July 25, 2:55 pm
Coaching makes a difference at all levels of an organization
A video report on FoxNews.com explains how high schools in the state of Georgia are using dropout prevention coaches to improve graduation rates. When one considers the difference in lifetime wages between high school graduates and non-graduates, this is an extremely wise investment on the part of Georgia’s school board.
Most of us have at least heard coaching for business executives, but I think employers should consider coaching for front-line supervisors, too.
Not worth it? Consider these examples:
1. A rather large farm in Idaho contacted me about coaching for one of its farm managers. According to the owner, the manager had worked at the farm for 12 years and knew too much about the farm’s operation to just let him go. But his rough personality was driving many others to quit instead!
We did a survey of the man’s co-workers and they rated him a “1” or a “2” (on a 1-10 scale / 10 = highest) on almost every management and interpersonal skill we asked about.
After a little more than a dozen coaching sessions we did another survey – and these same coworkers rated him a “7” on those same issues. Needless to say, the farm manager kept his job.
2. A shining star employee was promoted to supervisor at a small manufacturing facility, only to earn the wrath of his former peers due to his rather condescending management style. One of the five other workers on his shift quit, another had changed shifts, and yet another was openly talking about finding work elsewhere.
The assistant plant manager asked for a little coaching help. After only five weeks of coaching the man who was talking about leaving decided to stay, and production numbers have improved. The assistant plant manager reports a much improved attitude from this supervisor.
I guess what I’m trying to say is companies shouldn’t reserve coaching only for the execs. When considering the tens of thousands of dollars a company spends to replace a front-line manager, a few thousand for coaching is very worthwhile investment.
In other words, if it works in the executive ranks as well as high schools, it’s worth using for front-line supervisors, as well.
Filed in Work, Business, Training, Management, Workplace, Retention, Coaching
Hi Dan, couldn’t agree with you more. Coaching is not just for the CEO or even executive ranks alone. While the initial payoff may be quicker, the longer term impact comes from coaching the front-line team leaders. They have the most immediate impact on the rest of the workforce, and influence the ability to execute strategy in a much more powerful way. It’s a method we use with our Six Disciplines clients and refer to it as “Total Organizational Engagement.”
All the best,
Skip