Course Focus
This new course was developed based on recent research we just completed. It combines:
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A principled coaching approach
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Creating the right time to coach
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Developing and using higher emotional intelligence to increase the relationship and connection
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Using the characteristics of the generation being coached to develop a more customized discussion and plan
The Coaching Clinic
What you end up with is the leader who is:
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Perceived to be genuinely interested in the person he or she is coaching
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A more focused coaching session because the coach isn’t distracted (with a cluttered mind and overwhelming schedule
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More empathy and understanding on the part of the coach
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Higher engagement because the person being coached is fully involved in the session and develops a path of improvement
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The coaching strategy is more successful because the coaching plan is more strategic due to being more aware of additional characteristics the person being coached has
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A plan with a longer vision and success measurements
This course teaches leaders how to create coaching strategies and use a combination of open and closed-ended questions to engage the “coachee” help the “coachee” develop a realistic and successful plan for improvement. Those being coached are much more receptive to any type of feedback, and take ownership in acting on what was discussed.
By the end of this workshop, participants will leave with strategies they develop in class that they can use immediately and see improved coaching results and performance.
Participants create simple and easy to execute behavioral change/performance improvement strategies for a variety of coaching interactions encountered on-the-job. He/she learns how to deal with employee or peer indifference, skepticism, apathy, resentment, distrust etc. and create a tangible sense of accountability regarding the employee progressing to the desired state.
There are application-based activities at the end of each module.
Course Outline
Module 1 – Navigating the Coaching Process
The course begins with an introduction to coaching which is an ongoing process that over time, will lead to permanent improvement of processes and performance. Participants discover ways coaching fails and the consequences. Participants participate in a group exercise that identifies past coaching successes and failures (cause and affects.) (A customized case study can also be inserted here instead.
Module 2 – Planning Your Coaching Session
Planning an effective coaching session is all about planning. Participants learn to identify the purpose their coaching session, and what he or she hopes to accomplish. Effective coaching is built on a foundation of empathy and insights about the beliefs, self-esteem and expectations of the individual being coached. Understanding the perspective and mindset of the recipient often times makes or breaks the outcome of a coaching session.
To improve these conversations, we need to change our assumptions and our behavior. We need to assume that we don’t know the whole truth and that our counterpart can give us significant information. Once we understand the other person’s perspective we can then help him or her to understand why we think what we think, to explain our reasoning without falling into advocacy. Once we understand each other, we can negotiate our differences and look for win-win solutions.
In this module, additional research is presented on coaching Generation X and Generation Y employees. An open forum discussion is used to surface some of the concerns the participants have in coaching a multi-generational workforce.
Module 3 – Identifying Like a Doctor
Using the example of a doctor, the participants learn the concept of asking the right questions to draw out responses, information, and ideas which allow you to “accurately diagnose of skill and will” as the pillar of successful coaching. The goal is to create a sense of open, reflective exploration. The coaches who expand the mind, emotions, and performance come to the coaching relationship focused on the person he or she is trying to coach.
Mindful coaches perfect a form of conscious and comfortable simultaneous attention to themselves, their coachee, the relationship between them, and the mental, emotional, and relational dynamics occurring at the moment. Participants break into teams of two, pick a past coaching scenario and practice asking questions. Then, they discuss with the rest of the class how this is similar or different compared to how they’ve have coaching conversations in the past.
Module 4 – Using the PROP Model to Plan Your Questions
The key to coaching and using the PROP model is all about asking great questions. By asking great questions you will increase your engagement with the person you’re coaching. Most leaders think great coaching is giving the person you’re coaching great direction at what they’re supposed to do.
Coaching isn’t telling the person you’re coaching what to do – it’s helping the person you’re coaching to come up with his or her own answers by asking the right question at the right time. This builds a climate of trust and confidence plus a healthy relationship.
Participants in teams of two practice asking questions, rather giving direction. Then they share how this was different from how they have coached in the past. They will use the PROP model for this activity.
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Purpose or end result (what needs to be achieved from this coaching session)
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Reality (you and the employee gain awareness of the current situation)
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Options (what the employee can do to reach the desired outcome)
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Plan (mutually agreed upon)
Module 5 – Contracting for Accountability and Sustained Improvement
The litmus test of any coaching session is what happens, or does not happen, once the discussion is over. Using real world situations, participants learn how to make “accountability contracts” with employees and drive their execution using the See It, Own It, Do I reinforcement model. The goal is to set up a path to continued improvement. That means scheduling the next session and determining objectives to be met (with mutual agreement), by the next coaching session. You will see better results with your coachee if the process is structured with mutually agreed upon milestones.
Participants (in teams of two) practice setting up a path for continued improvement and achieving mutual agreement. Then these milestones need to be placed on a calendar so they are meaningful and met.