I was interviewed recently by someone doing research into coaching practice in different organisations. One of the questions she posed was, 'what makes coaching successful in your organisation?' It was a good question and so I thought I’d share some reflections here. It would be natural to assume that success depends primarily on the quality of coaches or coaching provided. After all, poor quality coaching is unlikely to have the same positive impact as high quality coaching. Assuming that to be the case, what else makes the difference?
I will approach this question from a number of angles. Firstly, why is the person undertaking coaching doing it? You can easily imagine that if a person enters a coaching relationship willingly, the outcome is likely to be different to that if a person feels forced to do it. Some organisations use coaching as a remedial intervention. People are sent for coaching if they are underperforming. Others use it as a perk or developmental intervention for high flyers or top talent. The former may approach coaching reluctantly, the latter with enthusiasm. Secondly, what does a person aim to gain through coaching? Are his or her expectations realistic? Is coaching the best mechanism or approach, depending on what the person is hoping to develop or achieve? Coaching can make a real difference, but it isn’t a silver bullet. I often hear of people seeking coaching to develop their professional or technical expertise. Whilst coaching can certainly be used to develop professional insight and capability, technical knowledge and expertise may be better addressed through training or mentoring. Thirdly, is there a good fit between coach and the person seeking coaching? This could range from interpersonal chemistry to coaching expertise and approach. Some coaches focus on how to navigate business challenges, others are more psychologically orientated. I advise people to think first what they hope to achieve through coaching, what they hope to be different then to explain their provisional goals and to ask the coach, ‘how might you approach that with me?’ The response will help determine whether it’s the right choice. Fourthly, does a person know how to get the best from coaching? If he or she hasn’t worked with a coach before, what help may he or she need in managing the relationship? It’s about learning to act intentionally and proactively as a coaching client. I sometimes meet people who have felt frustrated with their coach. On further exploration, they have approached the coach in passive mode, waiting for the coach to do something magic. The trick is how to work with the coach, to co-create the agenda and provide constructive feedback. Fifthly, how well does coaching fit with the person’s culture or organisational culture? Does the person's environment support and encourage the posing of searching questions, even if they challenge established norms or perceived authority? I have found this particularly challenging in places where people defer to the status quo out of cultural respect or fear. In such environments, if a coach asks a person, ‘what do you think?’, the person may feel confused (‘why, don’t you know the answer?’) or threatened (‘are you trying to catch me out?’). Finally, how well does the person apply what they are learning through coaching? Does he or she allow space and time following coaching to allow deep insights to surface? Does he or she rush back into normal activities and habitual patterns of behaviour so that learning is quickly lost? The greatest value from coaching often emerges afterwards when the person steps back from the coaching experience itself (a) to reflectively journal his or her learning and (b) to experiment with new ideas and approaches to see what happens as a result.
25 Comments
22/3/2012 10:54:39 am
I agree but would emphasise the need to agree realistic actions with the coachee which are then followed up at the next meeting. The deep insights you mention come from having made a detailed analaysis of the situation, discussed the options for action and then taken the action. The following session should explore what went well / not so well and why.
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Nick Wright
22/3/2012 12:46:28 pm
Hi John. Yes, exploring what happened in subsequent sessions (where there are subsequent sessions) can generate deeper insight and consolidate learning. Reminds me of action research. Nick
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Felicity O'Hanlon
22/3/2012 12:42:28 pm
This is an excellent answer; thorough and comprehensive, examining the question from the perspective of both client and coach.
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Nick Wright
22/3/2012 12:44:09 pm
Thanks, Felicity. I agree. The coach can help the client engage with the opportunity that coaching represents, even if the client arrived unwillingly. Sometimes this involves helping the client explore the wider system of which he or she is a part, how he or she arrived at coaching, how he or she deals with 'feeling sent' etc. Nick
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Clara Gibson
22/3/2012 12:49:08 pm
Hello Nick - an interesting article, and very true. very best wishes Clara
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Nick Wright
22/3/2012 12:49:57 pm
Thanks Clara. Appreciated. Nick
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Ginger Eklund
22/3/2012 12:51:39 pm
Great practical article and very timely. Thanks for sharing!
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Nick Wright
22/3/2012 12:52:24 pm
Thanks Ginger. :) Nick
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Bridget
22/3/2012 01:54:33 pm
Yet another impressive blog! I'm not a coach but hope to embark on a coaching relationship as a client quite soon. Your blog is very helpful preparatory reading! Sounds like the coaching situation when operating well is an exciting journey necessitating proactivity & effort on both parts. Thanks, Nick, for sharing & writing so clearly.
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Nick Wright
22/3/2012 02:06:14 pm
Thanks Bridget. Yes, in my experience, the best coaching is a coactive enterprise. I hope you will post further reflections as a client as your own coaching relationship progresses. Nick
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Jidith Hirst
23/3/2012 06:20:46 am
Thanks for your article Nick. Just writing something on coaching for a client so this has been very helpful in focussing my thoughts....
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Nick Wright
23/3/2012 06:21:39 am
Thanks Judith, pleased you found it helpful. I like your emphasis on contracting. I guess the question is how to frame the 80-20 principle so that the client has opporunity to explore what this would mean in practice for each party and what will follow between them. With best wishes. Nick
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Marietjie van der Walt
24/3/2012 07:08:05 am
Hi Nick I agree with your approach to "what makes coaching effective in organisation". We also have to me mindful of the various stakeholders involved. For instance, we can review and align the coaching goals with the coachee's expectations but do we know how that fit in with the sponsor' s objectives? This can become a dilemma if the coach and for that matter also the coachee, are obvlious to the expectations of the organisation. I would love to hear your response and experience. Best! Marietjie
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Nick Wright
24/3/2012 11:52:21 am
Hi Marietjie. Thanks for raising this important issue. In order to address this in the organisation I work with, I sometimes act as manager of a three-way contract between the coach, the client and the sponsor. This helps ensure that various stakeholder expectations are clear and agreed from the outset and provides a basis for subsequent evaluation. In other situations where the coaching is less formal and more expicitly self-directed, I encourage the client to discuss learning and development goals with his or her sponsor before contracting with a coach to help ensure focus, the sponsor's awareness and support and, where appropriate, a degree of organisational accountability. I would be very interested to hear about your experience in this area too. With best wishes.
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Helen Reuben
26/3/2012 08:10:57 am
A good article thanks Nick. If i may add a few questions that i feel are worth asking:-
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Nick Wright
26/3/2012 08:41:04 am
Thanks Helen. Good questions. Some quick thoughts:
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Michael Holland
30/3/2012 07:28:24 am
Thank you again, Nick. I really identify with your fourth point. In my context I am often coming across the mindset that 'if only someone else will come and help us/me all will be solved,' which needs to be countered with retaining responibility (and accountability) for the issues being faced. I encourage people to find and become engaged in supportive learning relationships, whether that is coaching, mentoring, learning sets or other where people can get the meaningful assistance they need that also enables them to remain autonomous and self directed. When people reach this, its great to see the positive reactions and renewed passion for work that the ability to overcome brings.
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Nick Wright
30/3/2012 07:29:18 am
Thanks for such encouraging and thoughtful feedback, Michael. I'm fascinated to hear more about your experiences in West Africa - what issues you encounter, what ways you have found to navigate through them etc. I've had some interesting experiences in Asia and East Africa and am keen to learn from others' insights and experiences. I hope you don't mind if I post your comment under the blog itself so others can see it too? Enjoy the coffee break. ;) Nick
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Prof Angus McLeod
5/4/2012 12:46:04 pm
Nick, very sound thoughts which show your experience and thoughtful consideration of real-world talent-development in organisations.
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Nick Wright
5/4/2012 01:04:05 pm
Hi Angus,
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Prof Angus McLeod
18/4/2012 06:59:03 am
Nick, You are in the right place exactly and have my confidence. Let's talk. Angus
Clive R
18/4/2012 06:44:44 am
Can I take you back to your reply to Helen 18 days ago, and your comment in point 2 'I tend to advise evaluating on a contribution rather than strictly 'scientific' attribution basis'? I'd be grateful if you could amplify that, as in my world I find I have to develop a partly subjective attribution of contribution!
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Nick Wright
18/4/2012 06:51:02 am
Hi Clive. 'A partly subjective attribution of contribution' sounds pretty mind-bending to me! ;) Please say more. You may find it interesting to have a glance at a short article I wrote on L&D impact evaluation some time ago: http://www.nick-wright.com/ld-impact-evaluation.html. I hope it helps answer the question you posed. If not, let me know? With best wishes. Nick
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Clive Reynolds
23/4/2012 04:05:50 am
Hi Nick
Nick Wright
23/4/2012 04:08:16 am
@Clive. Thanks for such a detailed response. I would be fascinated to hear more about how, in practice, you achieved the Level 4 evaluation - how did you do it? With best wishes. Nick
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Nick WrightI'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? Get in touch! Like what you read? Simply enter your email address below to receive regular blog updates!
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