The word we like. It evokes solidarity, drive, not feeling alone. How Reengineering evoked "being serious and technically revolutionary." As Leadership, it tends to evoke the enormous person who can do anything and who sets the direction, inspires and produces results.
Coaching
It has been done intuitively for many years. And it has become fashionable now. And likely, at some time, it will give way to another valuable management trend. As has happened with so many others. And all of them leave something for those who know how to see.
The fascination with the subject
Why the sudden fascination with the subject?
Perhaps because coaching is emerging more and more today as a human talent management approach, which properly incorporated into our personal leadership styles, contributes in a constant and sound way to business results and because it also helps to generate that loyalty so desired within the talent retention schemes we hear so much about today.
In a low voice, I would add, because Directors need - as a good friend says - "a space and a good ear, to" think aloud. " Because they are people, and they need to say what they think openly to someone who listens in an expert way, and who can also guide them towards greater self-awareness, self-control and ultimately to a better performance so that their Career Development does not stagnate.
And furthermore, let's face it, because you and I, as mere mortals, cannot always say face to face, and productively, to those who "are beyond good and evil" (Directors, Managers, and so on), everything. we really think about what we have seen that they do not do well. Yes… I know… there are exceptions. But frankly, they are very few.
THE EXAMPLES
A manager wants to achieve a better level of performance, increase revenue or market share.
Another wants to improve the quality of his relationship with his direct reports, because he sees that they are staying away from him and he does not know why.
Still another is concerned that her direct reporting score in the latest 360 assessment in the area of "human talent development" was low for her, and people at Headquarters have asked her what she thinks is happening. And she does not know and does not dare to ask.
The one from beyond wants to "behave more corporately in multi-cultural environments" and reach a level of "broader leadership", because he knows that this suits his career development and does not want to stagnate. But at the same time, he is afraid of leaving his family alone for a long time, which already claims that he lives more in airplanes, hotels, and conference rooms, than at home. And he does not know how to solve the crossroads.
Does any of this sound familiar? If not, consider yourself happy (Or brace yourself). Or, check how honest you are being with yourself.
THE SIN
All these Managers or Directors have a common problem.
They need help.
But as we all know, Managers shouldn't ask for help.
And less to someone from within your own organization.
That would be a sign of weakness and every good, and good, Manager knows and has incorporated, from multiple sources - pitiful and absurdly biased by the "macho manager" syndrome so prevalent in our time - that admitting weakness is suicide for the development of race.
What to do then? Some do more of the same, others get more angry with their people, others are declining and are overcome by those who previously reported to them, and there are also -among others- who change companies every 3 months. Coaching offers the Manager a better option to accept that he needs help, without having to lose his managerial dignity.
Coaching as an option
Think for a moment about the following 3 points:
1. What would happen if someone external to the organization, objectively and with sufficient experience, insight and sensitivity, understood the link between the personal problem or point in which the Manager needs development or improvement, and the achievement of the objectives of the deal.
What if this person could confront these managers with factual information (surveys, interviews with direct reports, clients, etc.) about what they need to change, and could do this confrontation process in a provocative way, but also taking care the manager's self-esteem?
Wouldn't this be a good start?
2. What if, in addition, this person, through intelligent and focused questions, made these Managers clearly and realistically define their change goals, commit to establish them in writing (as one commits to a contract) and help In addition to the Manager to define concrete actions to achieve these goals?
Wouldn't this already be an advance?
3. What if, apart, conveniently spaced sessions are scheduled to give feedback to the Manager, about what is being achieved or not, and as a result of this we begin to observe progress in the Manager's human management style that positively impacts the business results?
Well….this already sounds tempting. "Too good to be true?". It may seem that way to some. But keep reading, please.
THE TRAP
The exposed in the previous paragraphs summarizes in a very thick way, some of the crucial steps of what is executive coaching.
It sounds logical, understandable and simplistic. You may have thought, "I already know that."
Think again.
Because there, in the "simplistic" is the catch.
Because the coaching process requires the coach, experience, good judgment, high emotional intelligence and discipline to follow the coaching process itself, among other qualities.
And on the part of the client, the Manager in this case, a minimal openness, a non-passive attitude and a certain dose of patience.
And it is no mystery that many of us do not tend to be disciplined, nor to give opportunity to continuous processes that go beyond the very short term. Not in Latin America, not in the USA, not in many places. And, we are certainly not always open. Besides we like to give advice. Which usually don't do much good.
The "hallmark" of coaching and the evidence that it works
By the way, coaching is not giving advice or providing solutions. The client has to find their own.
The art of coaching is to create the climate and space for the other to think aloud.
Ask the right questions, so that the client discovers that they know much more than they thought they did. And this requires limiting one's own vanity to: "I'm going to show you what the world is like."
The teacher from whom I learned the most used to say only one sentence during almost every class: "What else can you think of?"
Coaching is an approach that has taken - and continues to grow - in recent years. But what evidence is there that it really works?
Empirical evidence supports its impact on business results.
In April 2000, Daniel Goleman - known for his studies and writings on Emotional Intelligence - in an article entitled "Leadership that gets results" published in the Harvard Business Review edition of March-April of that year, taking a base of 3,871 Executives, drawn from a Hay / Mc Ber base of 20,000 found that there are 6 distinct leadership styles.
One of them is coaching. Goleman found a correlation close to 0.4 between Executives who used coaching as one of their styles to lead, and 3 crucial dimensions of organizational climate (Standards, Rewards and Clarity) that strongly impact the "botom line" of organizations. In other words, executives who used coaching as one of their usual leadership styles, obtained better business results than those who did not use it. (For more details see the cited article).
This may be due, among other factors, to the fact that coaching uses real work as a vehicle to facilitate learning and not a course in a classroom. Furthermore, feedback is given immediately on actual performance. And we know that people learn better by doing real tasks, with deadlines, than by simulating situations.
Another interesting aspect is that coaching is not necessarily a remedial process to correct a failure in performance, but it is a process that helps the individual to manage their own development. The key word here is "development."
The steps of the sessions in the coaching process
However:
Does this mean that coaching is an option only for Managers open to requesting help outside their organizations, to consultants specialized in coaching?
No way.
Divisional Managers and Supervisors can learn the Steps of the Coaching Process, and acquire the necessary skills to carry them out - to coach - with their direct reports, or even with their peers.
The basic steps of the process are as follows:
1. Establish the topic of interest to the client (your direct report in this case) and help them identify their objectives in a realistic, achievable, specific and measurable way
2. Encourage the client to discover the actions that will lead her to achieve the first goals that she has proposed herself
3. Establish between both the parameters around the coaching project (What, who, how, resource that will be needed, level of client commitment, etc.)
4. Authorize and empower the client (direct report in this case) to have the authority to carry out the agreed actions until the next time they meet.
5. Summarize: Make sure there is consistency of expectations between you and the client, and recap what she will do until the next session. (NOTE: And while that second session arrives, leave her alone and stay out of it. Breathing on someone's neck is not the best way to develop it)
The skills needed for coaching
If you are capable of active listening (And please don't say at this point, "Oh yes, of course." Most Managers, you can't, even though you've had 1,000 courses on this).
If you manage to ask intelligent, focused and relevant questions and also tactfully probe the consequences of the actions proposed by the client to re-dimension the scope of these actions (and in this way, limit to an acceptable level the potential damages that your client may cause)
If you manage to have the humility to share your own experiences in which you had problems, or success, without overwhelming your client, and if you are also able to use silence effectively selectively to reassure, stimulate, or pressure… then you are in a better position to learn how to coach.
If you are not proficient in any of these skills, then you can be the client of an expert coach, before coaching others.
You and I can manage without coaching. You and I have achieved more than reasonable business results so far. Your competitor and mine too.
She and he are learning coaching somewhere right now.
You… Are you going to wait to see what happens?
