Does Your Coach Provide You Value for Money?
Coaching as an organization development tool has become a cornerstone of leadership & talent development. As the coaching profession grows, and attracts aspiring coaches there is a distinct need to bridge the gap between what the industry expects and what the Coaches actually deliver on the coaching engagement.
In this blog, we explore how program managers and coaching practitioners can collaborate to create value for all the stakeholders viz. Client, Coachee, Sponsors and influence the success of the coaching program from both a capability development and results perspective.
Top 5 elements that need to change to create lasting value & impact:
Role of a Coach
The Role of Coach is primarily defined by our current understanding of the coaching profession and not specifically what the new VUCA reality marked by disruptive technology and innovation demands. The focus needs to shift from addressing mere behavioral change to adopting a more integrated approach. Coaches need to play the role of an OD practitioner and partner with the organization to address specific challenges in a given coaching context for e.g. Leadership Transition, Leading Organization Change, Accelerating Business Performance, strategic themes which have the ability to create lasting impact.
The Coaching Context
Nowadays, Coaching is mostly limited to the developing high potentials as part of a talent management program, address-derailing behaviors or facilitating leadership transition. Whilst these are meaningful to the organization in the here and now, the dialogue needs to shift from behavioral change or developing leadership competencies to creating an ecosystem to sustain the transformation, which includes whole systems change and a system thinking approach towards addressing current and future business challenges. To explore a popular technology on whole systems change, known as Future Search, kindly visit https://futuresearch.net/
Coaching Methodology & Approach
The Coaching Methodology & Approach needs to also keep pace with the changing role of the Coach & and the VUCA environment. Most of the coaching certification programs borrow from the realm of psychology, therapy and varied behavioral transformation technologies, which undoubtedly contribute valuable perspectives in the realm of coaching. However, what is truly amiss is a consultative approach towards designing a coaching intervention, engaging stakeholders and co-creating a path for organizational transformation which shapes the emerging future.
Systems thinking is a discipline of seeing wholes. It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing “patterns of change” rather than static “snapshots” – Peter Senge
Managing the Coaching Program
The onus for success depends upon both program manager and the Coach. What has been seen in recent times is that key decisions with respect the program are delegated to a few managers who have limited exposure to the science of coaching or organizational change. In our experience you cannot manage what you don’t see, taste, feel or hear. At the very least, the personnel who part of the leadership & talent teams would benefit by undergoing an ACC certification and being aware of ICF or equivalent standards viz. coaching ethics, skills and varied coaching technologies to enable them to have a purposeful dialogue with potential coaches and stakeholders in relation to the client ecosystem.
ROI on Coaching
Planning for ROI is adopting a process-based approach towards designing a coaching program that delivers predictable results. This includes varied elements that need to come together in a cohesive manner viz. coaching context, selection of coach & coachee, contracting for success and the ROI framework itself. To get an in-depth view, download white paper on ROI on Coaching.
https://human-network.in/articles-white-paper/
On a parting note:
- Coaches can only create value at the targeted level of intervention itself viz. self, team, business unit, or the organization.
- All coaching interventions needs to mapped to business impact with a cost / benefit analysis and a targeted return on investment.
- Coaches need to upgrade their coaching repertoire and skills viz. working with whole systems, systems thinking & change management competencies especially if they would like to engage with the organization as a living system.
The bottom line: The lines between Coaching and Consulting are blurring, the only cardinal rule is that when you coach, you only coach but when you consult you can always coach!
Get to know Us:
Ashwin Pasricha is an executive coach who works on strategic engagements with senior leaders on Leadership Transition, Accelerating Business Performance and Leading Cultural & Organizational Change. He is known for his ROI based approach to coaching and has developed a proprietary model, which deliver a tangible return on your investment.
Download Case Study: Leadership Transition
https://human-network.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Executive-Coaching.pdf
He is also the founder of Human Network a leading-edge leadership and talent development consulting firm. To know more visit www.human-network.in or mailus@human-network.in for in – house consultation.
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