Does Your Coach Provide You Value for Money?

Does Your Coach Provide You Value for Money?

Coaching as a tool for organisational development has become an essential component of leadership and talent development. As the coaching profession expands and more aspiring coaches enter the field, there is a clear need to bridge the gap between what the industry expects and what coaches actually deliver on the coaching engagement.

In this blog, we explore how programme managers and coaching practitioners can collaborate to create value for all the stakeholders (client, coachee, sponsors) and influence the success of the coaching programme from both a capability development and results perspective.

Top 5 elements that need to change to create lasting value & impact:

1. Role of a Coach

The role of coach is primarily defined by our current understanding of the coaching profession and not specifically by what the new VUCA reality marked by disruptive technology and innovation demands. The focus needs to shift from addressing mere behavioural change to adopting a more integrated approach. Coaches need to play the role of an OD practitioner and partner with the organisation to address specific challenges in a given coaching context, e.g., leadership transition, leading organisational change, accelerating business performance, and other strategic themes that have the ability to create lasting impact.

2. The Coaching Context

The coaching context is the focal point, which determines the success of the coaching intervention and targeted outcomes. Far too little time is spent on understanding the need behind the coaching, capturing stakeholder expectations, ensuring goal alignment, and defining clear measures of success, albeit linked to the business reality, which sets the stage for a successful coaching programme./

3. Coaching Methodology & Approach

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

In response to the changing role of the Coach and the VUCA environment, the Coaching Methodology and Approach must also evolve. Coaching efforts are focused on individual change without considering the ecosystem, which includes the work environment, organisational values, and culture that supports the change.

What is truly required is a system thinking approach, i.e., coaching a leader on how to successfully transition into a critical business role or lead the organisation into the future necessitates a better understanding of the organization's values and culture in order to create sustainable long-term change.

4. Managing the Coaching Program

The onus for success depends on both the programme manager and the coach. What has been seen in recent times is that key decisions with respect to the programme are delegated to a few managers who have limited exposure to the science of coaching or organisational change. In our experience, you cannot manage what you don’t see, taste, feel, or hear. At the very least, managers in HR would benefit from an ACC certification and knowledge of ICF or equivalent standards, such as coaching ethics, skills, and various coaching technologies, in order to engage in purposeful dialogue with potential coaches and stakeholders in relation to the client ecosystem.

5. ROI on Coaching

Planning for ROI is adopting a process-based approach towards designing a coaching programme that delivers predictable results. This includes varied elements that need to come together in a cohesive manner, viz. the coaching context, selection of coach and coachee, contracting for success, and the ROI framework itself.
To get an in-depth view, download our white paper on ROI on coaching.

On a parting note:

• Coaches can only create value at the targeted level of intervention itself, viz. the self, team, business unit, or organisation.
• All coaching interventions need to be mapped to the business context with a clear cost / benefit analysis and a targeted return on investment.
• Coaches need to upgrade their coaching repertoire and skills, viz., whole systems thinking and change management competencies, especially if they would like to engage with the organisation 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!

About the Author

Ashwin Pasricha ICF – PCC
CXO & Business Coach, Leadership & Talent Architect

Ashwin is an executive coach who works on strategic engagements with senior leaders on leadership transition, accelerating business performance, and leading organisational change. He is known for his ROI-based approach to coaching and has developed a proprietary model that delivers a tangible return on your investment. 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 an in – house consultation.

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