If you
ask yourself this question, great; you are already considering it! It’s not
strange you have come to consider this. Many organisations have strategies to
attract people and some also have programs to work on staff retention. Many of
these programs have to do with education, trainings, incentives, courses etc.
And let’s be honest, these are great things to be offering. The only thing is this tends to all
be quite generic and doesn’t
really zoom in on the individual needs and desires of an employee. As a
matter of fact, it might even have a counter effect and prevent people to become
aware of and gain focus on their real needs. And sure, it is easy if one of
your direct reports comes to you with the desire to grow and develop and direct
them to a workshop, training or course. “Sure, go and work on your leadership
skills!” or “I agree for you to do the course on delegating so you can spend
more time on your management development!”. There might be nothing wrong with
these intentions, the questions is however, to what extent does this really
serve the development of this particular individual? If that is not evident to
you or your staff member, how can you be sure this course will add
value to this person,
thus to your organisation?
Can I do a course on Assertiveness?
Many
people working in organisations
that I coach initially state to have an issue that appears to be pretty much at
the surface: “if I would only be better at planning, then I’d be more
efficient, have less stress and perform better”. In such a case you could say
it would be most appropriate to provide the staff member with a course on
‘planning & control’, right? Well I would say it has got more to do with
convenience, than it particularly being appropriate. It’s an easy solution to
an often more complex issue. If you are not really aware of what is at play
with this employee, how can you tell that the solution you provide to ‘fix’
this matter, will serve its purpose? So, just stop and think twice next time an
employee walks up to you and asks you “can I please do a course on
assertiveness?"
So should I start sending everyone to a
Coach then?
Well it
would be good for my business if you’d do so! But no honestly, don’t just send
anyone that poses you a development or issue related question to a coach. It would be useful
for you or you HR business partner to first try to assess what is the
underlying situation to the question that is posed. Because this could show what the actual
need of the employee is, thus reveal the approach that would be most
appropriate to support in this case. Should the outcome be that working with a
coach could add great value, it would only be useful, if the person it concerns
is fully willing and committed to take this road. Just to refresh your memory; coaching in this context is a series
of conversations, in which the coach supports and challenges the coachee to
increase his awareness and gain insights in how things work for him. That can lead to
deconstructing restricting beliefs, conditionings and behaviours. And this will
drive the coachee to take actions and develop beyond this status and allow him to
(again) tap in to his full potential (both professionally and privately). The coachee
ultimately has to drive his development himself and the coach serves to support
that effort and shape the underlying process. For that matter, coaching can
only prove to be of massive value, if the concerning employee is really
WILLING!
How tangible is it really?
In
organisations we are all very much used to measuring everything. From the
outcome of last week’s sales results to the conversion ratio of focused Social
Media campaigns in a niche area of one of the company’s Emerging Markets. To
that standard, it will be virtually impossible to measure the outcome of
coaching programs. There are just too many variables at play. Does this mean
you should refrain from measuring? No, you should just be aware of what is realistic
to be measured and how. For instance, for all parties involved there should be
clarity on the desired outcomes and how they align with both the employees and
the organisations goals. And these outcomes can be fairly concrete (improved
leadership skills, more effective delegating, stronger stakeholder management
skills etc.). Throughout the coaching program all parties involved should be
kept informed on the process and progress that’s being made. At the end of a
program a three-way discussion between employee, manager/HR and coach can serve
to assess the actual success the coaching program has had for the employee and
how this links to his and the company’s objectives.
How long will this take?
Fundamental
change in behaviour usually does not come overnight. However, once a coaching
program has started and the coachee is keen and energized to develop and move
forward, things can start changing quite rapidly. There is no strict guideline
to the timing of seeing the actual impact of a coaching program. On average,
career related coaching programs will take approximately 3 to 6 months,
depending on the exact situation and desired outcome. What can be said though, is
that coaching is no ‘quick-fix’. You can try to cure a dirty wound by quickly
applying a band aid to it. A professional coach will however rip that band aid
of, open up the wound somewhat further to allow it to be profoundly cleaned and
heal in a stable and constructive manner. It may take somewhat more effort and
time, though the outcome is much more effective, thorough and durable.
Author: Mark Volmerink
Mark Volmerink is a professional career coach and executive search consultant. With 15
years of experience gained in multinational environments as well as with his
own business, he has supported hundreds of people in achieving their envisioned
career goals. He is a true believer of the inseparable connection between
personal and professional goals and desires. His vision on coaching is that
every person has potential and a coach can support in unlocking that potential.
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