by Doug Gray | Sep 8, 2015 | Business, Leadership, Managers, strengths, Success, talent, talent assessment
The goal of coaching is behavioral change toward a desired personal or professional outcome. For instance, Sarah may need to develop her business development skills to grow her new franchise by 50% within the next 6 months. John may need to develop an assertive meeting style with his new manager, in the next 30 days, or risk opportunities for promotion. How do these leaders attain their goals?
Some leaders like to imagine the coaching process in the following 4 phases. My experience, since 1997 with hundreds of coaching engagements, is that coaching engagements rarely fall into the neat categories of these 4 phases. One reason is that learning is a messy process. The process is ongoing, iterative, client-focused, both an “artful craft” requiring practice, and a scientific management consulting process requiring expertise. The action learning process implies that coaches and leaders jointly learn what works, and why it works, so that the leader can do more of that behavior.
That said, the process of organizational development can be described in these 4 phases. (Source: Gallant & Rios, 2014).
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- The start-up phase requires candid assessment of what is working, what is not working, and what is needed. The selection of a coach or consultant is crucial. Leaders should not select someone they like as a potential confidante or best friend. Leaders should select the most expert consultant who can help them master a new behavior. For instance, if a leader needs a woman who speaks Spanish to help prepare for relocation to Mexico City, then I am not qualified. The goal of this start-up phase is to define boundaries of the engagement, and to mutually agree on those boundaries in a written contract.
- The diagnosis phase includes learning what the leader thinks about their reputation, brand, strengths, and weaknesses. That self-assessment often conflicts with data gathered from others. Techniques include surveys, interviews, assessments, observations, and video. The word “diagnosis” is not accurate, because it implies a gap or deficiency that is static and needs correction. I prefer the words “development” or “focus” or “assessment” because they accurately describe the ongoing quality of coaching engagements that reinforce the strengths of leaders.
- The intervention phase is the core of any coaching engagement. The process includes ongoing assessment of the client’s agenda, review of behaviors, feedback, and constructive actions. There is both art and science involved in coaching. The art requires constant attention to the leader’s words and actions, following intuition, and what I call “dancing with curiosity.” The science requires ongoing consideration of recent research in evidence-based behavior or world-class tactics that may be useful to the leader.
- The transition phase occurs at the end of every coaching session, in monthly written summaries, after any feedback session or observation, quarterly frequency reviews, and opening and closing meetings with the leader, HR business partner, direct manager, and the coach. Those 4-way meetings insure that behavioral outcomes have been exceeded. As a 4th step in this model, the transition phase reminds all stakeholders that coaching has a beginning and an end. There are some “executive coaches” who boastfully declare that they have provided value to a leader for years. I sincerely hope that they regularly review the behavioral outcomes and business needs so that each phase of that engagement is closed. If not, they may be describing a dependent relationship that has little to do with a leader’s need for behavioral change.
This neat model with 4 phases may be useful for those who like structure. Accountants and engineers and some HR managers may find them useful.
One final thought: if the client needs a more fluid model, then these 4 steps can be twisted into a circle or a spiral.
Call us if you need to assess step 1 above, the start-up phase.
If we cannot help you, then we will refer you to someone who can do so.
Reference:
Gallant, S. & Rios, D. (2014). The organization development (OD) consulting process. In B.R. Jones & M, Brazzel (Eds.), The NTL handbook of organization development and change (2nd ed.) (pp. 153-174). San Francisco, CA: Wiley.
by Doug Gray | Jul 6, 2015 | Business, change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, strengths, Success, talent, talent assessment
How do you measure learning and development?
The Greeks believed that the “rope of one’s life” was defined by three fates, who spun the thread of life, measured it, and then cut it.
Instead, imagine that your career can be described using a 10’ long piece of rope. If you dropped the rope at your feet it would look like several messy loops. Most of us choose to believe that we have some impact on the “rope of our careers.”
Now imagine that you have a work team of 5 people. If they each had a 10’ long piece of rope and dropped those ropes at your feet, then how would you describe that messy image?
Talent management is a cyclical model frequently described with three loops: attraction, development and retention. Some of those key metrics include efficiency, effectiveness and outcomes. A tremendous resource for talent managers who want to demonstrate accountability, like any CFO or business leader, is at www.centerfortalentreporting.org
The ultimate goal of talent management should be to retain desired employees, not all employees.
There are actually 6 loops in talent management. Think of your process as 6 inter-related loops that include: talent acquisition, learning and development, leadership development, performance, total rewards, and succession planning. Here is a definition of each loop, plus some comments.
- “Learning and development” services support all of the organizational activities aimed at improving the performance of individuals and groups within the organization. The learning and development process includes addressing gaps in skills, knowledge and competencies, and then building the strategic talent capabilities of the organization through a systematic focus on competence required to meet business objectives. Aspects of learning and development may include job profiles, competency mapping, knowledge management, behaviors, skills, ability tracking, learning content, training, coaching and assessments.
Despite the trend toward digital content delivery, adoption of digital content remains below 20% in most industries. Make certain that you are using short, sensational videos, interactive quizzes, and social followers or gamification to promote goals of instructional designers. The bottom line? Be careful if investing in digital solutions and expecting high user adoption rates.
The 70:20:10 model for learning and development is a guideline or frame of reference that is now used to both 1) promote learning and 2) restrict learning. Let us assume that learning results from 70% on-the-job or self-directed learning, 20% from managerial or client feedback, and 10% from courses and reading. Then what does that mean in your organization?
- Do you expect to foster innovation internally, by engaging employees or actively managing their professional development plans?
- Do you restrict that manager who spends more than 20% of her time and energy on that direct report that has high potential, but lacks procedural knowledge of customer delivery?
- Do you invest in external coaching and consulting for your top 20% producers, as a development tool to increase retention some 14 months on average?
We do not need any insight from the Greek fates to measure the impact of learning and development on the “rope of our careers.”
We do need to foster learning communities in order to increase engagement, retain desired employees, and serve our clients and customers.
If you need help measuring the impact of learning and development for individuals or organizations, then contact us today.
by Doug Gray | Jul 4, 2015 | change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, talent, talent assessment
The 6 Loops in Talent Management Lifecycle
The Greeks maintained that the “rope of one’s life” was defined by three fates, who spun the thread of life, measured it, and then cut it.
Now imagine that your career can be described using a 10’ long piece of rope. If you dropped the rope at your feet it would look like several messy loops. Most of us choose to believe that we have some impact on the “rope of our careers.”
Now further imagine that you have a work team of 5 people. If they each had a 10’ long piece of rope and dropped those ropes at your feet, then how would you describe that messy image?
Talent management is a cyclical model frequently described with three loops: attraction, development and retention. Business leaders glibly talk about the “hire to retire” or “cradle to grave” sequence, although there is little evidence remaining of that model in the U.S. economy. Instead, the process is shortened to a “hire to fire” process. Some of those key metrics include efficiency, effectiveness and outcomes. A tremendous resource for talent managers who want to demonstrate accountability, like any CFO or business leader, is at www.centerfortalentreporting.org
The ultimate goal of talent management should be to retain desired employees, not all employees. (That would be a spurious, and expensive goal. There are plenty of good reasons to fire employees or not invest in them. And there are plenty of measures of accountability.)
There are actually 6 loops in talent management.
Think of your process as 6 inter-related loops that include: talent acquisition, learning and development, leadership development, performance, total rewards, and succession planning. Here is a definition of each, plus some comments.
- “Talent acquisition” is a strategic approach to identifying, attracting, and onboarding talent to efficiently and effectively meet dynamic business needs. Aspects of talent acquisition typically include sourcing, candidate pools, assessment, employer brand, recruiting, selection, diversity planning, critical role identification, onboarding, and talent mobility.
Sadly, 60% of HR expenses focus on talent acquisition, instead of developing and retaining desired employees. Note that the remaining 5 buckets in the talent management lifecycle focus on developing and retaining desired employees.
My question: Why would your business line leaders, CHRO or CFO focus only on talent acquisition?
You may choose to believe in those three Greek fates who define the “rope of your life.”
Contact us today if you want to improve the “rope of your career” with assessments or talent management consulting.
by Doug Gray | Jun 24, 2015 | Business, change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, money, physicians, Success, talent, talent assessment
There is chaos in the executive coaching and leadership consulting industry.
The top 6 reasons for that chaos include 1) low barrier to entry by anyone who chooses to call himself an “executive coach,” 2) low accountability for the coaching process, 3) unclear business agreements and ROI, 4) proliferation of “certification programs” (often by self-congratulating organizations and/or universities that respond to perceived market opportunities), 5) digital overwhelm of choices at low cost and variable quality, and 6) clients or buying agents in organizations who fear taking action. My opinion is that the chaos in the coaching industry can be reduced.
So here is my effort to reduce the chaos, by providing fee ranges and best practices. Please forward this page to your colleagues.
1. Individual Coaching or Consulting Services. Fees range from $3,000- $50,000 for 6 months. Individual coaching may be defined as a customized leadership development process that enables leaders to practice new skills or behavioral outcomes. Individual consulting may be a more directive style, where we provide expertise based on world-class examples or evidence-based recommendations to accelerate your leadership development. The average executive coaching engagement is $25,000 for 6 months, about 40 hours. The average small business coaching engagement is $6,000 for 6 months, about 18 hours. Typically, an individual coaching process includes an intake, meeting with key stakeholders, written action plan with behavioral outcomes, clear measures of success/ KPIs, quantitative and qualitative assessments, satisfaction survey, and demonstrated behavioral outcomes at completion. Be wary of anyone who offers a term of engagement shorter than 6 months, because behavioral change takes time. Be wary of anyone who provides an hourly rate, because that is a transactional approach and it may be unethical (Do I really need to extend this coaching engagement if we have not met the desired outcomes within 6 months?) Be wary of additional fees for assessments, a sample intake, books, materials, or excessive travel… Only select coaches who provide tremendous value and exceed that promise. Only select coaches who guarantee results for their services. Only select coaches with many testimonials demonstrating clear behavioral outcomes. Still confused? Then call us for details or schedule a complimentary, confidential session here.
2. Team Coaching or Group Coaching. Fees range from $1,000 per person to $4,000 per person for 6 months. There is a trend toward providing coaching services that bundle clients together by team (e.g. the IT department in Houston) or by group (e.g. all district managers or all newly promoted supervisors.) Many coaches bundle these services for one reason– because the coaches then make more money. We all need to make money. However, that is not a compelling reason to bundle valuable services into a commoditized market such as “online team-coaching modules…” We do not recommend these online modules because there is no evidence that the results are significant. There is conflicting data on the significance of team coaching engagements. These programs must be customized for specific organizational needs, they must have executive sponsorship, and they must have milestones for phases of success. Yes, we can provide team coaching programs for any organization. Contact us for details or referrals.
3. Organizational Coaching or Consulting Services. Fees range from $15,000- $100,000 per person for 6 months. Fees vary by role of the leader (c-suite or a HiPo), geography (Asia or North America), and client expectations. There is massive value to any organization if you can be guaranteed access to pre-qualified coaches in New York as well as Mexico City or Paris. We are affiliated with CoachSource, the largest global provider of executive coaches, in over 1,000 in 45+ countries. These service providers can provide breadth for any initiative in any geography, thereby increasing the likelihood of your organizational alignment or new program implementation. If you are interested in a scaled solution for a specific industry or business need, then you need to select an organizational coaching service provider. We have selected and managed hundreds of executive coaches at multiple F500 global organizations since 2005. Contact us for details.
4. Organizational Assessment Services. Fees range from $500- $28,000 per person. Assessments range from an individual validated tool such as the Hogan Suite or DISC (there are over 15,000 validated assessments) to multi-rater, multi modal assessments with high predictive validity. We can provide virtually any individual or organizational assessment. Assessments are essential to leadership development. Just as you would never go to a physician until the nurse provides your vitals, we recommend using validated assessment tools to measure behavioral changes over time. We often provide assessments by themselves for your new hires or a newly promoted leaders. We always include assessments in coaching solutions, as part of the process. Contact me for details or referrals.
Since 1997, we have seen tremendous changes in the business and leadership coaching services industry. As a timely example, minutes ago I received a cold call from a “leader” in the sales coaching software industry. I quickly learned that he knew less about the industry than he should, and I excused myself from the call. You can avoid the chaos.
If you are interested in seeing trend survey reports from the coaching industry, or from our research on the relationship of positive psychology on business leaders and executive coaching, please contact us.
Now you have some pricing numbers and best practices. So what is your next step?
- You have to vet coaches. Call 3-4 of the best. Read their testimonials. Make sure that they are working on their own professional development. I have hired sales coaches at times. And business coaches at other times. The terms were clean. Their value was tremendous. I currently work with 2 of the best coaches in North America. (Perhaps I need more help than most people.) Make sure the consultants that you select focus on value, and guarantee their work.
- Take a small step: Contact us. Or call 704.995.6647. Or schedule your initial consultation here.
There is no reason to be fearful amid the chaos.
by Doug Gray | Mar 20, 2014 | Business, change, Leadership, Managers, money, Personal Development, talent, talent assessment
This article was published in the March, 2014 issue of Professional Safety magazine, at their request.
Here is the pdf for you to share with others: SuccessionPlanning PS 3.2014
Here is the article:
At a recent ASSE meeting I asked, “What is your leadership succession plan?”
After a blank stare from several members I heard:
“We don’t have one. What is it, exactly?”
“You’re looking at it. I’m all we’ve got.”
Safety professionals are not alone. Let me explain what succession planning is, and provide the 5 steps you need to develop a succession planning process.
Definition
Succession Planning can be defined as a process for identifying and developing key leaders within your company. The primary purpose is to increase engagement and retention by providing a career ladder. Some people talk about “bench strength” as if it is a number- how many people do we need to replace the “first string” or senior team in the “hit by a truck and all down scenario?” (Sorry for such a morbid view for safety leaders.) Another purpose of succession planning is to create a talent development culture that affirms individual strengths and develops competencies that drive results. For instance, if you need more safety leaders with business development expertise to review proposals, then you would consider including the safety leaders on sales calls. Over time you would promote the best safety leaders who also generate new business.
Trends
By 2020 some 25% of the workforce will be baby boomers, over age 65, called the “silver tsunami.” These boomers may not be able to afford to retire. Sadly, the average retiree in the U.S. has a median household net worth of less than $190,000. And men will live to 86 years of age. Your senior leaders may be forced to continue working. Your younger safety leaders may become so discouraged that they take other positions in related fields in order to make more money or develop their careers. Look closer to home for trend patterns: There is a dearth of ASSE members in that 25-50 age cohort. Some job sites look more like country clubs- dominated by silver-haired veterans and young workers. Too many companies lack mentoring or coaching programs. My conclusion: there is a tremendous need for simple, effective succession planning processes.
How to create a succession planning process?
Imagine a wheel with 5 spokes, or a calendar item that tickles you every 5th month, or assigning these 5 steps to 5 different people. These are the 5 steps in an ongoing succession planning process:
1. Identify key roles (such as managers and above) that may require replacement in the next 3 years. List each role and each person.
2. For each role, list the job competencies and personalities that are a) required and 2) recommended. Keep it simple. Lean on your HR colleagues. Solicit updates from those in the role. We know that the best workers compensation people, for instance, have a high attention to detail. If uncertain, or if you desire confidential expertise, hire an external vendor like us.
3. Assess your current people based on their a) status now (e.g.: ready now, development needs defined, development needs to be defined) and b) potential (e.g.: skills, ability, longevity, health, etc.) Then list concerns for each person such as job performance, health risks, medical needs, family concerns, job potential, or ability to travel. Create a database or flow chart.
4. Identify a pool of potential talent. Great people are everywhere. “Talent scarcity” is a myth perpetuated by managers who choose not to invest in their people. Your primary talent pool is internal; your secondary talent pool is external. Please hire internally. Internal promotions lead to higher levels of retention and engagement at lower cost. External hires typically cost more and drive conflict (which can be a necessary motivator at any company.)
5. Use progressions of experiences to actively develop key people so that they can be “ready now” for advancement. Succession planning is not a checklist or software package. It is a series of meaningful experiences. For instance, action learning teams of cross functional managers may be selected to develop a breakthrough product. High potential managers may be tasked with a business development opportunity or leadership training experience. Senior leaders can be partnered with 3-4 “hi pos” for quarterly mentoring sessions. Note that none of these experiences is expensive. For expertise contact any external vendor with experience in succession planning and leadership development experiences. Avoid wasting money on events.
Review your metrics
You all know the value of “What gets measured leads to results” attributed to Peter Drucker. You need to know the corollary, “What gets rewarded gets repeated.” There are two parts to that maxim. If your reward compensation is not tied to succession planning, then you are wasting your time and resources. As a graphic example, one CSP recently told me about a company where they were tasked with setting up goals on an annual performance review sheet. But they did not need to ever attain those goals. If they completed the sheet they were rated “satisfactory.” They were measuring the wrong metrics. Good people left. They wasted time, money and careers.
A better metric for effective succession development is the % of vacancies that are actually filled with internal promotion vs. external hire. Your job as a leader is to encourage people to stay in your company. They must believe in your “leadership pipeline” or “career development ladder.” Pick your metaphor. In fact, at some publicly traded companies, if 45% of the promotions are external hires then it begs questions about the quality of the senior leadership team and the board. You should be developing people, not hiring externally.
The bottom line? You only have 3 options for succession planning:
1. develop succession planning internally
2. develop succession planning externally
3. ignore the inevitability with a “wait and see” approach
In reality, you only have 2 choices if you have 20+ employees. See options 1 or 2 above.
A coaching question to leave you with is: How are you identifying and developing your best people?
Bio: Doug Gray, PCC, is a leadership coach who helps safety leaders develop and retain their leaders. Reach him at 704.895.6479 or www.action-learning.com
by Doug Gray | Feb 8, 2014 | Business, change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, strengths, Success, talent assessment
Motivation is a messy subject. Perhaps each of us has wondered, “Why do people do what they do?” Or, “Why is my child acting like that?” or “How can I understand why I want that shiny object?”
Those three questions are mirrored by academics, who state that all definitions of motivations attempt to explain 3 qualities:
1. What originates, and energizes human behavior
2. What drives human behavior toward/away from goals
3. How behavior is maintained via systems orientation.
So how do you apply these 3 qualities to your business or your life?
Start with Expectancy Theory. It is a valuable theory because it is new, treats both internal and situational forces, and assumes that each individual is rational and capable. Expectancy Theory assumes that behavior is determined by a combination of forces, that people make independent decisions for subjective reasons, that differences can be studied systematically, and that individuals make decisions based on their perception of a likely reward makes intuitive sense. A rational view for any business leader.
The 3 main concepts of expectancy theory are described as: 1. performance – outcome (the belief that behavior X will likely lead to outcome Y), 2. Valence (different value or subjective worth,) and 3. Effort-performance expectancy (the belief that effort level X will lead to outcome level Y.)
Let me explain expectancy theory with a common example. Imagine a manager of sales people. For 12 years she has monitored sales goals (e.g. reach and frequency metrics) and her district has won national awards. But the stretch goals are created by a third party vendor, using complex algorithms, that cannot be modified by the sales representatives. Their performance-outcome is beyond their control. Too often, their sales goals are set 120% or more above the previous year’s goals. The result is de-motivating. Sales representatives hope for goal correction in the third quarter, so that they improve their national standing before the forth quarter returns. As described by the effort-performance aspect of expectancy theory, some salespeople simply cannot exert enough effort to yield a desired outcome. Expectancy theory assumes any value, when multiplied by zero, will yield zero motivation. Sadly, that was true year after year for too many sales people.
Perhaps they needed to apply expectancy theory to their management tactics!
Expectancy theory has value to managers because it has predictive validity, respects subjective differences of direct reports, can be applied to SMART goals for performance reviews, outcomes can be directly linked to reward systems, and is simple to apply (especially if managers ask people, “What motivates you?)
Expectancy theory has value to organizations because outcomes can be tied to rewards and compensation, it acknowledges different designs of jobs and roles, and it acknowledges influence of groups with different membership needs.
So, can you apply Expectancy Theory to your compensation rewards? Or to your business?
If stuck, contact Doug Gray at 704.895.6479 or at www.action-learning.com.
If academic, here are some good sources:
Porter, L. W., Bigley, G. A., & Steers, R. M. (2003). Motivation in Organizations. Motivation and work behavior (6th ed.) (pp. 1-39). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Robbins, S.R., & Judge, T.A. (2012). Essentials of Organizational Behavior (11th ed.) (p. 18). Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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