Is it worth investing in outside coaching for an employee who is facing change or second-guessing their abilities?

Here are five questions to help you find the right answer.

1. VALUE – Are they worth it?

Is their current performance or potential, valuable to your organization? Executive coaching could be time-consuming or expensive, therefore, reserve it for high-performers.

2. CHALLENGES – Is there a pressing need?

Can you pinpoint the problems they are facing right now? Some of the challenges an employee faces may not be business related, but could still be adversely affecting performance expectations. Leaders must be able to demonstrate alignment with the organization’s vision, mission, and values. Leadership coaching can help regain that alignment.

3. WILLINGNESS – Are they willing?

Is your employee 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 the first question.

4. 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.

5. SUPPORT – Is there support?

Are other members of your team willing to support your employee’s growth and change? Explicit or implicit negative reinforcement will neutralize any investment you make. Your work environment should bolster, not undermine, the growth of all your direct reports. If it doesn’t, 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.

If you have an employee who could improve in his or her current role with better business acumen and communication skills, or you are interested in grooming someone for succession planning, it may be worthwhile to have a conversation with Karl Bimshas Consulting.