Coaching, A Timely Tool for a Time of Unpredictability
OK, granted, most any time can be unpredictable. However, these times it seems that shoes are dropping from the tentacles of every octopus on the planet and even though the octopus seems to enjoy a solitary life, more of them seem to be swimming around and bringing numerous shoes to drop. How can coaching be a tool for such a time as this?
Coaching’s Past
While some view coaching as a fad, coaching has a 2,400-year history beginning in ancient times with Socrates. People like Thomas Leonard, Laura Whitworth, and John Whitmore receive credit for bringing coaching into modern times. At first, coaching did not enjoy a warm welcome into the business community as many thought it to be too touchy feely for any business environment. Many associate coaching with counseling and while they do share similarities, they are different. Then when coaching became “acceptable,” only the C Suite had the privilege of participating. The truth is everyone could use some coaching now and then. Even coaches have coaches.
The Best Coach
Today coaching is becoming increasingly acceptable and there is a coach on every corner. Further, more organizations are hiring both internal and external coaches. This is not meant to be critical as it provides the opportunity to shop around and find a good fit if you are in the market for a coach. Finding a coach who is in sync with your needs, can sense your tolerance level of stress or challenge, your desire, passion for your goal(s), and your level of commitment is important. Every coach has a coaching philosophy. This is not to say that coaches cannot be flexible, certainly they must be flexible, but just like you, every coach has a different background, training, and skills. Select (internally) or hire (externally) wisely.
The Timely Tool
There is so much change occurring, many people are hurting, are indecisive, and, confused. Therefore, coaching is indeed a timely tool. A good coach can help us ferret out these and many other dilemmas.
Moreover, while it’s true coaching is not therapy, and a good coach knows when to suggest a therapist, coaching can help reduce stress, help subjects be more realistic, find a more positive bent on life, and gain a higher level of engagement in both work and career.
The ROI of Coaching
Further, coaching is a worthwhile investment for an organization as, according to recent statistics,
- 86% of organizations realized an ROI on their investment in coaching.
- 70+% of people who participated in coaching programs realize improved work performance, work relationships, and increased communication skills.
- Other studies indicate gains in customer service, organizational strength, improved teamwork, and job satisfaction.
However, one of the drawbacks of coaching is many find it difficult to measure its ROI in some cases. The good news is that there are many ways to measure the benefits that coaching provides. The idea, of course, is to look at or take a measurement of situations before a coaching program begins. Some categories are easier than others to measure. Some examples of easy areas to measure are:
- Sales
- Customer complaints
- Merchandise returns
- Customer service scores
- Turnover stats
Other areas that may seem less easy to measure are:
- Employee satisfaction
- Stress
- Employee engagement
- Productivity
Again, taking a measurement before a coaching program begins is critical. One measurement idea is for the manager and the person who will enter the coaching program to take part in a survey before the program begins and immediately after the program ends. Match them at the beginning and again at the end of the coaching program. That should give you an accurate measurement to determine the effectiveness of the program.
None of us can help the number of octopus that might swim around in the future or how many shoes they might drop causing unpredictable times, but we can implement the tool of coaching for a better way to manage the stress, chaos, and confusion that unpredictable times can bring.
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