The Work Clinic

Steve Miller:
Zennith, my top six practical steps to take would be as follows:-

• Get the board to promote their commitment to a coaching culture in the business plan. Have it written and included in all business presentations.
• Go out and talk with senior managers about how they can use coaching to build business results. Don’t do this from your office. Physically go out and about. Let them see your enthusiasm. If you don’t get out and about senior managers will probably become cynical commenting that it is another HR initiative that adds little value.
• Place coaching as a measured competence within the appraisal process. Come up with a few points of performance criteria such as 'manager regularly sits down with employees and encourages them to think of new ways of behaving to achieve goals'.
• Keep it practical and down to earth because often we make things too academic for managers. Remember you want to win the hearts and minds of managers and employees to see the benefits of coaching so keep it simple.
• Design a template that is practical for coaching plans. This should include basic information including the key coaching areas agreed, actions to be carried out as a result of the coaching session and finally review dates.
• Publicise internal successes. What I mean by that is to promote stories around individuals that have managed to step up and achieve more for themselves and the business as a result of being coached.
• Reward great coaching practice. One of my clients provided a team with a special award when they turned around poor customer service as a result of proactive coaching.
• Above all keep it practical otherwise you have little chance of making the coaching culture come alive.