In previous articles I talked about Coaching/Mentoring and how they differ from Training. Coaching and mentoring are quite simply about improving personal performance. Through using internal assets (you), an organization can leverage its strengths and pass on critical knowledge to new and inexperienced personnel. Both disciplines yield some of the best ROI's you will find.
So how do we effectively coach our people? The important thing to remember about coaching is that it is a collaborative venture as well as a process. The coachee must buy into the relationship from the beginning and we must keep in mind that it is not a single event, but rather a continuing process that may take a while to complete.
The mindset to utilize when coaching is one of a collaborative effort vice teaching or directing. To achieve lasting change, the coachee should be deeply involved from the outset. It is far better that the coachees acknowledge the problem area or skill set that is being targeted than being told what they need to work on. Through looking at the needs and goals together, the coach can easily guide the coachee through the process of determining what the needs are, how to achieve them and then executing.
We recommend using a distinct six step process when coaching. There is no defined length for each step, we proceed to the next when we have achieved the goals of the previous and can return to a previous step if warranted by the situation.
The first step is PURPOSE. The intent is to determine the goals of the working relationship and how to proceed. As mentioned previously, it is important that the coachee buy into the process and be integrally involved from the outset. One thing to determine in this stage is the coachee's commitment. Coaching should not be the coachees just showing up and being taught a needed skill, they need to contribute in order for the endeavor to succeed. Homework is appropriate throughout the process and here in particular. Each session could and should end with outside work to be done by the coachee; it could take the form of a learning objective or simply to brainstorm some aspect of the work being done. If the coachee does not accomplish designated goals then the level of commitment needs to be examined and the need to continue evaluated.
Some of the questions to ask during the Purpose phase include: What is the nature of the relationship? What is the need and what are the goals? How will the relationship work? How long will the effort last? When will the relationship end? How will we know we have achieved the goals? What are the measures of success?
It is also important to discuss confidentiality at this point. The coachee must know that discussions and meetings during the coaching process are sacrosanct and private; without that knowledge success will probably be limited. How much time is devoted to this stage of the process? As much time as is needed. That philosophy stays with us throughout; move to the next stage when we have accomplished the goals of the previous. Return if there is need.
The next stage is EXPLORE. Here we are looking at the history of the situation, what has occurred in the past and how it has impacted the coachee. It is critical that the coachee take an honest and in-depth look themselves with the intent of achieving lasting change and improvement. A good analogy here is the person who notices a particular "foul odor" in every room that he/she walks into. The non-reflective person thinks "What is that smell, it's everywhere?" while the introspective person checks their shoes to see if the "smell" is due to them. If we have the same problem with everyone, we need to look at ourselves to see if the problem lies with us. The example given deals more with interactions with others but the same philosophy applies to skill sets.
Some of the questions to ask in this stage include: Are you happy with the way things are going? What has been tried before? How’s it working for you? What are your relationships with others like? Are you a part of the problem? Are you effective at your job? Is there a problem with the way you approach people and work situations? Is there a skill that you need to develop? Is the lack of a needed skill holding you back? What is the impact of the problem? Homework is again an appropriate part of this stage and could consist of asking the coachee to think about the questions above and come to the next session with his/her thoughts.
The decision to continue to the next stage again rests with the successful completion of the goals of the previous one. The ability of the coachee to take a hard and honest look at them self is a critical factor in the success of the collaborative effort. If the coachee feels the need always seems to be driven by the perceived fault(s) of others the effort will probably not succeed. The theme in this stage could be summarized as honest and thorough self-evaluation.
The next stage is CLARIFY. Now we are trying to crystallize the picture of where we are trying to go. We've looked at and determined the purpose of the coaching relationship and what has happened in the past. Now we want to look at the goals and end game, where do we want to end up?
Some of the questions to ask here include: In a perfect world, how would things work? What do you expect or desire? How do we as a team establish accountability for what we are trying to do? What are expectations from both sides of the relationship? Where do we want to go with this effort? Are you committed to improve? The intent is to start thinking about the end game. Homework is appropriate in this stage as well and is another good indicator of commitment.
One important note here is that different personality types will approach these three stages in different ways. Those who were D/I in the DiSC personality profile, Leader/Task in the People Map profile, or J's in the MBTI will typically want to take the direct route to the end of the CLARIFY stage. "Let's just identify the problem and solve it!" Those folks are just wired that way but need to keep the collaborative intent of the coaching process in mind. Getting the coachees to buy into the effort and determine the needs/goals themselves is far, far more important than simply telling them what they need to get done. Those who tend to jump in and lead the charge need to make a concerted effort to involve the coachee, don't take over the process through force of personality or positional authority.
We're halfway there. In next quarters article I'll finish the 6 step process with the next three steps: GENERATE, AGREEMENT, and FEEDBACK. |
