Von Gehr Consulting Group Mentioned In BLR Newsletter
10 May 2010 16:22 Filed in: Business Coaching News
Coaching Builds on Strengths, Addresses Weaknesses of Newly Promoted Managers
The skills that make an employee a star in your organization are not necessarily the same skills that will help him or her excel if promoted to a management position. That’s why it is important to provide coaching to newly promoted managers, says Erroin A. Martin.
Benefits of Coaching
A coach can help new managers build on their existing strengths, identify and address their weaknesses, develop new skills they need to be successful, cut through cultural barriers, and adjust more quickly to their new role, says Martin, business advocate, Von Gehr Consulting Group LLC (www.vongehrconsulting.com).
Coaching can accomplish those types of results in ways that mentoring and traditional training cannot, according to Martin. For example, when an informal mentoring relationship exists, mentors might avoid addressing certain issues because they feel that it is a supervisor’s responsibility to do so, he says. And trainers might not have the resources to follow up with each individual or to customize training to his or her particular needs.
Business coaches, however, create a specific plan tailored to the individual and hold him or her accountable for achieving identified goals within a certain time frame, Martin explains, adding that coaches address any potential shortfalls on a proactive—rather than a reactive—basis. They help the newly promoted manager “tackle the most glaring weaknesses first” and facilitate an easier transition by mapping out goals to be accomplished within the first 30, 60, and 90 days, for example.
Three Key Elements
Before any coaching experience can be successful, however, Martin says three key elements must exist:
1. ‑An openness to coaching. Individuals being coached must “recognize that they’re ready to be coached,” he says. Otherwise, an adversarial relationship will develop.
2. ‑A good match. “The personalities of the coach and coachee have to match,” he says.
3. ‑A shared goal. “They have to commit to an agreed-upon plan,” Martin explains.
Ideally, coaching for newly promoted managers should begin before the promotion takes effect, or at least within the first 90 days, explains Martin. The first of 10 to 15 1-hour coaching sessions typically takes place in person, and the coaching relationship usually lasts “a little under 7 months,” depending on the individual and his or her particular situation. In his experience, about 65 percent of coaching sessions are face-to-face, while 20 percent take place over the phone, and 15 percent are held via Web conferencing, he says.
Selecting a Coach
When selecting a coach, HR professionals (or employees who are hiring a coach on their own) need to understand what the coach can—and cannot—do for them or the company, according to Martin.
He recommends inquiring about the coach’s background and experience and looking for a coach who has been certified through the International Coach Federation (www.coachfederation.org) or other reputable organization.
However, he cautions against making a selection based on certification alone. Although certification is important, Martin says a coach also needs to understand the company’s business model and market.
This article originally appeared in Best Practices in Compensation & Benefits, a publication of Business & Legal Reports (BLR). BLR has been helping HR, Compensation, Safety and Environmental professionals with legal compliance and professional support resources for over 30 years. For more information, visit www.blr.com or hr.blr.com.