ROI & Executive Coaching
One of my coaching clients is trying to figure out how to report the outcomes of the coaching process to her boss. Not unusual. Organizations and bosses want to know what they’re getting for their money when they retain a coach. Many organizations require some indication that something has changed for the better: that the leader is more effective for the time and money spent.
It’s difficult to quantify the impact of the behavior changes, at least in the short run. Did the leader’s new ability to take a deep breath and ask questions before barking a directive substantially impact the bottom line? Did a leader’s ability to pinpoint a micro-managing style and instantly shift approach result in increased sales? How about a technical expert promoted to leadership who has learned to move away from solving everyone’s problems to transferring his skill and knowledge into developing expertise in others? What about the leader who avoided conflict or quelled controversy who now invites divergent points of view to be explored and understood? Will this new approach lead to innovation and new products or improved service?
My client had taken the leadership seat after the departure of the previous executive who led the organization for thirty years. She stepped into an organization that was badly in need of a new vision and strategies. Revenues were down, service had suffered and morale followed. Even the physical plants (60’s era linoleum, chipped and peeling paint, unreliable technology and outdated systems, neglected landscaping) stood as symbols of the need for renewal. Competitors had moved into the 21st century with innovative products and services. My client dreamed of this organization becoming the standard of excellence.
With 2 ½ years in the leadership role, my client sought a coach in the midst of a strained relationship with the Board, disengaged staff, and resistance in the face of implementing new and creative initiatives. My client was also just plain exhausted. After 6 months of working together, she asked for help in developing a report for the Board about the progress of the coaching engagement. As she approached the task, she became concerned about the implications of having had coaching in the first place: “I was broken and ineffective. I needed to be fixed and now I have to plow that old ground and tell my Board what’s changed. My Board doesn’t get it and they’re the ones that need to change” were all messages rolling around in her head. I began to reflect on all the challenges my client had faced and her willingness to try new approaches. She asked her senior leadership team to complete survey feedback on her leadership style and its impact on organizational climate. She shared the feedback with her team in a facilitated discussion and remained non-defensive and open to listening. She worked on modulating emotional responses and increasing her EI. She thoughtfully developed strategies to more effectively facilitate change. She addressed business issues and performance problems with candor and compassion. She had met, head on, all that is often demanded during coaching: reflection, self-awareness, behavior change, and emotional risk taking. And oh, yes, sometimes with little or no recognition for effecting significant change. She commented: “My staff wants more recognition and appreciation. Well, I’d like someone to thank me for all I’m doing, too.”
I thought about what courage and humility it takes to engage in the coaching process. Leadership is not for the faint of heart.
My client has accomplished a great deal over the six months:
- increased trust among and between staff,
- candor in conflicts and quicker solutions,
- clear performance standards and objectives for each leadership team member and his or her department and staff,
- more effective team meetings resulting in specific strategies and next steps,
- a strategic planning process which includes ad hoc teams chartered around specific organizational issues.
The physical plants are even more upbeat, updated and efficient.
I don’t know if I can draw a straight line in a cause and effect fashion between the organization’s positive outcomes and the coaching process. Key elements of the coaching process are both personal and profound: not something a client would put in a report to the Board. But if persistence, patience, tenacity and hard work count for anything, my client can be proud of her accomplishments even if she can’t put a dollar value on them for her Board.
Filed in: Executive Coaching
