| lace coaching can come in a variety of forms. It | | | | the coaching role properly. If not, the coaching |
| can exist to enhance technical, professional, | | | | relationship will suffer and you will see little return |
| business or leadership skills. Its purpose may be to | | | | in terms of improved workplace performance. |
| help with immediate skill application in the | | | | Internal Employee |
| employee's current role, or it can be used to | | | | Sometimes you will need to make a choice |
| develop the employee for a future role. The latter | | | | between using an internal employee as a coach |
| purpose is more usually described as "mentoring". | | | | and engaging the services of an external coach. |
| In setting up a coaching program, other than | | | | The internal employee will usually be one of the |
| agreeing the purpose of the program, your key | | | | three types considered above; manager, trainer |
| question that you will need to answer is who will | | | | or subject matter expert. The main advantages |
| play the role of coach. Your options here include | | | | of choosing an internal employee as opposed to |
| the employee's manager, a trainer, a technical | | | | an external professional are: |
| expert and a professional coach, amongst others. | | | | • no extra funding is required as they are |
| Which is right for your program will depend on | | | | already on the payroll. |
| your particular circumstances. In this article, I will | | | | • they may already know the employees, |
| look at each of these options in turn. | | | | saving time developing familiarity and building |
| Manager | | | | relationships. |
| I include in this option anyone with a supervisory | | | | • they may already have been involved |
| or management responsibility that sits in the | | | | with the change or training program, saving time |
| organizational hierarchy in a position above that of | | | | with familiarization. |
| the employee. So, this option includes: | | | | • they know the history and politics of |
| • immediate team leader, foreman, | | | | the organization and can get things done. |
| supervisor, manager, etcetera | | | | External Consultant or Contractor |
| • manager's manager | | | | Sometimes the characteristics that make using an |
| • immediate manager's peer | | | | internal employee as coach beneficial can turn out |
| • three levels or above manager | | | | to be handicaps. Features of an external coach |
| • three levels or above manager's peer | | | | that may make it more prudent to select them |
| • executive or director | | | | into the coaching role can include: |
| Here, I will refer to all of these positions simply as | | | | • they have no prior relationship with the |
| "manager". The immediate manager is mostly | | | | employee, so can be more impartial |
| used for assisting with the application of technical | | | | • they may have been involved with |
| skills. Where the manager actually possesses the | | | | implementing the change or training program, |
| skills in question, this can be a prudent choice for | | | | saving time with familiarization |
| three reasons. Firstly, it can serve to strengthen | | | | • they are divorced from the organization, |
| the personal bond between the manager and their | | | | so less likely to get embroiled in organizational |
| direct report. Secondly, it allows the manager to | | | | politics and favoritism |
| provide up-to-date information on their work | | | | Of course, they will work for an hourly, daily or |
| objectives and to give accurate and timely | | | | fixed contract fee, so will be more expensive |
| feedback on the employee's job performance. | | | | than using an internal employee. You will need to |
| Thirdly, in cases where a manager has adopted | | | | weigh up the extra costs involved against the |
| needed workplace changes half-heartedly or | | | | added benefits from using an outside source. |
| haphazardly, easing them into a coaching role can | | | | Peers |
| help them take ownership of, and be a driver for, | | | | Getting support from peers is not always in the |
| the required change. | | | | form of a coach-employee relationship. In fact, |
| The other options involving managers above the | | | | most times it is not. I include this option here |
| level of immediate manager are sometimes used | | | | because it is an often overlooked but very |
| for coaching in professional and leadership skills. | | | | effective way of providing low cost support to |
| Choosing a coach that is outside of the | | | | employees impacted by a change or training |
| participant's immediate or direct line of | | | | program. Peers are people at the same level of |
| responsibility has its distinct advantages. Where | | | | responsibility as the employee and can reside |
| the coaching assignment takes in interpersonal | | | | either within the same organization as the |
| relationship skills, such as delegation, goal setting | | | | employee or in a different organization. They may |
| and conflict management, having a coach that is | | | | even work in a different industry altogether. In |
| outside of their normal day-to-day interactions | | | | some cases, this can even be an advantage, as |
| brings a higher level of objectivity. Secondly, | | | | they can bring a whole new perspective to the |
| having a coach who is in a different reporting line, | | | | issue at hand. Consider these sources for getting |
| such as in a different department or business unit, | | | | peer support: |
| makes it easier to maintain the trust and | | | | • regular "brown paper bag" sessions |
| confidentiality of both the coach and employee. | | | | organized during lunch times for which participants |
| With the emphasis in recent years by a growing | | | | organize for one of them to speak on a topic or |
| number of organizations on the "manager as | | | | invite an outside expert to speak. |
| coach" philosophy, this approach to lifting | | | | • workgroups meet regularly during work |
| employee engagement and productivity may be | | | | time to review course materials and take turns in |
| warmly welcomed in your organization. | | | | discussing a problem with which they are currently |
| Immediately following a training program may be | | | | grappling. |
| an opportune time to introduce managers to the | | | | • forums and chat rooms, either located |
| coaching role. You will need to make sure that the | | | | on the corporate intranet or on websites devoted |
| training program is targeted at real strategic or | | | | to the industry or profession, provide valuable |
| operational needs agreed by the management | | | | group discussions on relevant topics. |
| team if you are to get managers on side with this | | | | • corporate or external wikis in which |
| new role. In addition, to help ensure consistency | | | | groups of participants contribute to a group |
| between the messages coming from the | | | | resource on specific subjects. |
| employee's manager and the learnings from the | | | | • many local chapters of professional |
| training program, encourage the manager to | | | | associations provide special interest group |
| attend the program, even if they are already | | | | meetings and seminars devoted to various topics. |
| skilled in the areas in question. | | | | • Communities of Practice (CoP) bind |
| Trainer | | | | members of a profession intent on sharing ideas |
| If the coaching program links with a training | | | | and learning from each other and may use one or |
| program that you are rolling out, then using that | | | | more of the above methods to promote such |
| program's trainer as coach can be an obvious | | | | learning. |
| choice. This approach can provide a seamless | | | | Your coaching choices are not limited to one or |
| transition for the training participants from the | | | | other of the above options. You may use them |
| classroom to the workplace. Trainers are a natural | | | | singly or in combination. In fact, the more points |
| choice because they are an expert on the | | | | of support that you provide employees, the more |
| subject matter already and are familiar with each | | | | chance that you will avoid the individual constraints |
| participant's skill level, preferences and personal | | | | of employees and take advantage of each of |
| challenges. A word of caution here is needed. Just | | | | their peculiar learning styles. I'm not saying that |
| as not every manager is a natural coach, the | | | | you should organize more than one on-the-job |
| same holds true for trainers. The most effective | | | | coach per employee; however, you can |
| trainers, that is, those that can impart skills, will | | | | supplement on-the-job coaching with a corporate |
| usually make great coaches. However, those | | | | online message board or subsidized professional |
| trainers that are simply great "presenters" may | | | | association memberships. |
| find the coaching role a challenge. So, even though | | | | Whoever you decide on fulfilling the coaching role, |
| the trainer may be willing and available, you will | | | | ensure that you put in place clear coaching |
| need to ensure that the trainer possesses the | | | | guidelines. Coaching for specific procedural and |
| necessary coaching skills. | | | | manual skills will look very different from coaching |
| Subject Matter Expert | | | | for professional and managerial skills. To begin |
| In some cases, the training participant's supervisor | | | | with, coaching for the former will be quite |
| or manager and the trainer may not possess | | | | directive at times, whilst coaching for the latter |
| enough subject matter expertise to coach the | | | | will be more open ended, allowing the employee |
| employee effectively back on the job. Or they | | | | considerably more self-direction. The coaching |
| may not be willing or able. Subject matter | | | | guidelines should leave no surprises as to what is |
| experts, usually from within the organization, can | | | | expected in terms of coaching outcomes and |
| fill this role. Where deep technical knowledge is | | | | professional standards of behavior from both |
| required, such as within engineering streams, or | | | | coach and employee. The person you choose as |
| where extensive experience is necessary, such as | | | | coach will need to be comfortable with your |
| with managing large, complex projects, an | | | | guidelines. Choose wisely. |
| appropriate subject matter expert can fill this role. | | | | © Leslie Allan. All rights reserved. |
| The important caveat here is that the subject | | | | The above is an edited extract from Leslie Allan's |
| matter expert will need to be given the | | | | book, From Training to Enhanced Workplace |
| appropriate training, resources and time to fulfill | | | | Performance. |