Thoroughly explain

Make sure that you thoroughly explain and think through your coaching and feedback if you lead people. If you have good intentions, have identified one or two key areas that from your experience and knowledge will help improve an employee so they will become better than they were, but they misunderstand either your intentions or how you plan to observe or provide feedback, your day can quickly go south. Just because you see the greatest opportunity to improve that will have the biggest impact if they work on it, doesn't mean the employee does see it, wants to see it, or wants the feedback, especially if they are a top rep already. Most successful top reps have not been given a lot of honest feedback to improve and in most companies top reps are just left alone. So make sure you prepare and explain the plan to give feedback thoroughly and the why, or the reason you believe this will help them. Make sure to think through the conversation and speak from your heart as well as your head, otherwise they may question your intentions and purpose in providing them feedback. This also work with providing honest feedback to your spouse. Not everyone who says they want to make more money, is able to look at or willing to work on the last big thing that could propel their income. So be cautious and step lightly or you could damage the relationship if you don't take time to explain the why thoroughly first. Doing this will help preserve the relationship, encourage the person to be open to change, and get the outcome you envisioned in the first place. Plus, it will model the way for others.