The ability of one’s workforce to change and grow is increasingly relevant today, given that the pace of change is faster in almost every industry and the complexity of work is greater. That’s why it’s important for talent leaders to not only achieve the necessary results, but also develop and grow the capability of their people.

Often, talent managers are required to direct people or delegate responsibilities: “This needs to be done; go get it done.” However, including a development component requires a different approach. Instead of just focusing on the pure delegation of the job, managers should focus more on how to get something done or what skills the job entails that the employee needs to develop.

This isn’t a one-way conversation, but instead requires engaging with the employee about different ways to get things done.

A key success factor in coaching or developing people is taking a genuine interest in the other person’s development. Talent leaders must be willing to respond affirmatively to questions such as: “Are you willing to help others achieve new capabilities and reach higher levels of performance?” and “Will you be able to focus on results and development?” before committing to coaching.

Before sitting down with the employee, a step “zero” for talent managers to take is to be up to date on the organization’s review cycle. This means they should be doing a stellar job with performance appraisals — including thinking through the key skills a given employee needs. They must focus as much on the employee’s development needs as they do on evaluating performance. Another important piece of background work for managers is to be up to speed on the organization’s competency model, if one exists. They should understand it fully and align their efforts to it.

That said, here are four steps to take a focused approach to becoming a coach and aid in worker development, which enables workers to attain higher levels of performance.

Jointly identify goals. With reviews in hand, talent managers can start by looking at what their people are doing and how they are going about their work. They can consider asking straightforward questions: How can you improve? What do you need for the next level or the higher end of your current role? It’s important to come to a joint agreement on a few clear, well-described goals as it can build commitment and shared understanding.