Executive Coaching - A Guide For The HR Professional.pdf

58 EXECUTIVE COACHING
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you, the boss, and others in the organization. If periodic
progress reports are written jointly by the client
and the coach, the client may have the opportunity to
provide more formal feedback. Often, however, the
client will simply tell you how valuable the coaching
has been in accelerating the required new learning.
You may even notice a change in the client’s “selftalk”
or “reframing” of situations. Is the client more
realistically aware? Did the client learn something
important?
• Action plans. The coaching may have involved the creation
of an action plan that defines goals, measures of
success, and completion dates. Was the action plan
created and implemented successfully? Were useful
goals set? Were the goals achieved? Is there a business
outcome? A behavior change? How did the organization
benefit from the action plans?
• Long-term development plans. Sometimes coaching leads
to a long-term personal development plan. Was this
prepared, and is there agreement to do something
about it?
Finally, a good contracting process will provide some sense of
how the coaching program will be wrapped up. You will want to stay
informed about that final phase of the coaching process. Did
the client and coach openly discuss what has and has not been
achieved?
Sometimes, there is a clear ending after a relatively intense
process. More frequently, the coaching is continued with lessfrequent
sessions or on an as-needed basis and becomes an informal
relationship with some level of paid involvement. There may also
be a “planned follow-up” after a specified period of time. Usually,
some closure is needed on the more formal, intense phase of