How to Transform from High Performer to Champion -- According to Olympic Coaches

There’s nothing motivating them to advance. The difference could very well be you. That’s not to say that you should be their mother, telling them about their wasted potential. Moreso, you should be their coach. The difference between talent and realization is leadership. So, how can you create high-performance employees?

Now, this can be a bit of a catch 22. To help them get to do what they’re capable of, you have to know what you’re capable of. How effectively can you manage people? Without refining your skills, you’re absolutely hopeless in terms of motivating others. Luckily, we’re here to help, with the aid of advice from the best, Olympic coaches.

1. Get to Know Them

You don’t have to be their best friend and hang out on the weekends. In fact, your company very well may have rules against that. But you do need to understand them as a person. While we can understand not wanting to show favoritism and be fair to all your employees, each person is very different. If you don’t show any flexibility in the way you manage, you’re going to stifle employees who could be superstars. Give them the opportunity to prove to you what they can do.

Start by offering them special projects to work on. This is less about seeing what they can do and more about seeing how they do it. They might fail at it or put out mediocre work. If you’re watching them while they complete the task, you’ll see how their minds work. You can find out what they need to do to be better. Once you’ve established their weaknesses, figure out how you help them to change them. Offer it in a non-threatening way, less as criticism and more as friendly advice. Then give them a similar project and see how they change.

2. Don’t Push Too Hard

It can kill us watching someone waste their potential. We get it. Every coach wants to push as hard as they can so their athletes can be as great as they think they could be. You just want to shake them and ask why they can’t just try. Your employee is a human being. Unless they are 22 and fresh out of college, their habits are most likely hardwired into their mind. You are not going to change this overnight, no matter how hard you want them to. Set little goals and see if they’re able to reach them. Also, always keep in mind that as frustrated as you are, they most likely are too. They’re trying their best and can’t see what you can from the outside.

Meet with them and go over improvement strategies. This might seem to them like you’re singling them out. Make sure they know it’s because you believe in them and keep it light. Frame it in ways that don’t seem like criticism and make them upset and perform worse. Give them more responsibility and see if they thrive doing that. Use various methods of positive reinforcement. If they feel like you’re in their corner and there’s a possibility for advancement, they’ll motivate themselves.

3. Don’t Micromanage

Just like a coach can’t go on the field and control their players, you cannot breathe down their necks. When they are constantly being watched, they’re not going to self-motivate. Even more likely, they’re going to start feeling nervous. They’ll realize that every single misstep can be a reprimand and make even more mistakes. These aren’t show-ponies, they’re living, breathing human beings. So let them go and keep an eye on them.

You should always be in a place to be visible for questions, but don’t stand over them. If you have an office separate from them, spend a healthy amount of time in there. Just keep your door open. This isn’t to say don’t check their work. While you’re trying to be better at your job, make sure that you’re still doing the basics. If they do make mistakes, point it out to them, of course. Just don’t spend all of your time looking for things to nitpick. They will perform better if you show them that you believe in them. A good coach lets their athlete shine on their own.

4. Be a Mediator

One of the biggest reasons people underperform is hostile environments. Make sure that they all feel comfortable. If something is wrong, steps need to be taken to fix it. On the opposite side of the coin, if they don’t ever talk at all, steps need to done to fix this. They need to communicate to properly work together as a team. If a coach’s soccer team has no cooperation skills, it would be an absolute disaster on the field. Your team is like this, too. If for any reason they just can’t get along, you need to figure out why.

Have team building exercises. Make them work together in a non-work related way. Perhaps hold luncheons or picnics. Just get them together in a social setting with no pressure. Their job is their livelihood and most people are afraid to step outside the lines. Good coaches make sure their athletes know each other. If your office or environment is feeling cold and corporate, your employees will not care about each other. In turn, they won’t care about the company.

You have to be their coach and their biggest cheerleader. You must do your job, while also allowing them the space to do theirs. They will appreciate the encouragement. They will also appreciate seeing that you believe in them. Managers don’t waste their time on people they know are a lost cause. They don’t have to be Olympic athletes, but you can coach their way to be superstars.