Exploring whether a coaching program would benefit your organization?

#executivecoaching #talentdevelopment #employeeengagement #highperformers

Great! Given the adoption of executive coaching is becoming more widespread, many more organizations are now considering it. This article walks through why organizations offer coaching, where the greatest impact is seen, program options for specific employee groups and key elements to consider when designing a program.

Over the past decade, hundreds of studies have shown executive coaching is effective. Here are two:

* A review of 100 studies on workplace coaching (excluding managerial coaching), some concurrent with a leadership development program, found positive impacts on self-efficacy and goal attainment. Self-efficacy explained 28% of the variance in work place performance, which is considered to be a large effect size. (1)

* A positive relationship was found between coaching of a manager and reduced turnover intentions in their subordinates. Additionally coaching was found to increase subordinate’s job satisfaction, work engagement, and organizational commitment. (2)

Coaching benefits organizations in a wide range of areas, including:

1.     Enhancing Performance: Building skills where trainings and job experience don’t go far enough.  For example: group training can teach the different models of business development. Coaching can help individuals find the one that works for them and overcome individual issues. Job experience will teach lawyers client service. Coaching can help them understand where they are putting clients off and design new behaviors.

2.     Increasing Engagement and Retention. Both the individuals coached and the direct reports of a manager who receives coaching report more job satisfaction. This is especially true in a rapidly changing world where younger generations expect more from employers.

3.     As a Competitive Advantage. A company known for developing talent attracts more top talent. Think McKinsey, PepsiCo and JP Morgan Chase. Sure a few of these employees will leave, but the organization will attract a higher caliber of talent and retain them for longer.

Note: Coaching by the manager does not have the same benefits as professional coaching. While the manager coach is good approach for discrete topics, the power dynamics, need to please the manager and more directive nature of the manager-direct report relationship is unlikely to yield larger shifts in awareness and behavior.

Where is the greatest impact seen from coaching? 

In general, individuals who are self-aware and growth focused achieve more with coaching because they put the most into it. One approach is to offer coaching as an optional benefit at a certain level or in combination with a promotion or training program and allow employees to self-select into coaching. 

Here are the typical program options for specific employee groups that tend to benefit most:

Most Deluxe and Laser Focused: One on One Coaching with 360

Best for New Senior Executives: This is often to hone skills that are out of their wheelhouse or address challenges around communications or relationships. These programs range from six month to two-years, often on retainer for flexibility. Best practice is to start with a custom 360, visible only to the executive, to provide the external perspective and laser focus development efforts. 

Most Common: One on One 6 Month Program 

Best for New Business Unit Leaders, Directors and High Performers: At this level, leaders take on larger projects with more risk and visibility, impacting both results and company culture. This is leap up requires creating a leadership mindset and vision, understanding how one’s values and assumptions impact behavior and considering where adjustments are needed. This is typically a 6-month program that meets 1-2 times a month, virtually. 

Most Cost Effective: Training with Additional Coaching 

Best for First Time Managers: This step very challenging as it requires individuals to operate in a new way, going from individual contributor to manager. Communication, delegation, decision making and stress management all come into play. Getting this right early or realizing one does not want to manage is critical because the cost of a bad manager is high, attrition costs are up to 50% of the lost employee’s wage. Supporting a new manager to develop better habits and skills within the first 6 months can be the difference between keeping them and creating a well-functioning team or attrition. Ideally offer a 6-month coaching program at a lower cost. If that is not possible consider new manager training around team management and soft skills with 6 coaching sessions or group coaching. Less than 6 sessions is not recommended because change takes time. 

For Teams: Team Coaching

For teams that are not functioning well. In this situation, there is typically an underlying issue with trust or conflict style that needs to be resolved as a unit. Here an assessment may be used to diagnose the issue and then the team is coached intact, with a shared goal.

For Teams experiencing a culture change or looking to create shared purpose. Think of the leadership team at a rapidly growing company or a newly merged team, or a organization that is undergoing a radical shift in operations and/or leadership. Team coaching works with intact teams to create a shared goal. Here the goal could be creating a sense of purpose. 

Key Elements of a Successful Program

To get the best results, design the program with trust, support and privacy so that the coachees feel safe enough to explore what they want to change and create a better way that is more likely to stick.

1.     Empowering Messaging to Employees: Offer coaching as an opportunity not as a requirement or punishment. I have heard stories of coaching being offered as, “HR thinks you should do this”, which left the individual worrying there was a hidden concern that needed to be addressed. 

2.     Set up Contracts to Protect their Privacy: Coaching is effective if it is based on trust, which creates the honest reflection and vulnerability necessary for growth. No one is perfect. The sooner we accept this, the sooner we can say, I could do that better, here’s what I am going to try. That person will figure it out. The person who feels they must say the right thing to look good to their manager is blocking personal development. Ensure in all contracts that the coaching work and assessment results are private, owned by the coachee. That said, it is common to ask that the coachee share their goals for coaching and the progress or results they have gained from coaching. 

3.     Choice in Coach Selection: Offer a range of coaches – fit is everything. The fit between the coach and coachee is very important to a successful relationship. Rather than assigning a specific coach, offer a list of coaches to choose from or a coaching budget with a set of requirements, such as a certified executive coach, PCC level or higher. Consider that external coaches offer impartiality and higher levels of trust. Over the years you will build relationships with external coaches who know the organizational culture and players well. Internal coaches know the organization and can be more cost effective if your organization has trained staff. However, there are can be trust concerns with internal coaches. 

4.     The Goals are Created by the Coachee. The coaching philosophy is that people own what they create and are fully capable of generating their own solutions, with support, time and perspective. For example: the overall goal may be close a deal, but the coachee’s goal may be to become better at business development using my personal process. 

5.     Set Employees Up to Win: Celebrate the wins and support their goals. Being coached and developing oneself is hard and vulnerable. Reward those who are willing to undertake it by acknowledging their willingness and progress more than the gaps. Ask what is needed to reach their goals such as a stretch project or a specific training program.

6.     Evaluation: Consider including a tracking survey to report successes to stakeholders. Consider a pre and post survey with follow ups, using the Kirkpatrick Evaluation method, capturing the initial reaction, the new learning, the changes in behavior and the results.  

The takeaway: Developing a coaching program at your organization can help drive performance, engagement and retention especially in a rapidly changing world where younger generations who expect more from their employers. Use coaching at key promotions where the leaps in responsibility and visibility are significant and impact both performance and team experience. Finally, ensure the program is designed with high levels of trust and support to receive the full benefits of coaching.

For more information on setting up a coaching program a work, please contact Adelma Hand at a@handandpartners.com or schedule time here.