Question:  Coaching Program:  What to Expect? 

Dear Merry,

I am an OD professional responsible for coaching in my organization.  We have never run a coaching program before - what should I expect? 

Response: Professional & Personal Transformation

Dear Executive,

From a big picture point of view, what you could expect from a coaching engagement is a holistic approach to daily work and living.  Coachees feel better on many levels, personally and professionally - experiencing greater levels of competency, leadership skill and work/life balance that translates into improved engagement and business results for your organization.

Some guideline and suggestions for success:

• Get Coached:  Many OD professionals that hire Break Through Consulting do not have the budget to experience coaching themselves.  I would highly recommend that you make the business case for your own coaching - focusing on OD programs that produce business results, executive persona, leadership skills and execution, for example.  With first-hand knowledge, you ll better understand how to leverage coaching for optimal business impact in your organization.
• Confidentiality: The coaching relationship is built on trust and confidentiality, so be sure to establish with the coaching organization the terms of confidentiality up front. 
• Agree to Overarching Goals: It is essential that you, the coach and the coachee s boss/sponsor have mutual agreement as to what the general goals of coaching will be for each individual and that you document these goals in writing.
• Reinforce Your Existing Leadership Tools:  If your organization has leadership competencies or standard assessments, I strongly recommend that your coaching program use these tools so that you continue to drive the same language and leadership concepts through your organization.
• Action Plan:  A written action plan outlining what the coach and coachee are working on should be agreed upon with the coachee and their constituents.
  • I recommend focusing on 1 to 3 high-level goals only.
  • The action plan should state clearly and specifically the potential results to the business if the action plan is successfully achieved.
  • It should include target dates and specific actions.
  • Under some models the coach actually creates the goals and actions, however I recommend that the person being coached create their own action plan to generate a higher level of commitment.
• Measure Results & Publicize:  Measure the results of each individual coaching engagement at the end of the coaching period based on the agreed upon goals.
  • Document and publicize ROI stories.
  • Directly link your OD programs to the business results the executive produces.

I wish you the best with launching coaching in your organization.  Coaching can have a tremendous effect upon employee engagement that spreads down through your organization.  It is a significant opportunity for OD to align with the executive team and directly connect their programs to the business results an executive produces through coaching.

Dare to Deliver! Merry

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