Should I get a star member of my team to coach someone who is struggling?

This article first appeared August 6, 2009.

Star performers are an inspiration to others about what is possible to achieve, and can make great coaches and mentors to team members who are struggling. However, there are many factors to consider before setting up this relationship.

Often when someone is struggling, they can benefit more from a coach and/or mentor who are removed from their immediate team environment and who has more seniority and experience than themselves. While peer-to-peer coaching can be very effective, it can also put strain on the individuals, especially if they lack the experience and knowledge to manage the relationship and the necessary skills to perform the role as coach/mentor.

For the relationship to be effective both parties need to want to be involved – this is not something to force upon or coerce either party into.

What is the dynamic between the two individuals? Do they have a good rapport with each other? Do they get along?

Spend some time with your star performer first to find out if this is something they want to be involved in. It is important to check in to find out:

• How he/she feels about entering into a coaching relationship with the team member?
• What are the current demands on his/her time? What is his/her work schedule like? Does the person have the time, energy and commitment for the coaching relationship?
• Do they have the skills required? If not then they will require a framework to help them.
• If he/she is reluctant to be involved in coaching their peer it’s important to respect this. The last thing you want to do is de-motivate your star performer.

Have a conversation with the team member who is struggling.

• How do they feel about the idea?
• What is their commitment to working on improving their situation and performance within the team?

I am assuming that the two team members are working closely together, if so, is this the best partnership or would someone else in the organisation be a better fit? Someone, who has achieved similar success but is not working closely with the team member.

If both parties are willing and enthusiastic about working together then it’s important for them to take some time to design the relationship so that both parties are clear about the outcomes, boundaries and terms of the arrangement. Some things to consider are:

• Have a fixed timeframe for the coaching with a clear end date, this way neither party will get trapped into an ongoing relationship, which could potentially create resentment and dependence.
• Set regular coaching times and stick to these where possible.
• Have an agreement on how to end the coaching early if it is not working for either party.
• Set tangible goals and outcomes for the coaching.
• Be clear about the role each person will undertake during this time.

Pollyanna Lenkic is the founder of Perspectives Coaching, an Australian based coaching and training company. In 1990 she co-founded a specialist IT recruitment consultancy in London, which grew to employ 18 people and turnover £11 million ($27 million). In this blog Pollyanna answers questions from our readers on issues they are experiencing leading or being part of a team.  She offers insights on teams and team dynamics. For support and information on team days run by Perspectives Coaching see here. Her previous Blog for SmartCompany, 2nd Time Around was about the mistakes she made and the lessons she learned building a business the first time round and how to do it better second time round.

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