Coaching has surged in popularity in recent years, gaining widespread acceptance as a tool for executive/leadership development, talent management, and organizational transformation and effectiveness. As it comes of age, coaching has increased in complexity. Coaches and organizations alike face the challenge of using this high-impact tool effectively. Following are some of the most common mistakes made on both sides of the equation.
Mistakes Organizations Make
Mistake #1—Not aligning coaching goals with organizational strategy
When we undertake a coaching assignment, we always ask, “What are the objectives? What do you want to be different by the end of the engagement?” It’s surprising how often there is no ready answer. If you don’t coach by objectives, how do you know what the coaching is about? How can you invest in coaching without thinking about ROI? (Maximizing the ROI of Executive Coaching) Any coaching that goes on within an organization needs to prove it’s tied into the overarching business goals and strategies and meets organizational needs. (Coaching Executives: Why It Is Important)
Mistake #2—Forcing an executive into a coaching assignment
The coachee’s willingness to actively participate in the process is critical to success. How can a coaching engagement be successful if coaching is dictated as a next step? If a coachee doesn’t see the benefits of coaching and merely goes through the motions because he or she has been told to do so, there will be no ROI. You have to make it a win-win situation and achieve buy-in. At Ayers, we help frame the engagement in a way that motivates the employee to change. It begins with ensuring the right coach-coachee fit and letting the two connect before the engagement begins. Sometimes people resist coaching because they don’t believe they can change. A good coach can educate the individual about the process and show that the desired skills and behaviors can be taught/learned.
|
A 2001 study conducted among FORTUNE 1000 companies found that, for 100 cases studied, the average ROI for executive coaching was 5.7 times the cost of coaching. |
Mistake #3—Disregarding the coach-coachee fit
Some clients fall in love with a coach and want that individual to be the organization’s coach. Some think having one coach will make it easier to spot organization-wide patterns. In coaching, one size does not necessarily fit all. Successful coaching depends on achieving the best coach-coachee fit—something you get when you work with a coaching organization that has depth of bench. Our model of profiling both the individual to be coached and the coach to find the best match in terms of expertise, personality, and chemistry enhances the likelihood of success. And we’re highly attuned to spotting patterns. We debrief our coaches as part of each assignment and when we have multiple assignments within an organization, we often bring the coaches together to get a sense of the big picture—while maintaining confidentiality. (Matching Coaches to Coaching Needs)
Mistakes Coaches Make
Mistake #1—Taking an engagement outside their range of expertise
As I said earlier, finding the right fit between coach and coachee is critical to success. But as business people, coaches don’t want to disappoint clients and they don’t want to turn down work—even when an assignment may not be a good fit. One advantage of working with a coaching organization over an independent coach is access to an army of coaches with a range of specialties. At Ayers, we have the resources to carefully match coach-coachee profiles, ensuring the optimal fit of personalities and needs/expertise and finding connections that result in good chemistry. (Matching Coaches to Coaching Needs)
Mistake #2—Buying into unfounded rumors and corporate gossip
Much of the value of an external coach is objectivity. But when coaches do a lot of work within an organization, they can become enmeshed in the company and its culture, jeopardizing objectivity. We use our debriefing process to watch for signs that the boundaries might be blurring and coach our coaches accordingly.
Mistake #3—Encouraging an unproductive dependence
A coach is a position of power. To be effective, you have to exert a certain degree of influence over the individuals you’re coaching. Because there’s a financial incentive to continue the relationship, deciding when to cut the cord can become an issue. This is one reason why coaching by objectives is so important. When the objectives agreed to up front have been met, you cut the cord. Which isn’t to say a coach and coachee can’t decide to establish a new set of objectives, as often happens. But then a new process starts.
Mistakes Both Make
Mistake #1—Not holding the coachee accountable for change
Coaching doesn’t lead to change unless the person being coached is motivated, expectations are established, and both coachee and coach are held accountable for achieving them. Again, that’s why coaching by objectives is critical. Everyone involved in the process needs to be clear about the objectives. The coach and coachee have to work as partners. The coach has to make it clear, “It’s not my job to change you; it’s your job to change. I’m not the one who’s going to be out there on the playing field, you are. If you’re going to change, you need to do things differently. So here’s what I expect from you.”
Working with a strong coaching organization such as The Ayers Group can help illuminate the mysteries and eliminate the missteps of coaching, ensuring a high ROI.
