Tips on guidance and counseling.

As a leader, you need to provide guidance and counseling when you identify an employee with a problem that is affecting his work performance. The problems include divorce, drinking, serious health problems, frustrations with work and difficulty to work with others.

Your role as a counselor is to listen attentively and encourage the employee to obtain alternatives and focus on what he could do to solve his problems. You should refrain from judging and probing because all he might want is for someone to listen to his frustrations and offer him some useful insights.

Tips on helping employees when offering guidance and counseling.

• Ensure trust and confidence.

Before someone would speak to you in private, he has to trust you. He will not speak up and share his problems if he doubt your sincerity. You should tell him up front that you will keep the conversation in confidence and that your purpose is to listen and offer suggestions for him to see a way out.

• Empathetic listening.

When he talks, listen empathetically. Try to understand his feelings and show it through your gestures and use of body language. Let him do most of the talking. By listening, you are creating a bond and showing him respect. You will notice if he is just looking for someone to cry on, need a guiding light or crying out for help.

• Asking questions with the intent to open up his mind.

You don't need to tell him what to do. Instead ask him questions that will make him explore possibilities and expand his options. Encourage him to find alternatives. By asking him empowering questions, he will notice things that he has not looked at because of his distractions or focusing on his problems instead of solutions.

• Let him know what is his job expectations.

Sometimes an employee gets frustrated with work or co-workers because he is unsure of what is expected of him, could not see a career advancement or uncertain about his responsibilities. You should tell him the visions and objectives of the organization and his role in it.

• Offer guidance and suggestions to empower.

Offer your insights on how changing things, making adjustments and corrections are necessary to cope. Let him see that his actions or inaction will have consequences. Encourage him to look forward with hope. Communicate to him of his worth and let him know his strengths. He needs to know that there is a future ahead of him if he change his attitude about possibilities.

Each individual will only change if he wants to. Offering guidance and counseling is not the reason for a change in his behaviors or attitudes. When change happens, it is because he is able to see and resolve his problem with a different perspective. This is made possible through your listening and guiding him to look for alternatives.

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