An article for the Training Journal about the role of coaching - and ways to coach - in our challenging economic climate

1. coaching
Coaching in
hard times
Executive coaching is not the only way, says Dorothy Nesbit
R
ecent economic challenges have to one-to-one executive coaching, as well as some
resulted in pressure within some alternative ways to structure one-to-one coaching Reference
organisations to reduce levels to maximise the return on your investment. 1 www.
of investment in coaching. The International Coach Federation defines coachfed
eration.org
Regardless of our current coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-
economic situation, would coaches – and their provoking and creative process that inspires them to
clients – benefit from being more imaginative maximise their professional and personal potential”1.
about the way they work? You may think of a one-to-one relationship when
you think of coaching. However, not all coaching
The one-and-a-half- to two-hour coaching session takes place between a single coach and a single
every six to eight weeks is a well-established client. There are times when alternative approaches
model of executive coaching, but it’s not the only – which include team coaching, group coaching and
option available to organisations commissioning peer coaching – can be more suited to meeting the
coaching. This article explores some alternatives needs of your organisation.
www.trainingjournal.com May 2012 65

2. coaching
Over time, trust builds This project came at the right time for the school.”
As a team of volunteers, we created a structure
and group members that provided intensive coaching for members
of the school’s senior leadership team while
risk more minimising the investment on the part of the
coaches: each coach provided a weekly half-hour
coaching call to a single client. We found that
having clear aims for the project – and staying with
Team coaching, for example, happens when a them – was key to the project’s success: when we
coach or coaches work with members of a team. strayed from those aims, our impact shifted from
It usually comprises coaching sessions with the building leadership capability to a more diverse set
whole team and it may also comprise – or include of agendas. In addition, experience suggests that
– coaching for its individual members. It can having sponsorship at the right level is important
provide effective support to the team in pursuing a for successful team coaching, together with a clear
shared agenda. If, for example, you set aspirations coaching agreement (or ‘ground rules’) that is
for your leadership team that they communicate consistent with, and supports, the aims of
more openly and honestly with each other, team the coaching.
coaching can help define what “more openly and Group coaching, by contrast, brings people
honestly” means. Your coach can also help the team together who have a shared agenda but who are
turn aspirations into practical results. In times of not members of the same immediate work team. If
significant change, team coaching can help whole you have a group of new supervisors, for example,
teams make plans and co-ordinate effective action, or high-
while supporting individual team members in
navigating the personal implications of change.
Lorraine Manford, who was head teacher of
a West London primary school at which I
led a team coaching project,
was clear about her aims:
“Sometimes what needs to be
done is bigger than what
you can do on your own.
I knew that I had
to build a strong
leadership team
which would
take us into
the future.
66 May 2012 www.trainingjournal.com

3. Case study
Coaching with Nigel: an evolving practice
I first worked with Nigel Reeve in 2004 when he signed up for coaching as a private client. We held an
initial two-hour coaching session to lay foundations for our work together. This face-to-face session was
followed by eight one-hour telephone coaching sessions over three months.
The model of coaching I offered to private clients worked well for Nigel so that when, four years later, he
decided to sponsor further (executive) coaching through his employer, he asked to continue coaching by
phone. After an initial face-to-face foundation session (like the one we’d held first time round), we started
having a weekly half-hour telephone conversation. This approach worked well over an 18-month period.
After a second break, Nigel decided to renew coaching. This is how he described the benefits: “Coaching
has helped me develop ideas for improving business performance and put them into action. It’s also
helped me crystallise my thoughts on my personal development – what areas I want to address and how
best to address them.”
Looking at his pattern of coaching, I suggested a six-month renewable coaching agreement, with a
percentage reduction in fees that reflected his previous usage. As his coach, I found that signing up
to work together for a period of six months reduced the focus on invoicing and payment of fees while
maintaining a focus on the return on investment for Nigel. His verdict? “My chosen pattern of coaching –
a half-hour telephone session a week – is perfect for me. It fits comfortably into my timetable and gives
me the flexibility to explore and develop ideas as they arise, supporting practical improvements in the
business as well as my self-development. It’s excellent value for money. ”
potential leaders, group coaching can be a highly peer coaching can range from the occasional brief
successful vehicle for supporting individuals’ conversation in the corridor to a more formal
development alongside members of their peer agreement that could be between two individuals
group. Group members meet regularly – by or between members of a ‘coaching circle’ (in which
teleconference or face to face – and explore issues individuals coach one person and are coached by
that affect them. The agenda may take the form of another). The quality of peer-to-peer coaching
a predetermined curriculum or be set by members can vary enormously, as can coaching by leaders of
of the group as part of each session. The group’s those they manage. Coaches can provide valuable
coach typically works with volunteers in the support by providing training in coaching skills or
presence of the group, taking care over time to by offering coaching supervision to members of a
make sure each individual has the opportunity peer coaching group. This approach is particularly
for coaching. effective if an organisation’s aims for members
Group coaching offers some of the benefits of the peer group include aims for the process of
of good training. Group members learn in a safe coaching (developing the coaching skills of group
environment away from work and often feel less members) and maybe even for the culture of the
alone when they learn that others face the same organisation (developing a coaching culture) as well
challenges. In addition, it is highly tailored, helping as for each member of the group that can be met by
group members identify the questions that they providing coaching support.
want to address and providing support as they find Despite the range of coaching and non-coaching
new ways forward. Over time, trust builds and options that are available, some clients still have
group members risk more, benefiting both from the reasons to prefer one-to-one executive coaching.
personal coaching they receive and from observing This is commonly true, for example, when a client
the coaching of their colleagues. They also build is in a senior role, or has an agenda for coaching
relationships of trust that continue after coaching
has finished: this can contribute to a changing
culture in an organisation and increase
the willingness of group members to collaborate Coaching is predicated
with colleagues.
A third alternative to one-to-one executive on the belief that all
coaching is peer coaching. This is the coaching
of individuals within a peer group by members clients are creative,
of that group and can be an alternative (or take
place in addition) to group coaching. In practice, resourceful and whole
www.trainingjournal.com May 2012 67

4. coaching
Seven steps to creating an effective coaching programme
• Identify clear aims for coaching Like any other project, the root causes of a failed coaching programme
often lie in the actions taken to set it up, including a failure to identify clear, desired outcomes. Identify
with as much precision as possible the aims you have for coaching in your organisation. This will help
you identify the most effective approach for meeting your aims as well as providing a firm foundation
for effective coaching
•
Take account of where you’re starting from If your organisation is new to coaching, it may be more
open to new approaches than one in which coaching has an established format or purpose. Equally,
the willingness of coaching clients to share openly with their peers will be influenced by the culture of
your organisation. You need to take these and other factors into account when shaping your general
approach to coaching or designing a particular coaching assignment
•
Establish appropriate levels of sponsorship within your organisation Coaching sponsorship is not just
about who pays the bills – it’s also about who wants change to happen and what change they want.
If, for example, you want to provide coaching to support women returning to work after childbirth,
ask yourself why. If you mean to be supportive, you may need to do more than offer the coaching,
arrange it and leave it at that – asking each woman returner what additional support she would value
can pre-empt the view among some coaching clients that you’re ‘off-loading’ the issues they face
by commissioning coaching. Equally, if your aim is to build leadership capability at senior levels,
think through the key messages you need to convey to members of your leadership team and what
monitoring and progress is needed to symbolise and reinforce the importance of the programme, as
well as to support the people being coached
•
Establish an appropriate level of involvement by key parties in the decision-making and coaching
processes Coaching is predicated on the belief that all clients are creative, resourceful and whole –
able to find their own answers. So it may help you to make progress towards your aims if you involve
potential clients of coaching early in your decision-making process. To do this also brings forward a
dialogue that often happens only after coaching has been commissioned, between a client of coaching
and his sponsoring manager, for example. It can help clarify aims amongst all parties, generate options
that are most likely to achieve those aims and achieve high levels of buy-in for any decisions you take
• Consider the practicalities Make sure you understand the practical constraints on coaching clients
before you make final decisions about your approach. Discuss with them the practical implications of
face-to-face versus telephone coaching or weekly, fortnightly or monthly meetings. Or consider the
likelihood that, at your current rate of turnover in the job, your supervisors will commit to a six- or 12-
month group coaching programme
•
Explore your options before commissioning coaching In some cases, coaching may not be the best
way to meet your needs. Consider training if you want people to acquire pre-determined skills or, if the
issue is a ‘problem’ employee, check first to ensure the need is for coaching for the employee rather
than coaching for the line manager or even mediation to address relationship issues between the two.
In addition, consider multiple formats for coaching before deciding which approach best meets your
needs. Coaches expect clients to meet with multiple providers, so invest time in meeting potential
coaches and exploring with them how best to structure coaching
• stablish a clear agreement for coaching Establish a clear structure and agreement for any coaching
E
programme that specifies who will do what and with what aims to contribute to its success. Include
a clear statement of its aims and ‘ground rules’ for all parties that are consistent with its aims. Take
care to agree ahead of time how you will monitor progress: coaches expect to maintain confidentiality
though many willingly facilitate feedback between coaching clients and their sponsoring managers.
that others don’t share, or has practical needs (such also meeting my needs as a coach. This can be a
as tight timescales) that don’t marry well with other delicate balancing act: in one client organisation
approaches. Even here there is room for coaches with a standard practice of commissioning six
and their clients to look for new ways to meet months’ coaching for clients (that’s six monthly
clients’ needs. sessions, or an overall budget of 12-14 coaching
My own practice has been to experiment over hours), I noticed that clients tended to spread out
the years in search of approaches to coaching that their coaching sessions with gaps of up to three
give high return-on-investment for clients while months between sessions. In some cases, this was
68 May 2012 www.trainingjournal.com

5. Not all coaching takes
place between a single
coach and a single client
for practical reasons – some clients were finding it
hard to make time for a 90- to 120-minute face-
to-face coaching session. In other cases, clients
simply wanted to make coaching last as long as
possible – like eating your ice cream slowly to make
it last. Monitoring results over time, I became aware
that, while I missed the momentum and speed of
progress experienced by clients with whom I meet
more regularly, feedback suggested high levels of
satisfaction among clients in this
particular organisation.
Even so, with pressure on fees and pressure on
clients for their time, I have increasingly adapted
an approach for corporate clients that has worked
well over the years for private clients: a regular
telephone coaching consultation (see case study).
After laying foundations for coaching – often
in a three-way meeting with a client and his
sponsoring manager, followed by a two-way
meeting with my client – clients schedule a
call most weeks for just 30 to 40 minutes. This
approach provides a regular ‘time out’ for clients,
who are able to step back from the pressures of
a busy diary, to reflect and then return to work
with renewed clarity of purpose. It also helps to
build momentum, as clients gain new insights
and translate them into effective action. It can
be easier and more cost-effective for clients to
book out regular half-hour slots without having
to travel. This, in turn, can encourage time-poor
clients to think creatively about how best to use
their time.
Coaching can help people in your organisation
steer a path through uncertain times, but it is
a significant investment. You can increase the
return on your investment by tailoring your Dorothy
approach to meet your budget. (By now, I hope Nesbit
you are having thoughts about some alternatives is a leadership
to your current approach to coaching, including coach and
thoughts about some options that are not even director of
mentioned in this article). Equally, your ROI Learning
comes from designing your approach to target for Life
the specific aims you have for coaching. (Consulting).
She can be
In case you are eager to explore and wondering
contacted
where to start, the tips left (see “Seven steps to at dorothy@
creating an effective coaching programme”) will learningforlife
help you to find the right way forward in consulting.
your organisation. co.uk
www.trainingjournal.com May 2012 69