How can coaching help organisations through the economic recovery? 08/03/2010

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Coaching & mentoring

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Despite the torrent of good and bad news surrounding the economy that we seem to face on a daily basis, we are all generally agreed that 2010 is the year of recovery. After the tough times of 2009 complete with redundancies, recruitment freezes and budget cuts, companies are now looking at what they need to do to make sure their business is in top shape to move forward and succeed now that we’re on the road to recovery. This is where coaching can be hugely beneficial.

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Coaching as business tool in recovery times
Coaching for managers - help retain talent
Coaching helps boost morale of uncertain employees
Coaches - an objective view & fresh perspective
Coaching encourages employees to be open
How can you measure the effectiveness of coaching?
Key to top workforce - enthusiastic employees

Helen Harvey, principal executive coach, Lander Associates

Helen Harvey has over 30 years experience in the recruitment sector and is a principal executive coach at Lander Associates. Her expertise is at director level and she specialises in one to one consultancy and facilitation.

Coaching as business tool in recovery times

With the job market improving slowly but steadily, employers should now be beginning to look at making their teams more efficient, whether that be through exit strategies or staff development, and this is where a coach can be a useful tool.

By working with the managing director, a coach can assess whether the company has the right people in the right positions to move forward successfully. There will be people you’ll want to keep who are performing well, people who perhaps would be better suited to a different position or need to be developed further and there will also be those who are not contributing and will need to be exited out.

Coaching for managers - help retain talent

A coach can provide vital guidance to senior personnel, not only on managing out less effective members of the team but recognising, rewarding and developing the strong ones.

Once these groups of people have been identified and the weak employees have gone, coaches can concentrate on performance management, something that is usually forgotten or dismissed in tough times.

Key performance indicators and targets are not actively managed and instead the main focus of organisations is working hard to stay afloat, however these are processes that a coach can, and indeed needs to, re-instigate to manage the situation. Management may be out of practice when it comes to thinking in this way - some may have never had to do this before – so a coach can help get the most out of your best talent.

Coaching helps boost morale of uncertain employees

It’s all very well assessing who are your best people, but it’s even more important to make sure you keep them, and keep them motivated. The poor state of the job market in recent times means that many people, who may have moved if conditions had been better, have sat tight in their current positions.

With the tough markets we’ve experienced, people have seen colleagues dismissed and have been working harder for less reward. Many will be feeling disillusioned and unproductive. Boosting morale is an area in which coaches can perhaps add the most value.

Coaches - an objective view & fresh perspective

Employees are used to hearing their managers say the same things in the same way. Not only that, they’ll tend to shut down and perhaps not say exactly what’s on their mind to their superior.

A coach can talk to the individual and tell them the same things slightly differently and as a more objective, independent figure, it can seem less threatening and demanding than coming from a line manager who is under certain pressures and is closer to the situation.

Coaching encourages employees to be open

By a coach engaging with the workforce on a one-to-one basis, the dialogue can become more positive. The coach becomes almost a confidante to whom employees can voice concerns and seek advice from as there are some matters that many wouldn’t want to discuss with a boss through fear of it being seen as failure.

However because of this, employers have to respect that some feedback about discussions with coaches will be generic and that not all information will be passed on, not only due to confidentiality but to make the coaching more productive. This simple discourse can leave staff feeling more motivated and full of confidence and new ideas to get back on track.

How can you measure the effectiveness of coaching?

Although coaching can have this powerful and positive impact, many organisations understandably want to ensure that they can measure the return on their investment. In order to do this, it’s essential to discuss requirements beforehand and make sure the coach understands the existing situation as well as the views and expectations of the management. This will ensure that there are no surprises along the way and will allow the coach to give feedback at each stage.

If the coach gives their initial thoughts and an action plan to improve matters, management can feel comfortable that the plans will deal with the issues that need to be addressed. Subsequently they can also judge if there has been an improvement, whether that’s measured by motivation levels, sales figures or something else.

Key to top workforce - enthusiastic employees

It’s great news that there is a light at the end of the tunnel as far as the economy is concerned, but organisations will only be able to maximise on the opportunities out there if they have a strong and enthusiastic workforce.

To ensure your business improves and stays ahead of the competition, it’s vital to consider how coaching can help you and your workforce.