01
What it is
A simple coaching method for managers, in plain steps. It is based on Jim Knight’s instructional coaching cycle, rewritten for the workplace.
Field manual
The Staff Growth Cycle
A 34-page manual that shows managers how to coach one staff member to get better at the job they already have. A full loop takes two to four weeks: agree one goal, show how it’s done, let them practise, then check the result. Nine printable worksheets keep a record on file.
AU$79
Instant download. Licensed for one organisation.
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Identify
Learn
Improve One person. One loop.
Learn
Improve One person. One loop.
02
What’s inside
34 pages: the three-step cycle, a bank of questions to ask, worked examples from four industries, and nine fill-in worksheets.
03
Who it’s for
Managers, team leaders and owners who want to help someone improve at work, without starting a formal process.
04
What it helps you do
Run one short coaching cycle with one person, check whether it worked, and keep a written record of what was agreed.
How the cycle works
Two conversations, with a stretch of practice in between. Start with one person. Finish one loop before you start another.
1 · Identify
Look at what is really happening, using facts such as times, errors or complaints. Agree one goal with a number and a date. Choose one strategy and write it down as steps. (Days 1 to 2, about 45 minutes.)
2 · Learn
Turn the strategy into a short checklist. Then show the person how it’s done, live or side by side, so they see it done well before they try it. (Days 3 to 5, 30 to 60 minutes.)
3 · Improve
They use the checklist in their real work, with a quick check-in around day 12. At the review, compare the result with the goal and decide: keep adjusting, make it the normal way of working, or try a different strategy. (Day 21 onwards, about 30 minutes.)
What’s inside
- A 34-page PDF manual. Print it or read it on screen.
- The cycle in three steps (Identify, Learn, Improve), with a day-by-day timetable for a two-to-four-week cycle
- How to set a clear goal (the manual calls it a “PEERS” goal): one that makes a real difference, is easy to measure, matters to the person, can be reached in the time, and that other people will notice
- How to coach by asking rather than telling, with tips on listening and a bank of questions for each step
- Worked examples from technology, healthcare, local government and hospitality
- Nine worksheets: questions to ask, identify and baseline, learn and model, improve and review, a team tracker, a conversation card, a coaching agreement, session notes, and an action plan
- Extra sheets and three longer examples for bigger coaching jobs, such as coaching a senior manager over several months
Who it is for
Managers, team leaders and owners who need to help someone get better at the job they already have. It works for a supervisor coaching one team member over a fortnight, and it scales up to longer coaching with senior staff. It is not for formal performance problems. If things are heading towards a warning or dismissal, use your disciplinary policy and get advice. Our manual is an educational resource, not legal, financial or employment advice.
What you’ll be able to do
- Turn a vague “have a chat” into one clear goal with a number and a date
- Help the person choose one practical change and write it down step by step
- Show them how it’s done before they try it on their own
- Check the result against the goal, not a feeling, and decide what happens next
- Keep the filled-in worksheets as a record of what was agreed
- See at a glance who in your team is part-way through a cycle
Want support running the cycle with your managers? See our manager coaching service.