My coaching dilemma
I currently coach/manage an instructor who is 40 years older than me and has about as much teaching experience. He is therefore very set in his ways and is constantly comparing education today to when he was in school. He is always frustrated, saying that students don't have the same dedication or discipline these days. While I agree on one hand, I also see that the world is a different place, and these students have responsibilities and priorities that didn't exist 40 years ago. My question is, how can I get him to open his mind to the evolution of education and stop being such a curmudgeon?
Kelly,
good question with no easy answer. One option is to use the coaching skills to help lead him to this realization & see if that helps him embrace a more positive approach. Another option is to let him be, if his attitude isn't affecting the students or his peers, maybe you just let him be a curmudgeon.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Kelly,
I have to agree that sometimes letting someone keep their mentality is ok, as long as it doesn't affect their performance. I also have an older employee who's been in sales longer than I've been alive. Getting him to adopt new techniques is often very difficult. I've learned that I have to have solid evidence that the new way works prior to presenting it to him. Once that's done, he typically agrees and applies what we've discussed. He and I have come a long way and know how to effectively communicate with one another; but not without a lot of previously failed efforts. Keep at it!
Amanda
Amanda,
and I think a key here is showing respect & appreciation for what he has accomplished as change can often come across as a dismissal of everything that these older employees have done in the past.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
