This presentation offers tips on how managers, leaders, and human resource professionals can get the most from the executive coaches they hire.
Scontrino-Powell is a management consulting firm of organizational psychologists specializing in organizational effectiveness, performance management, and employee selection.
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Coaching For Effectiveness
1. Coaching for Effectiveness: Getting the Most from Your Coach SCONTRINO POWELL Organizational Psychologists Consultants in organization effectiveness, performance management, and employee selection www.scontrino-powell.com
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Editor's Notes
Tell who you are and why you are qualified to speak on this subject. Outline what will be covered. Why are you here? What do you want to get out of this discussion? How many of you are coaches? How many of you have had coaches? How many of you have hired coaches for others?
I invite you to ask questions throughout the discussion and I will ask you to participate. My overall hope is to help you and your organization make better use of coaches. I see this as an effort to raise the standard of the coaching industry. My hope is to share some practical ideas that you can take back to your company for use. I will also share some insights that I have developed over the years in the hope of giving you new perspectives on coaching.
Let’s start with a scenario. Imagine if you will that you have been asked to take place in a basketball contest… Almost all aspects of a manager’s job involve feedback—giving and obtaining info about work performance. Perhaps as much as 50% of performance problems can be traced back to a lack of clear performance feedback.Gallup poll shows that x% of employees. In “First Break All the Rules” the authors write that employees who have the highest levels of job satisfaction, who perform at the highest levels, and who are least likely to leave the organization for another job state that they receive regular performance feedback from their immediate supervisors. The authors also show that one of the key reasons employees stay with a company is because they have development plans. So feedback helps supervisors set expectations and tell employees if they are meeting those expectations or falling short. Feedback also helps retain employees and keeps them growing in positive directions.
Tell the story about Gene and throwing the checks then asking for coaching for his people. Ask what the audience thinks the coach should have done. My answer is that the coach should have worked with Gene in helping him provide performance feedback. Can you think of some examples of non-specific feedback you have seen? Can you think of examples of feedback that met all the above criteria?
There are several important differences between the two: Developmental: Focus is on helping a high performing employee do even better. The timeframe is usually longer, and can even be open-ended. There is usually less input into the coaching process from colleagues around the executive. The coaching is more “process oriented” than remedial Improvement: Focus is on helping an employee who is under-performing. The timeframe is usually shorter, about 3-4 months. The expectations and outcomes are different. The stakes are higher. The level of coaching “intensity” is higher For the purposes of today’s discussion we will focus on improvement coaching
Each coaching project is different. The companies vary, the individuals vary, and so do the coaches, so the coaching approach needs to be tailored every time. Beware the “one size fits all” coaching approach. I like to think of coaching in four different steps. The customizing comes in the details of how each step is executed. The four steps are… We will look at each step in a little more detail now.
There are a number of approaches to assessing the situation and the person. But there are some rules of thumb that I like to follow: Never rely solely on paper and pencil data such as 360s. Tests should be augmented with other interactive, qualitative data such interviews. Talk to enough colleagues to get a representative sample. If I could ask colleagues only one question it would be the magic wand question.
Let’s take a look at the coaching analysis worksheet, the third to last page in your packet.
There are three basic steps I usually take in the development planning process: Give the individual feedback on what you have learned. This should be summaries or general impressions, not “here’s what Bob said about you.” Begin teasing out developmental themes. This may take more than one meeting. Draft the development plan. This also may take more than one meeting. Meet with individual and the boss to review findings and development plan. This is when the boss starts to deepen the engagement in the process and becomes more specific in the feedback. A critical component of this process is writing a good development plan. Let’s take a look at the sample development plan in the back of your packet. Please take a few minutes to work in small groups of 4-5 to review the IDP. Some questions for you to think about: Are the developmental objectives clear? Is the plan measurable? Do you think the action steps will achieve the desired results?
The development plan will prescribe much of what takes place in the follow up coaching. It will establish the proper frequency, intensity and duration of coaching. In other words, how often do we meet, what do we work on when we meet, and how long will the engagement last? Monitor progress—means the coach must stay in regular contact with the boss or coaching sponsor to evaluate progress. This should be in the context of phone calls, emails, or meetings, whatever has been determined beforehand. Additional info—The coach might seek additional progress info from other colleagues. Once again, this has been determined in the IDP. As progress unfolds and new information comes to light, the plan will need to be adjusted. The IDP should be a “living document” best written in pencil Stay close to the boss—help the boss through the process. One of the most powerful outcomes of a good coaching process is that the boss learns how to coach too. The coach should be able to advise the boss on how to offer feedback, how to evaluate real performance, etc.
Good coaching is always working toward some specific end: the acquisition of new skills, behaviors, or knowledge The end of the coaching relationship should not be a surprise to anybody involved because we have constantly been asking the key questions. I like to provide coaches and their bosses a summary report, usually in the form of a letter to the boss. I meet with both to review the letter and invite them to grade the individual’s progress overall and on each developmental objective. We compare notes and talk about next steps they can take now that the coaching is complete.
Here’s a painful question. Gee, this has never happened to me, but let’s pretend this is a possibility. There are two things at work here. First, the boss has some steps to take. Second, the coach can help (go to next slide).
Here is a sample four-step process that can help organizations take decisive measures toward dealing with employees that are under performing. Often times the first two steps have been before a coach is obtained, but if the coach becomes involved early in the process, the steps can be integrated into the coaching.