you to do thatand we thank Buy On Purpose for
(04:42):
giving us a great example againof how to find true godly
success, and we're excited aboutthat.
We're really happy for them.
Now let's jump into today'stopic.
You know, as Christian businessleaders and you've heard me say
this before in different waysbut we're called really to be
(05:03):
leaders, but not just leaders,and you've heard me say this
before in different ways butwe're called really to be
leaders, but not just leaders,but we're called to be leaders
with integrity and humility andreally to have a servant's heart
.
You know, you can look atPhilippians 2, verses 3 through
4, and see that you know, andpart of that is coaching.
It's a real coaching is a vitalskill that really aligns with
(05:28):
these values, enabling you toguide your employees towards
growth and productivity and evenfulfillment in their work.
I think that's so important tohave employees that feel
fulfilled at what they're doing,and it really helps to bring a
lot of satisfaction and reallybring, you know, greater
(05:49):
efficiency through youremployees when they feel that,
when they sense that, and so Ithink that's, you know,
important for us to take a lookat, because what we want to try
to do today is talk about how wecoach to improve employee
performance, because, you know,when you're coaching people, yes
(06:11):
, you want to help them, yes,you want to encourage them, but
the bottom line is is that weneed to coach our employees to
bring about a better performanceand to help them to, you know,
bring their A game, if you wantto say it that way, and so
that's what we want to look attoday, that's what we want to
talk about, and, you know, todayI want to outline some really
(06:35):
essential coaching skills that Ithink are noted and rooted in
biblical wisdom, and I want toprovide you with some actionable
steps to really enhance youremployees' performance.
You know, while you coach them,reflecting Christ's love and
leadership.
You know, tom Landry, the greatfootball coach, said a coach is
(06:58):
someone who tells you what youdon't want to hear.
Who has you see what you don'twant to see, so you can be who
you have always known you couldbe.
So great quote from Tom Landry.
So let's talk about a fewessential skills that you need
to have for great coaching.
(07:20):
First of all, you need to be areally, really good listener,
and when I mean a good listener,I mean an active listener.
You know, the Bible says inJames 1 and 19, everyone should
be quick to listen, slow tospeak and slow to become angry.
You know active listening,where you try to understand the
(07:46):
employee's needs, you understandtheir challenges and their
aspirations, and you do thiswithout interrupting them when
they're trying to talk.
And when you do this, it reallybuilds a lot of trust.
It shows respect for theirperspective.
It shows respect for theirperspective and I think you
(08:09):
should practice reflectivelistening.
One great way to do that is byparaphrasing what you hear.
In other words, you might saysomething like you know, it
sounds like you're feelingoverwhelmed by the project's
timeline.
Is that what I'm hearing by theproject's timeline?
Is that what I'm hearing, youknow?
So you want to be able tocreate this safe space, to open,
(08:31):
to have open dialogue.
When you have one-on-onemeetings with your employees,
they need to be able to feellike they can talk to you.
They need to feel like thatthey can bring things to you.
You know Winston Churchill saidcourage is what it takes to
stand up and speak.
You know courage is also whatit takes to sit down and listen,
(08:54):
and he's right.
He's right about that.
We need to be an activelistener.
Another skill that I think issuper important to be a great
coach and have a great effect onthe productivity and the
efficiency that your employeesare showing is empathy and
(09:15):
compassion.
You know, colossians 3 and 12says Therefore, as God's chosen
people, holy and dearly beloved,clothe yourself with compassion
, with kindness, humility,gentleness and patience.
You know, understand and sharein your employees' emotions.
Offer your support rather thanjudgment.
(09:38):
You know what this will do isthis will really create a caring
environment where that there'sgoing to be growth, and you know
you need to acknowledge theirstruggles.
That doesn't necessarily meanthat you allow people to bring
in all their personal issuesinto the job, into the work, but
(09:59):
you can have empathy andcompassion for that person and
what they're going through, youknow.
An example might be that youknow, hey, I can see this has
been a tough has been tough foryou or a tough day for you.
You can pray with them.
You can pray with them if theyso desire, if they're willing to
(10:22):
do that.
But you can spend time and youcan pray with them.
There's nothing wrong with thatif they allow you to do that.
But I just think it's importantthat you're reinforcing a
faith-based company and I thinkpart of that is to show this
empathy and compassion andacknowledge their struggles,
verbally, acknowledge it, youknow.
(10:44):
Communicate with them on aregular basis, but make sure you
have that opportunity to showthem empathy and compassion.
All right, moving on, a nextskill that I think is really
important is clear communication.
You know, proverbs 15 and 4says the soothing tongue is a
tree of life, but a perversetongue crushes the spirit, you
(11:07):
know.
So you want to communicate veryclearly.
You want to communicate goals,you want to make sure you get
their feedback.
You want to communicate veryclearly what your expectations
are and you want to make surethat you do everything that you
can to avoid any kind ofconfusion, Because really, at
(11:28):
the end of the day, what you'retrying to do is inspire them to
action.
Right, that's what you'retrying to do.
So you have to have very clearcommunication when you're trying
to do that, and I suggest usingwhat's called the sandwich
method, the sandwich method.
So you start with positivefeedback and then you may
(11:49):
address some areas forimprovement and then you end
with encouragement.
So, in other words, an examplemight be you might say you know,
hey, you've shown greatinitiative, let's work on time
management and I'm confidentthat you will excel with this
slight adjustment.
(12:10):
So that's what you've done.
You've kind of sandwiched theimprovement, the expectations
that you have.
You've kind of sandwiched thatin between some positive
feedback and then, on the flipside, some encouragement.
So that's what you want to do.
You know, tony Robbins great,really great motivational
(12:32):
speaker said that the way wecommunicate with others and with
ourselves ultimately determinesthe quality of our lives, and I
agree with that.
All right, the next skill thatwe need to have is in
encouragement and motivation.
You know, 1 Thessalonians 5 and11 says encouragement and
(12:52):
motivation.
You know, 1 Thessalonians 5 and11 says therefore, encourage
one another and build each otherup, just as in fact you are
doing.
So you need to inspire youremployees.
You need to recognize theirstrengths, recognize their
potential, make sure you aligntheir work so that it helps them
to have that sense of purpose.
(13:13):
So align it with their sense ofpurpose.
And you want to just regularlyaffirm their efforts.
You know you can say somethinglike, you know your dedication
is making a real impact and sothat helps them.
That helps them, it stretchesthem, it motivates them and
encourages them, and that's whatyou're trying to do.
(13:35):
So you want to make sure youhave that skill set of
encouragement and motivation.
And another skill is goalsetting and accountability.
You know Proverbs 16 and 3 sayscommit to the Lord whatever you
do, and he will establish yourplans.
So collaborate with youremployees.
(13:58):
Again, we talked about settinggoals.
Well, set smart goals.
You know S-M-A-R-T specific,measurable, achievable, relevant
and time-based.
And then you hold themaccountable, but you do it with
grace.
You know, don't wait for themto make a mistake and then you
just bring the hammer down.
(14:18):
You know, have grace and reviewtheir progress, whether it be
weekly, whether it be biweekly.
I don't think you want toreview things much past two
weeks, but I would say you wantto review their progress on a
weekly basis and then yousupport them through that, maybe
adjust the goals if it's needed.
(14:39):
Pray for wisdom, pray forguidance to help you, you know,
help them develop their plansthat they need to have, whatever
it may be, or to help you tohelp them make those plans that
you both agree on, all right.
The next skill is adaptabilityand patience.
Oh yeah, you know this is onething that we just love to talk
(15:02):
about, isn't it?
Patience.
You know Galatians 6, 9 sayslet us not become weary in doing
good, for at the proper time wewill reap a harvest if we do
not give up.
You know you've got to adaptyour coaching style to those
people's individual needs, andthen you've got to exercise some
(15:25):
patience as these employeesgrow at their own pace, right.
So you've got to tailor yourapproach because some people may
need very detailed guidance,while others really need some
autonomy.
They don't want you, you know,giving them direction all the
time.
They want to drive the car well, so to speak.
(15:45):
You know they want to drive,they want to be in the driver's
seat, and then I think it'salways important that you
celebrate small victories.
Make sure that you celebratesmall victories, and I think
those things are important ifyou're going to be adaptable and
you're going to show patience,all right.
(16:06):
So how do we coach people?
Those are some of the skillsthat we've been talking about,
that you need to have.
But what can we do to coachpeople to improve their
performance?
Well, first of all, I thinkwhat you have to do, you have to
assess what their currentperformance is.
You've got to know where you'restarting from.
You know you've got to have abaseline and the only way to do
(16:29):
that is you have to assess whattheir current performance is.
So you've got to begin byobserving.
Maybe do a performance review,make sure that you ask
open-ended questions, like youknow, what do you feel is going
well and where do you see thechallenges?
(16:50):
That's a great question to askan employee and really begin to
assess them.
You know the Bible says inProverbs 27 and verse 23,.
It says Be sure you know thecondition of your flocks, give
careful attention to your herds.
Now, don't misunderstand me.
I'm not trying to comparepeople to sheep, you know, and a
(17:13):
flock, but what I'm saying isthat we need to know our people.
We need to know them, we needto know where they're at in this
level of performance, and thenwe need to begin to observe and
then take an assessment andassess them.
So that's the first step thatyou have to take if you're going
to coach them, you know, toimprove employment I mean
(17:38):
performance.
So step two is to set a visionfor growth.
You know you need tocollaborate with them and
develop a plan that really linesup with what their role is and
what their personal goals are,and this ought to be rooted in
(17:59):
prayer and get God's mind on itas well, which is what we should
be doing with all of thesedecisions.
Jeremiah 29 and 11 says For Iknow the plans that I have for
you, plans to prosper you, notto harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future, but we needto have that plan.
We need to have it.
It's amazing to me that thebusiness owners that I see that
(18:23):
lack plans for employee growthand to try to bring them up
higher and try to encourage themto be better next year than
they are this year.
You want them to grow, so youneed to be able to help them and
set a vision for growth.
The third step is you've got togive them constructive.
(18:46):
Now make sure you get thatConstructive feedback right.
You've got to offer some veryspecific things, some very
actionable feedback, but you doit in a spirit of love.
You know, again, use thesandwich method to balance that
critique with encouragement.
(19:06):
So make sure you do that.
You know Ephesians 4.15 says,instead speaking the truth in
love, we will grow to become inevery aspect the mature body of
him who is the head, that isChrist.
So you know, you can say thingslike hey, you've built very
(19:27):
strong client relationships, butlet's kind of refine your
reporting accuracy a little bit.
Yeah, you know, your effort isreally valuable to us and this
is going to elevate your impact.
So, again, that sandwich method, all right.
The fourth step is to developskills.
(19:49):
Help them to develop skillsthrough training and mentoring.
Those are two areas that youcan utilize to help them develop
the proper skills.
So you want to identifywhatever those needs are.
Maybe it's time management,maybe it's technical skills, but
you pair that employee up withmaybe some mentors, a supervisor
(20:14):
or even yourself depends onyour situation and then make
sure you provide some goodresources.
I think the resources is very,very important, and maybe enroll
them in some workshops, or youknow something like that.
You can do some great thingsthat way.
(20:39):
Then step number five you wantto monitor their progress,
monitor their progress,celebrate their success with
them.
You know.
Schedule a regular check-in,you know, just to kind of track
that progress.
You know, offer them support.
Maybe you've got to adjust somestrategies if you need to.
You know Proverbs 1, 6 says,being confident of this, that he
who began a good work in youwill carry it on to completion
(21:02):
until the day of Jesus Christ,you know.
So again, you want to make surethat you monitor their progress
, acknowledge those milestones,whatever they may be.
You may want to create thosemilestones, let them know what
they are and then you can assessthat.
You can monitor that progress.
(21:23):
You know.
You may say you know, hey,you've really improved in being
punctual, you know, and that'sreally boosted a lot of the team
morale.
Great job, and you cancelebrate.
You know, and that's reallyboosted a lot of the team morale
.
Great job, and you cancelebrate.
You know, with the team, andyou can do that when you
celebrate as a whole team, itreally helps to build
camaraderie within yourorganization, all right.
(21:45):
Step six address the setbacks,but do it with grace.
You know, if performance kindof dips a little bit, maybe look
at some root causes.
Maybe it's something personal,maybe it's an outside force.
But make sure you investigateroot causes but do it with
empathy and create a correctiveaction plan what I like to call
(22:09):
a corrective action plan but doit without condemnation.
You know the Bible says in 1John, 1 and 9, it says if we
confess our sins, he is faithfuland just to forgive us of our
sins and purifies from allunrighteousness.
We have an example.
That's what Jesus did for us.
Let's make sure that we walknot in judgment, but we walk in
(22:33):
empathy with our employees.
You know, offer your support.
You know you can say thingslike hey, let's work together to
overcome whatever thischallenge may be, and then pray
for them, pray for strength,pray for focus.
Now you've got to think aboutintegrating your faith into your
coaching.
Uh, you know we're talkingabout Christian business owners,
(22:57):
christian business leaders.
You want to integrate yourfaith into your coaching.
So you want to lead by example.
You know you want to.
You want to model Christ-likebehavior.
You know Jesus models humilityand integrity and love
Christlike behavior.
You know Jesus models humilityand integrity and love.
And that's what we need to do,you know, and pray for guidance,
(23:17):
seek God's wisdom and get God'smind on it, especially during
coaching sessions.
You know James 1 and 5, it saysif any of you lack wisdom, you
should ask God.
So encourage them to growspiritually.
(23:43):
And you need to put your faithin action and you begin to pray
for God's wisdom and usewhatever that is that God may
beginning to share with you.
Because God, you know, thething of it is, don't go to God
asking him for something ifthat's not something that you're
willing to hear God on.
Make sure that you listen towhat the Lord is saying, because
(24:05):
I tell you, I've had employeesthat I didn't know what I was
going to do with if it wasn'tfor God's direction, when I
spent time in prayer saying God,how do I handle this situation?
Because God will speak.
God always speaks to us and Ithink that is so, so important.
And so pray for guidance, getGod's wisdom and, especially
(24:29):
when you're coaching them, andreally encourage them.
Really encourage them to grow,not just in their career, not
just professionally, but to growspiritually, you know, help
them to see their work as aministry.
Help them to see that they arealigning their work with
Colossians 3.23, which sayswhatever you do, work it with
(24:52):
all of your heart as working forthe Lord.
Share that with them.
Let them know that.
You know, I believe that asChristian business leaders, your
coaching role is a ministrythat's going to help to empower
your employees.
I believe it's going to reflectGod's love and I believe that
(25:14):
by honing in on these skillsthat we've talked about you know
the active listening, theempathy, clear communication I
believe that you can foster agreat workplace where
performance really thrives Imean really, really thrives and
brings a great efficiency toyour business.
But it also is being donethrough faith and through your
(25:38):
love for the Lord and love foryour employees.
So commit yourself to regularself-assessment on your own to
see how are you doing, how wellare you coaching, how effective
are you?
And if you don't feel likeyou're as effective as you'd
like to be, then I wouldencourage you to spend some time
(25:59):
in reflection and find out whatthe issues are.
Come back to this podcast,maybe write some of these skill
sets down and some of thesesteps that you need to take to
be effective in coaching youremployees to improve performance
.
Lord, we come before you rightnow in the name of Jesus.
We thank you, lord, for eachand every person that's been
(26:21):
listening to this podcast.
Lord, we pray that you'd helpthem in a great and mighty way
to become really effectivecoaches in coaching their
employees to a higher level ofperformance.
Lord, I pray for them.
I pray, lord, that they seetheir employees as more than
just employees, but they seethem individually, as people
(26:45):
that you love and that you careabout and then help them to
operate towards these people asindividuals and helping them and
strengthening them.
And, lord, I think they'regoing to see great performance
and the level of performancerise.
Lord, I thank you and I praiseyou for that In Jesus' name,
(27:05):
amen.
Well, thanks again for listeningto this week's CBC podcast.
I'm so appreciative of youbeing a part of that every week
and I'm just going to ask youhelp us grow.
You know the Christian BusinessPodcast ministry.
Help us to grow.
You know, go out there andshare this podcast with three or
four or five other people thisweek.
(27:27):
Really, you know, the best wayto do it is to put a post out
there on your LinkedIn or onyour Facebook with a link to
this podcast and let people knowhey, check this out, hey,
listen to this.
This was an encouragement to meand I just want to be an
encouragement to you.
(27:48):
So take a listen.
So we really appreciate eachand every one of you for
listening this week.
We're so glad that you decidedto join us and we just want you
to know that we're praying foryou.
We're praying that you findthat true godly success.
So that's all the time we havefor for this week.
So until next time, rememberthat Jesus is Lord and he wants
(28:13):
you blessed.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts podcast.
Go tochristianbusinessconceptscom for
more information and resources.
Be sure to check out otherpodcasts that will help you take
your business and your personallife to a whole new level of
success.
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