So, You Want to Build a Coaching Culture - Building Block 3: Creating Measurements of Success for Individuals and the Organization
The final building block in the 3-part series, “So, You Want to Build a Coaching Culture,” requires generation of key metrics for employees and the organization, to ensure the coaching program will yield the results you want.
This step comes after confirming and enlisting the stakeholders for your coaching program, as we covered in Building Block 2.
As you approach the finish line of building a coaching culture, the process of measuring a coaching practice might seem impossible. A good place to start is a 70/30 split, which means that 70 percent of the metrics will remain static and 30 percent will be tailored to the specific coaching engagement involved. It is especially helpful if the metrics can be compared across engagements.
The common thread in a coaching engagement is the need and desire for change. Some of the most common areas where leaders seek change include:
- communication
- conflict management
- the ability to influence
- change management
- drive for results
When themes show up in your organization, those are good places to create some continuity in the way you measure them.
Organizational Values
Aligning the coaching culture to the organization’s values is often an overlooked step that can add stability to metrics used to measure the success of your coaching practice. The power of this alignment helps to ensure the changes made are sustainable. When this step is missed, it can cause incongruencies between the new and desired behaviors.
Organizational Goals
Creating a path between the metrics of the individual development and organizational goals increases accountability. When an individual clearly sees the path from the work they do to the organization’s mission and goals, their desire to effectively work toward the common goal will often accelerate and their performance will increase, too. Today, our incoming workforce is looking for a connection to the purpose of the team and organization they are a part of. Your ability to clearly communicate and connect the dots for each person enlisted in the “cause” is crucial to both the short-term and long-term success of your coaching program.
Relationships are key
While measures are a critical part of a coaching program, longevity and ultimate success are determined by the quality of the relationships the program builds with its entire ecosystem. The coaches are indeed the frontline customer -- never forget the sponsors you worked so hard to enlist and the vendors you will need to bring your coaching practice up through the inevitable growing pains.
Building Blocks of a Coaching Culture
- Three Building Blocks of Strong Coaching Cultures:
- Conduct an assessment to better understand how coaching may help your organization meet strategic goals.
- Gather stakeholders to draft a multiphase plan to provide opportunities for all employees to develop skills and reach professional goals.
- Ensure your measurement of success ranges from individual metrics to organizational bottom line metrics.
- Define The “Who” of it All:
- Champions/sponsors
- Stakeholders
- End Users
- Multiphase Coaching Infrastructure:
- Enlist stakeholders
- Define roles and responsibilities
- Establish a cascading communication plan
- Deploy the chosen coaching model according to a timeline that allows for the business outcomes to be realized
- Perform intermittent pulse checks throughout the process to ensure it is aligned to metrics (Building Block 3), and allow for adjustments as needed
- Create Measures of Success:
- Define your metrics (70/30 split)
- Align measures of organizational values and goals
- Manage stakeholder relationships
Remember to remain nimble while holding the highest standards toward excellence. A robust coaching practice will enable your organization to attract, retain and deploy top talent. In this landscape, that is most definitely a competitive advantage.