Appropriateness of Coaching

By: Dr. S. Sabesan

Like in the case of training, those who invest in Coaching, constantly wonder if their investment is really worth the cost and effort. They therefore search for and set up a whole host of mechanisms to measure effectiveness. What many are not aware of is that one can design for effectiveness by managing each element of the process effectively. The first is to search for the right Coach. Of equal importance is the certainty of the extent to which the Coachee is ready for Coaching. In other words, if the Coachee is ‘ready’ there is gain. If the Coachee is not ‘ready’, there is only pain and disappointment!

We will now elucidate this process, through the experiences that our Coaches at CFI have recorded.

Situation 1

Mr. R is the Head of Human Resources for a large Organisation. He was hired six months ago with the Board’s consent. The Board is now reviewing his performance and is quite disappointed with his work. The CEO provided him with interim feedback and the situation has evidently not improved. The Board is exploring options and as a last resort they are considering Executive Coaching.

Situation 2

The CEO of a BPO invites an Executive Coach for discussions. His Organisation has just gone through a merger. In his opinion, his leaders now have to play a much larger role. He is convinced that Executive Coaching will help. The Coach speaks to the Coachees. Here the Coachees tell him that Coaching is the last thing on their mind. They are unsure about their future, unclear about their roles and skeptical about the post-integration situation.

Situation 3

Mr. S, a smart, young Sales person, is shouldering a huge responsibility of an International Territory. He reports to the CEO, who believes that Coaching would help groom him. The Coach had two sessions with him and closed out on the engagement as the Coachee wanted answers to his problems. The Coachee did not want to be pushed and challenged to find answers on his own.

These three examples clearly point to the futility and even dangers of using Executive Coaching indiscriminately, thereby raising a question in people’s minds about the efficacy of Coaching.

Even as Indian corporates begin to embark on Coaching in a large way, it would be of immense value to pay attention to all the important issues of Coachee readiness. Companies must take a good look at whether the potential client is ready to receive Coaching just as they pay attention to whether the Coach is capable of delivering good Coaching.

It is for this reason that CFI always volunteers a “Getting acquainted session”, which introduces Coaching to Organisations and Coachees. This allows for both the Organisation and the Coachee, to take a well considered decision about the appropriateness of Coaching. CFI insists that Coaching services are offered only to those clients who are ‘ready’ as Coaching cannot be forced upon individuals.

We now present CFI’s Coaching Readiness Model to look at some of the specific enabling and inhibiting factors, which influence and affect the readiness of the Coachee. (Given below)

It must, however, be pointed out that no Coachee is likely to be completely or 100% ready for Coaching, with all the strong enabling factors and without any of the inhibiting factors. It is therefore necessary that their sponsors use this model to ascertain a good balance and an adequate level of readiness and chance for success. 

Enabling factors that support Coaching readiness

There are at least four factors that enable Coaching readiness.

1. Executive Motivation

The most important enabling factor for readiness is the Executive’s motivation to change, improve and go to the next level.

The Meta study of Assay, Lambert et.al (1999) examining the factors contributing to success in therapy, attributed 40% of the success to client factors. In other words, this epoch making research suggests that it is clients themselves and the circumstances of their life situation, which account for the most important element of the change process. This includes the client’s own inner strengths and external supportive elements in their environment, including friendships and family support, membership of a close networking group, religious affiliations, hobbies and leisure activities. The inner factors like self belief, the ability to identify a focused issue or goal, persistence and sense of personal responsibility to work towards it, are also key ingredients that account for the Coachee’s motivation and successful Coaching outcomes.

2. Emotional Intelligence

Coachees should have at least a basic level of emotional intelligence. This gives them the necessary self awareness, the ability to understand others, the ability to engage in social interactions and control and moderate their emotions. While we do not expect mastery, its absence should not derail the process. For example, if certain individuals have blind spots that are impermeable, any amount of assessment and feedback can be ineffective and the Coach may not be able to make any progress.

3. Managerial Support

Coachees do not operate in a vacuum. They spend most of their working time with their managers whose support, guidance and endorsement and alignment is key for success. For the CEO, this could be the Board, for a CXO, it could be the CEO.

If the Coachee and his or her manager are aligned on all substantive issues and also enjoy a good interpersonal relationship, the Coachee’s ability to reenter the workplace and attempt new behaviours and succeed will be very high. Even if there are minor differences, Coaches can help and empower Coachees to take the initiative to resolve these differences.

4. Challenging Work

Coaches help Coachees develop new perspectives, belief systems, skills and behaviours. However, all this has to be finally put to use at the workplace. For this, they must have work that challenges them and stretches them and helps them test these new found abilities. When their work itself is challenging and they have the benefit of a Coach who helps them develop new abilities, the combined effect can be transformational.

Inhibiting factors that impair Coaching readiness

There are at least three factors that inhibit Coaching readiness.

1. Performance Issues

If a Coachee has serious issues with his current performance, Coaching may not be the right solution to help him. There might be need to explore the causes and come up with suitable improvement plans. Coaching certainly cannot be an intervention arising out of a performance improvement plan.

Here it is important to differentiate between individuals who have performance problems and those who desire to enhance their performance. Coaching can certainly help the latter but not the former.

2. Career Derailment

If an executive is facing career derailment - a condition where his career has literally gone off track, where he is no longer progressing as well as he was, where he is even facing the possibility of slowing down, being ignored and ultimately asked to go elsewhere, is he suitable for Coaching?

Coaching can be an extremely effective solution for executives who are facing potential derailment. However, it depends on how quickly this has been identified and addressed.  The truth is that like debilitating diseases, career derailment is hard to spot in the early days but easy to correct. It is however easier to spot much later but harder to correct.

So, depending on when it has been identified, Coaching can or cannot work. The effectiveness of Coaching also depends on the presence of enabling factors and the absence of inhibiting factors.

3. Psychopathological Problems

Coaching will be an inappropriate intervention, when an employee suffers from psychopathological problems such as anxiety, depression, addiction, schizophrenia and personality disorders. Such individuals may require therapy and even clinical intervention which are well outside the realms of Coaching.

There is a huge danger and professional risk associated with individuals who are referred to Coaching. Sponsors need to be mindful of such conditions among potential Coachees (though this is likely to be quite rare) and refrain from recommending them for Coaching. Instead they could be referred to seek therapeutic help (please read Dr. B. J. Prashantham's article on this subject in this issue.)

A case for good judgment

It must be re-emphasised that arriving at Coaching readiness is not a mathematical process. There is no magic formula here. In our experience, even when Coachees have a few inhibiting factors along with some enabling factors, they do benefit from Coaching engagement.

Arriving at a sound judgment about the balance between these factors is therefore a key task for sponsors. If they make the right decision, they will help the Coachee, the Coach and themselves! However the indiscriminate use of Coaching will do all concerned a huge disservice!

Reference:

Assay and Lambert (2006) The empirical case for the common factors. In Mark A. Hubble, Barry L. Duncan. Scott D. Miller (2006), The Heart & Soul of Change- What works in Therapy? American Psychology Association, pp 23-55, 11th Edition, Washington DC

Dr. S. Sabesan is Director, Programs and Research at Executive and Business Coaching Foundation India Limited.