17. November 2018
How the process of coaching works – a practical example
This situation could take place in many companies: a long history, internal efforts that did not bring the desired, and the idea of consulting an external coach. The coach then costs money; the expectations are correspondingly high. And of course the change should come quickly and, of course, be sustainable.
Not an easy starting position for the coach! But he knows the factors of a successful coaching:
1) Parties involved: the coachee, his manager and the HR manager.
2) The coaching process is set to last at least six months and a maximum of 12 months.
3) Measurability: The three participants take time at the beginning and every 2-3 months to check progress together.
In our example it could go on like this: the coach meets the coachee, manager and HR manager in the company's meeting room and asks them the following question:
Question 1: "What are the goals of the coaching? - It's discussed and at the end it's on the flipchart:
- Improving leadership
- Increase team motivation
- Strengthening the communication skills of the coachee
Everyone agrees. But the coach needs to know more about it:
Question 2: "On a scale of 1-10, how do you rate the coachee today? Please don't think long, just let a number appear and name it". - The three give their intuitive assessment; amazingly, they are all close to each other, even the coachee's:
The coach does not want a justification of the assessment; he knows: the intuitive assessment is the most honest and reflects the current situation best. He feels the relief in the meeting room now that the "cat out of the bag" is out and everyone agrees on how good (or bad) it is. Now he wants to direct his attention forward:
Question 3: "At the end of the coaching, in 10 months, where would the coachee have to be in order for the result to be acceptable to you? - This question also goes to all three:
The coachee himself has placed his expectations at the top end of the scale and is still a little surprised (and relieved) that neither his manager nor the HR manager expect perfection. Time for the coach's final question:
Question 4: "How do you know that the coachee has reached a 7 in leadership? - The executive and the HR manager are in demand and have to think for a moment. The manager says, "The coachee's employees feel supported." The coach asks: "How would the coachee behave so that the employees feel supported? - He would also praise them from time to time and, above all, not always clean them up!
For question 4, the coach takes the most time until he has received as many of the coachee's desired behaviors as possible from the manager and HR manager. They form the guideline for goal achievement (and thus success) of the coaching. With the help of these evidence criteria, the three can periodically check the success of the coaching.
In practice, it has proven successful to combine intuitive scale assessment with the most concrete behaviour possible. It is important that the scale evaluation is intuitive and does not have to be justified. This will pick up the "real" emotional state. Reasons often lead to lengthy discussions, which - apart from bad feelings - bring little. Working out the behaviour patterns by which managers and HR recognize success leads from empty words such as "team motivation" to observable, externally perceivable action by the coachee.
This is fair: the coachee can learn the necessary skills and train the behaviours by which he is ultimately measured. The evaluation criteria are on the table, transparent for all participants and can be fulfilled by the coachee through his behaviour. This takes some time, especially at the beginning, but the reward for the work is a coaching process with realistic prerequisites for long-term success.