Executive Coaching - A Guide For The HR Professional.pdf

To the extent possible, there will be a clear set of goals and objectives,
action plans with milestones, and a means of evaluating the outcome.
Time Commitments
What Is the Client’s Role? 83
...............................
The client and the coach will arrive at an understanding of the time
commitments associated with the coaching. This will have been done
in the contracting process as well as in the discussion on ground rules.
Having a schedule and keeping to it are important aspects of the
structure of the relationship. They also are good predictors of a successful
outcome. In today’s business environment, it is very easy to
allow other events and meetings to crowd out coaching time. It is
common for urgent things to take priority over important things.
Making changes in leadership or interpersonal style is the kind
of task that requires continuity. That’s why regular contact with the
coach is important. Making these changes can be difficult, lonely
work. Sticking to the schedule is a shared responsibility of the client
and the coach, but slippage is much more often due to pressures on
the client than on the coach.
Encourage the client to take responsibility for maintaining the
integrity of the coaching schedule, just as he or she would for any
other business obligation. Sometimes the coach serves as a kind of
conscience, reminding the client to stick to the process. The client
shouldn’t let the coach become a nag!
If the client finds that time commitments cannot be kept, the
client must have an open discussion with the coach. Maybe something
is not working well in the relationship and the schedule slippage
is a symptom of a larger problem.
Responsibilities to the Boss and to the HR Person
The client must recognize that the organization has made an investment
of resources in him or her. The boss and you, the HR person,
have agreed that the client’s professional growth is important
enough that time and money can be set aside for development.