DecisionWise Leadership Intelligence Report

Who Falls into the Coaching Zone?

Q. We are trying to determine the best way to identify managers in our organization who could benefit from coaching. How do you know when someone is a good candidate for coaching and that they will benefit from the process?

A. There are many different types of coaching methods, but to answer this question we will focus on Performance Coaching. Performance Coaching essentially has three components:
  • Identify areas for improvement
  • Create a personal leadership development plan
  • Follow up and maintain accountability
We use a 360 degree feedback assessment to identify areas for improvement. During an initial coaching session, we help individuals identify their strengths, gaps in perception, and derailers/weaknesses. Based on this information, the participant creates a personal development plan using SMART goals. Follow-up coaching sessions are used to measure progress, talk about obstacles, and maintain accountability.

When to Coach
Coaching is best applied to those individuals who are new managers, high potential managers, and that big group of managers that achieve “average” performance. The following two groups should be addressed in different ways:

    Poor Performers
    When someone has been performing well below acceptable performance, coaching is generally not the appropriate remedy. Corrective action is what is needed when the behavior has been consistently unacceptable.

    Top Performers
    Although appropriate in certain cases, generally when someone is performing close to the ideal level, coaching is less impactful. These are the top performers in your organization who most often can be used as coaches or mentors to other mangers.
The Coaching Zone

DecisionWise Coaching Zone

The middle zone between the required and ideal levels of competency is where coaching works best. We call that the “Coaching Zone.” A few important principles apply when in the Coaching Zone. The following are a few examples:
  • The person being coached wants to improve
  • The coach is not necessarily the expert
  • The feedback and coaching leads to continuous improvement
  • The discretionary effort is voluntary, not mandated
Conclusion
Coaching, done correctly, is a proven method to increase individual management performance. Coaching can be done internally by a cadre of qualified individuals- both in and outside the HR department. You may also choose to use external coaches or consultants to coach members of Senior Management. Using this model will help you recognize the best candidates for coaching and help you allocate your development resources more effectively.