Coaching with a Purpose

TTI Performance Systems, Ltd. 9crucial to a successful relationship that it mayfurther explain the preference for a coachfrom outside the employee’s organization.The effectiveness of the coachingprocess (96%) rounded out the topfour considerations. The level of coachspecifictraining (89%) followed, withthe level of formal education/schooling(71%) trailing behind. This denotes lessfocus on traditional aspects of a coach’sbackground than on a relationship andprocess that can generate results. Providingan opportunity for the employee to meetthe potential coach and learn what processhe or she proposes is highly advisable. Ademonstrably effective process whichincludes measurements of success is theorder of the day. “Coaching people to breakold habits, stimulate creative thinking andestablish an integrated process that setsclear ways to achieve sustainable resultsand increased profits is essential to businessstrategy development.” 11 Given what is atstake, the importance of choosing acoach who is empowered with the bestprocess and tools and who can tap intothe participant’s drive to succeedis vital.Elements of theBest PracticeCoaching ProcessCoaching is traditionally based ontimely feedback, as the coach usesobjectivity and experience to guidethe employee from the sidelines whileevents unfold in the workplace. Thisinterchange is the heart of coaching. Bestpractice coaching has taken a big stepforward to situate this ongoing dialoguewithin a clearly defined framework frombeginning to end. This framework acts as aroadmap, assuring that the employee, themanager and the coach are united at keytouch points along the way.Each point is absolutely necessary forsuccess, because they serve to clarifyeveryone’s understanding of the specificareas where the employee needs to growin order to meet their goals. They also setshared expectations of the scope of thecoaching relationship, the employee’s actionsand how success will be measured. Usingthis framework, it is possible to measure theprogress of the coaching process. It requiresa job benchmark, a comprehensiveassessment of the person’s behaviors,motivators and personal skills and thedesired performance goals.Figure 6 - Coaching Key Process: Job BenchmarkKey Accountabilities Job Assessment Gap Action Plan Post-Assessment©2010 Target Training International, Ltd. 102110 Coaching with a Purpose: Is Your Coaching Job Related? | 9