Overview Program

In today’s workplace, improving performance requires more than giving instructions, monitoring targets, or evaluating results. Effective leaders need the ability to engage employees in meaningful conversations that build awareness, encourage ownership, strengthen capability, and translate performance challenges into concrete actions.

Coaching for Performance is a two-day development program designed to equip leaders with the mindset, structure, and practical skills required to conduct effective performance coaching conversations. Participants will learn how to identify the root causes of performance gaps, ask powerful questions, listen actively, provide constructive feedback, and guide employees toward realistic performance improvement actions.

The program combines practical coaching frameworks, workplace cases, structured simulations, peer feedback, and individual reflection. Participants will gain hands-on experience in managing different coaching situations, including underperformance, low motivation, unclear expectations, defensive responses, and development needs.

What You’ll Learn?

Participants will learn how to:

  • Understand the role of coaching in improving individual and team performance.
  • Distinguish coaching from directing, mentoring, counseling, and performance evaluation.
  • Develop a coaching mindset that encourages ownership and accountability.
  • Identify the root causes of performance gaps.
  • Apply active listening and powerful questioning techniques.
  • Conduct structured coaching conversations using the GROW Model.
  • Provide specific, balanced, and constructive performance feedback.
  • Manage resistance, defensiveness, and difficult coaching situations.
  • Translate coaching conversations into measurable performance actions.
  • Develop a personal coaching action plan for workplace application.

Program Features

  • Coaching Mindset Development: Shift from immediately giving solutions to facilitating employee awareness and ownership.
  • Practical Coaching Frameworks: Apply structured models to real workplace performance situations.
  • Performance Gap Diagnosis: Identify whether performance issues are related to capability, motivation, clarity, resources, or work environment.
  • Powerful Coaching Communication: Strengthen active listening, questioning, feedback, and conversation management skills.
  • Experiential Learning: Learn through workplace cases, role-play simulations, discussions, observation, and reflection.
  • Peer Coaching and Feedback: Receive structured input from other participants and the facilitator.
  • Real-World Application: Practice coaching conversations based on actual leadership and performance challenges.
  • Personal Coaching Action Plan: Develop a practical roadmap for applying coaching skills in the workplace.

Who Should Enroll?

This program is suitable for:

  • Supervisors and team leaders.
  • New and emerging managers.
  • Middle managers and functional managers.
  • Project leaders and cross-functional team leaders.
  • Human Resources and Learning and Development professionals.
  • Professionals responsible for managing or evaluating employee performance.
  • Leaders who need to address performance and behavioral challenges.
  • Professionals preparing for people-management responsibilities.

Brief Program

Total Sessions: 8 Sessions
Time/sessions: 90 minutes
Day: 2 Days
Time: 08.00–17.00
Learning Approach: Interactive, experiential, and application-based

Program Outline

Day Session Session Title Session Details
Day 1 Session 1 The Coaching Mindset for Performance ·  The changing role of leaders in developing people.Understanding coaching for performance.

·  Coaching versus directing, mentoring, counseling, and evaluating.

·  Knowing when to coach and when to use other leadership approaches.

·  Moving from problem-solving to employee empowerment.

·  The Coaching Mindset: Awareness → Ownership → Action.

·  Identifying personal coaching strengths and challenges.

·  Coaching mindset self-reflection activity.
Session 2 Diagnosing Performance Gaps ·  Understanding performance expectations and performance gaps.

·  Distinguishing performance symptoms from root causes.Identifying capability, motivation, clarity, resource, and environmental issues.

·  Separating facts, assumptions, and personal judgments.

·  Understanding the employee’s perspective.

·  Determining whether an employee can perform or is willing to perform.

·  Selecting the appropriate coaching response.Performance gap diagnosis case study.
Session 3 Active Listening and Powerful Questioning ·  The role of listening in effective coaching.

·  Understanding different levels of listening.

·  Listening for facts, emotions, assumptions, and concerns.

·  Avoiding common listening barriers and premature solutions.

·  Using open, probing, clarifying, reflective, and solution-focused questions.

·  Asking questions that build awareness and accountability.

·  Using silence, paraphrasing, and summarizing effectively.

·  Listening and questioning practice.
Session 4 Structuring Coaching Conversations with the GROW Model ·     The importance of structure in coaching conversations.

·     Introduction to the GROW Coaching Model.

·     Goal: Defining the desired performance outcome.

·     Reality: Exploring the current situation and performance barriers.

·     Options: Identifying possible solutions and alternative actions.

·     Will: Building commitment and defining the next steps.

·     Applying GROW to different performance situations.GROW coaching conversation simulation.
Day 2 Session 5 Giving Feedback that Improves Performance ·     The role of feedback in performance development.

·     Understanding the difference between evaluation and developmental feedback.

·     Characteristics of effective performance feedback.

·     Providing specific, objective, timely, and actionable feedback.

·     Using the Situation–Behavior–Impact model.

·     Balancing appreciation, correction, and development.

·     Avoiding judgmental, vague, and personality-based feedback.

·     Performance feedback practice.
Session 6 Managing Difficult Coaching Conversations ·     Why leaders avoid difficult coaching conversations.

·     Recognizing resistance, defensiveness, excuses, and emotional reactions.

·     Maintaining trust while addressing accountability.

·     Managing disagreements regarding expectations, targets, and performance standards.

·     Separating employee intention from performance impact.

·     Responding to blame, denial, and external justification.

·     Maintaining psychological safety during challenging conversations.

·     Difficult coaching conversation simulation.
Session 7 Coaching Practice and Peer Review ·     Preparing for a structured performance coaching conversation.

·     Establishing the purpose and desired coaching outcome.

·     Applying listening, questioning, feedback, and GROW techniques.

·     Managing different employee responses during coaching.

·     Practicing the roles of coach, coachee, and observer.

·     Using a structured coaching observation checklist.

·     Providing and receiving peer feedback.

·     Facilitator review and coaching improvement points.
Session 8 From Coaching Conversation to Performance Action ·     Integrating the key coaching principles and techniques.

·     Translating coaching insights into measurable actions.

·     Defining clear responsibilities and performance expectations.

·     Developing SMART performance commitments.

·     Establishing timelines, milestones, and success indicators.

·     Planning follow-up and progress-review conversations.

·     Developing a 30-60-90 Day Coaching Application Plan.

·     Peer coaching and personal action plan presentation.