LESSON 3 OF 6 · ADVANCED
Coach performance with diagnosis
Separate skill, effort, capacity, role clarity and process barriers. Review examples before choosing an intervention. A recruiter with low response rates may need better targeting, more relevant messages or a clearer proposition rather than simply higher volume. Coaching should produce a specific experiment and review date.
Diagnose one performance problem using evidence from two stages of the process.
About 2 minutes reading + 12 minutes practice. Take longer when needed.
Apply the method
Diagnose performance before choosing a remedy. Review the agreed role, available capacity, quality of the proposition, stage-level evidence and the recruiter’s skill. Ask whether the problem is effort, knowledge, process, support or unclear expectations. Use real work examples with appropriate confidentiality. Choose a small intervention tied to the suspected cause and define how it will be reviewed. If the evidence contradicts the original diagnosis, change the intervention. Coaching should make the next action clearer, not merely repeat a demand for higher results.
A worked application
Fictional example: A recruiter’s candidates repeatedly fail manager screening. Review shows the manager expects a capability absent from the intake brief. The leader recalibrates the role and search rather than simply increasing message targets. Another recruiter has a clear brief but struggles to probe evidence; a practice interview and feedback address that skill gap. Different causes receive different responses.
Common mistake to avoid
Do not prescribe the same productivity intervention for every performance problem. An activity increase cannot repair an inconsistent brief.
Work through the case
FICTIONAL SCENARIO
A recruiter repeatedly submits candidates who fail a manager screen. Intake calibration may solve the issue more effectively than a generic productivity warning.
Make it practical
Diagnose one performance problem using evidence from two stages of the process.
Compare your reasoning with a worked response
State what you know and what remains a hypothesis. Choose an intervention connected to the suspected cause, then test it.
Takeaway
Use the method to explain your decision, identify what you still need to verify and choose an accountable next step.
Treat the response as a model for reasoning, not the only possible wording. Adapt it to the role, evidence and appropriate organizational guidance.