Personal technology has revolutionized business and working in general over the past twenty years. Personal computers, cell phones, the internet, personal organizers and other high technology devices have made the working world of the mid-1980s and earlier seem like the Stone Age. These devices have improved efficiency, flexibility and the overall speed of interactions of all types. One area where technology has been a mixed success has been in the areas of leadership, supervision and coaching.

While the advent of new technologies and tools has made the best coaches even better, it has provided obstacles for inexperienced and less-effective coaches. There are several reasons for this.

- Emails rather than face-to-face coaching
- Voice mail messages rather than real time conversations
- Top down, spread sheet driven objectives rather mutually defined SMART objectives
- The advent of telecommuting and other work from home alternatives (which have significant upsides also)

Some tips for executives, managers, supervisors and other coaches operating in this high technology environment:

- Meet your people individually face-to-face at least quarterly. If you cannot travel to meet them, they should travel to meet you.
- Never put in an email or a voice mail what you can deliver either face-to-face or over the phone live. Follow it up with an e-mail or voice mail if necessary.
- Objectives should be more than a series of numbers from top down. They should be arrived at jointly and discussed face-to-face in an objective setting session. If not face to face, they can be handled on phone call or calls.
- Some people do great working from home away from their supervisor and peers. But other people need the direct interaction with their coach and with their co-workers. This depends on the job function, the individual and amount team versus individual contribution required for success. This must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The combination of technology plus effective personal coaching can create an environment for individual and team success.

George F Franks III

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting, leadership coaching and speaking practice.

Franks Consulting Group specializes in: start-ups, turn-arounds, post-merger integration, speaking engagements, performance metrics, individual and team coaching and facilitation. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation.

He is also an active member of a number of non-profit organizations including: the Company of Military Historians, Vice President of the Capitol Hill Civil War Round Table, Theodore Roosevelt Association, Civil War Preservation Trust and the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association.