| In an ideal world, the talented entry level candidate you | | | | work to reduce the amount their client depends on |
| hired straight out of college would grow and develop | | | | them, thus building confidence and self sufficiency in |
| over the course of her career with your organization, | | | | the recipient of the service. Most coaching |
| ultimately evolving into a key leader who carries with | | | | engagements last between 6 and 12 months, with the |
| her the lessons of every position she held as she | | | | majority of active coaching taking place in the first 90 |
| climbed up the corporate ladder. | | | | days of the relationship. So what actually happens |
| Not all employees will make the decision to stay with | | | | during a coaching session? |
| one organization throughout their careers, but when an | | | | The engagement often begins with the stakeholders |
| opportunity exists to retain and develop an existing | | | | defining specific, actionable goals and targets which |
| resource rather than hiring externally, it can be | | | | become the metrics for success for the coaching |
| beneficial for both the individual and their employer. In | | | | process as a whole. One of the ways to uncover |
| order to capitalize on this type of opportunity, the | | | | what issues exist is through the implementation of a |
| appropriate tools and resources must be leveraged to | | | | 360 feedback survey. By soliciting input from the |
| help your great individual contributor make the critical | | | | managers, colleagues and direct reports of an |
| transition to team leader and manager. Traditionally | | | | individual, the coach can then focus and on building an |
| employers have turned to training programs to develop | | | | actionable plan to respond to any deficiencies, as well |
| these skills, however in recent years that trend has | | | | as to build skills in specific areas such as time |
| been shifting towards a newer tool for talent | | | | management or communication. |
| management: management coaching. | | | | Some coaches employ the GROW model - an |
| What is management coaching? | | | | acronym which stands for Goal, Reality, Options and |
| In the past coaching was not offered as a benefit but | | | | Will. By defining the goal, accounting for the current |
| mandated to those poor souls who were failing to | | | | realities of the environment in which the individual |
| achieve their workplace goals. From the executive | | | | operates, finding options to achieve the goal and then |
| suite to the cubicle, the term "coaching" was | | | | applying the individual's will or commitment to complete |
| synonymous with "remedial training" and carried an | | | | the process, coaches can lead their clients through a |
| implication of failure. For many, being coached was the | | | | structured process to achieve their targets. Other |
| last stop on the train to termination. Fortunately those | | | | coaches use a holistic model to incorporate aspects of |
| days have passed and savvy business leaders and | | | | self awareness and personal growth into the process |
| HR professionals have realized that coaching can be a | | | | of developing the manager's leadership abilities. Each |
| great benefit for high performers and (when properly | | | | coach will have their own unique approach, and a key |
| implemented) can turn things around for a struggling | | | | factor for the success of a coaching relationship is a |
| employee rather than being a last ditch attempt to | | | | productive relationship between the coach, the |
| salvage a poor business choice. | | | | organization as a whole and the individual being |
| While coaching, particularly life or personal coaching, | | | | coached. |
| has gained some prominence over the last decade, | | | | Rather than relying on the presence or absence of |
| the industry as a whole is still in its infancy. A wide | | | | credentials, organizations who seek coaching for their |
| variety of practitioners offer coaching services. Some | | | | managers and leaders should meet with potential |
| come with newly minted certifications from training | | | | coaches to find out about their style and approach. |
| institutions (many of which have cropped up in recent | | | | Any reputable coach will be willing to provide |
| years to exploit the recent popularity of the profession | | | | references and to speak in detail about their |
| with career changers), while others are re-branded | | | | experience with the challenges inherent in the |
| consultants or psychologists. Some effort has been | | | | proposed coaching engagement, and to describe how |
| made to normalize coaching credentials (most notably | | | | they intend to approach the situation. |
| by the International Coach Federation) but most | | | | How Does Coaching Benefit the Organization? |
| practicing coaches are measured by their experience | | | | There are many situations where a structured |
| and rapport with potential clients rather than any formal | | | | coaching program can show tangible benefits to the |
| certification process. While coaching can take many | | | | organization. One scenario where coaching is |
| forms, the one of most concern to business managers | | | | commonly applied is to avoid management turnover. |
| and HR executives is the form which takes place as | | | | Change is a challenging issue in the corporate |
| part of an employee development program and is | | | | environment. Whether viewed as positive or negative |
| more commonly termed executive coaching. | | | | change brings with uncertainties which can make |
| Technically the term "executive coaching" applies to | | | | employees anxious, and thus degrade their job |
| the act of coaching C level employees or individuals at | | | | performance. Management changes can be |
| the highest echelon of management. While there is | | | | particularly disruptive because of the close relationship |
| certainly a substantial benefit to targeted programs for | | | | between an employee's relationship with their manager |
| these key individuals, more recently this type of | | | | and their overall job satisfaction. Rather than hiring a |
| support has been offered at all levels of the | | | | new manager, many employers prefer to coach an |
| organization, and as such has come to be more | | | | existing resource to improve their performance, thus |
| broadly described as "management coaching". | | | | retaining the individual and avoiding both the impact of |
| Regardless of the intended audience, the goals are | | | | a management change and the costs of recruiting and |
| largely the same - to improve the effectiveness and | | | | on-boarding a new manager. |
| enhance the performance of the individual, with the | | | | Coaching is often offered to individuals who have |
| intent of improving (by extension) the organization as a | | | | been identified by the organization as having leadership |
| whole. | | | | growth potential. Succession planning can be helpful in |
| How Does Coaching Work? | | | | locating individuals who have the capability of growing |
| How do management coaches work with their clients | | | | within the organization, and coaching can help them do |
| to create these changes? Simply put, a coach helps | | | | so successfully. This type of management |
| an individual identify his or her strengths and | | | | development, once reserved for the executive suite |
| weaknesses, and then guides them through the | | | | has shown such a positive return on investment that it |
| implementation of strategies to leverage their strengths | | | | is now being applied at all levels of the organization. |
| and overcome their weaknesses. The core value of | | | | Another scenario where coaching can have substantial |
| coaching is in its ability to focus on the specific needs | | | | benefits is when an employee is promoted from |
| of the individual manager being coached, as viewed | | | | individual contributor to team leader. While many |
| through the lens of their organizational ecosystem. | | | | companies advocate promoting from within, the |
| While training can provide general skills development | | | | practice is challenging since the skills which make |
| such as time management or planning, coaching allows | | | | someone a fantastic individual contributor are not the |
| the manager to focus on the exact challenges of their | | | | same as those that make a successful manager. |
| personal environment, and to develop targeted | | | | Further there are often internal political challenges to |
| strategies to overcome those obstacles. This | | | | transitioning from being a member of a team to leading |
| combination of the trusted adviser relationship and | | | | it. These can range from hard feelings on the part of |
| intense focus on applicable skills makes coaching one | | | | team members who thought they should have been |
| of the fastest and most effective tools in resolving | | | | considered for the position to the failure of other |
| workplace performance issues. | | | | managers to accept the fact that the new manager is |
| A further benefit of management coaching is its focus | | | | now a colleague. Coaching can help a high performing |
| on the development of skills by the individual being | | | | individual learn to adapt their communication style and |
| coached. Rather than forming a dependent relationship | | | | other processes to become effective leaders, and can |
| where the manager must always rely on (and have | | | | help them avoid many of the pitfalls and errors that |
| access to) his or her mentor, an effective coach will | | | | new managers commonly make. |