A seminar participant in our Bob Pike Group Boot Camp told me recently that a manager had asked her to do some training on time management. "I've got people showing up late for work, and I thought they could use some training in time management," he said. The absurdity of this statement was not lost on the other trainers in the room - we all agreed that all too often, managers look to training to "fix" all their performance problems, when training is not the right answer. This article is a preview in an occasional series of articles on coaching. From Bob Pike's Performance Solutions Cube, we teach that there are at least five other solutions to performance problems that should precede training. And one of those solutions is coaching. Here are ten tips for Coaching Excellence, taken from our Coaching for Success program.

If you believe that an organization's success is as much the will of the people as it is the will of the leader, then it is critical that we as leaders do whatever it takes to inspire success in others. Let us remind you of the devastating statistics that plague most businesses today. When you look at the data on employee engagement, satisfaction, loyalty and commitment, it's shocking! The majority of people today feel stuck, stalled, bored, frustrated and some are even actively disengaged when they come to work. Bottom line: there are far too many Dead People Working™ today. DPW are physically present but psychologically, emotionally and intellectually checked-out at work. Funny? Perhaps. Problem, YES! Dead People Working™ will not provide our companies with the kind of intellectual and emotional capital that we need to get ahead and stay ahead. It is time to think and act like a Sherpa.

Tech Tool: Facebook Applications for Learning There are many ways to use Facebook for both learning and productivity, and a number of apps that can help you do so. Among the learning world, the current mantra is "use social networking tools to improve performance." Consider Facebook. Indeed, there are countless other articles touting the benefits of Facebook and detailing why we should be using it in our various learning solutions. However, concrete advice on how to use Facebook has proven difficult to find. Check out these applications that represent some of the ideal tools Facebook has to offer online learning.

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Even if you don't grasp the hype surrounding twitter, it doesn't hurt to be well-rounded and have a little bit of knowledge about the craze. So here is a brief description of the service, what it's being used for, and some of the jargon you'll encounter in the twitterverse.

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Need a visual or object lesson for removing obstacles? Deborah Schonfeld uses this template to create simple boxes. She puts clip art bricks onto each square except for two. On each brick, she writes a specifically stated learning point which becomes the "key" that opens the box. "On the remaining two, put the name of an obstacle that the training will help the employee overcome. On the second free square, place a picture of a door with a key hole," Schonfeld explains. For her session on the fear of presenting, Schonfeld put "fear of making a mistake" on one of the squares as an obstacle. A key to overcoming that fear might be "good use of notes and outline."

CSX Corporation, a transportation company, has a network that spans approximately 21,000 miles and connects to more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports. How do you begin to explain that and the intricacies of rail transportation to new managers? You have them "play" with colorful two-inch wood and plastic toy trains, tracks, bridges, signs and buildings so they get the hang of completing work orders, switching trains, and figuring out what to do their your train car is facing the wrong direction!

Bestselling authors Mike Song, Tim Burress, and Vicki Halsey of The Hamster Revolution outline ways to cut through the clutter to create shorter, more effective meetings using P.O.S.E.: The key to reducing meeting time is to P.O.S.E. the right questions before accepting an invitation to an optional meeting: