Effective leadership coaching requires commitment. Is it worth investing in outside resources for a direct report who is facing change or second-guessing their abilities? Here are five considerations for your decision-making matrix.
VALUE – Are they worth it?
Is their current performance or perceived potential, valuable to your organization? Executive coaching could become time-consuming or expensive, therefore, reserve it for high-performers.
CHALLENGES – Is there a pressing need?
Can you pinpoint the problems they are facing right now? Some of the challenges a direct report faces may not be business related, but could still be adversely affecting performance expectations. Fundamentally, all leaders must be able to demonstrate alignment with the organization’s vision, mission, and values. Leadership coaching can help regain that alignment.
WILLINGNESS – Are they willing?
Is your direct report willing to work with an outside coach? If someone on your team is not reasonably open to self-improvement, you may want to re-examine your answer to question #1.
ALTERNATIVES – Can you do it?
Have you considered alternatives to outside coaching? Better mentoring, training, or direct coaching from you, are possibilities you may want to explore before looking for an external solution.
SUPPORT – Is there support?
Are other members of your team willing to support your direct report’s growth and change? Explicit or implicit negative reinforcement will neutralize any investment you make. Your office environment should bolster, not undermine, the growth of all your direct reports. If it does not, use your resources to improve your organization’s culture instead.
Note: If you answered no to three or more of the questions, you might want to consider leadership development coaching for yourself first, or perhaps in concert with your employee.
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If you have a direct report who could stand improvement in his or her current role, or you are interested in grooming someone for succession planning, it may be worthwhile to have a conversation with Karl Bimshas Consulting, the leadership development and accountability firm that helps busy professionals who run small businesses or large departments to manage better and lead well.
Also published on Medium.