Coaches can help teams with communication, accountability, and more.

It happens all the time. Learners leave a learning event more competent and confident than they were when they arrived, yet a week later their leaders report no noticeable improvement in job performance. Training, those leaders conclude, failed to make a difference. Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone.  Do you want to know a dirty little talent development secret? Learning that occurs in training often does not transfer into the workplace. The unfortunate truth is that although learners are typically able to demonstrate new knowledge and skills in the safety...

I started my blog, Management Craft, in 2007 when nearly no one I spoke to knew what a weblog was. Fast forward to 2016 and blogging is almost passé, eclipsed by newer and preferred technologies like Twitter, Snapchat, Periscope, and a plethora of instant messaging and social media platforms, such as Facebook.  What’s this got to do with coaching? Everything. These technologies are not just toys for entertainment; they represent new ways that people connect and converse. Microcoaching includes brief verbal or written conversations that support helping performers...

The Coaching-Approach Model contends that asking the right questions has more power than giving people the right answers.  The same coaching techniques that help executives figure out difficult issues and problems work equally well with everyone in the company. Coaching works especially well with young, curious Millennials—all of whom want to be valued, heard, and respected. In fact, Millennials have pushed leaders to treat them more as valued partners and less as servants, which is a good practice for everyone.   The Coach-Approach Leader: Questions, Not Answers...

The Coaching Approach: A K ey Tool for Successful Managers, a report by ATD Research in collaboration with the ATD Forum examines the use of coaching as a managerial tool.  To support managers, talent development professionals work with them to make formal and informal learning assets and structures available. Important steps in providing this assistance include securing senior leadership support, developing content and strategies around management tools, introducing these tools to employees, creating opportunities for practicing using these tools, tracking...

This excerpt from Coaching Basics, 2nd Edition (released this month from ATD Press) offers a definition of microcoaching and how it supports an effective coaching practice. When the first edition of Coaching Basics came out in 2005, Twitter had not been invented and blog­ging was just emerging as the new method to communicate and build community. I started my blog, Management Craft, in 2007 and I can remember that nearly no one I spoke to knew what a weblog was. Fast-forward to 2016 and blogging is almost passé, eclipsed by newer and preferred technologies...

In the lexicon of the working world, the word “coaching” has taken on negative connotations. Whereas coaching employees was once analogous to what an athletic coach does during practice—providing helpful tips and encouragement intended to help players improve their skills and abilities—its meaning has morphed into corporate doublespeak for getting a verbal smackdown for having done something wrong. I reject that definition wholeheartedly.  Coaching, in the proper sense of the word, is an effective means through which leaders and talent developers can continually...

What comes to mind when you think of employee performance coaching? What does it entail, and whose job is it? Although some talent development professionals may think of employee coaching as a management function (and it is), it is also the oldest form of on-the-job training (OJT) and therefore a vital component of any talent development strategy. As a performance consultant, I find that organizations sometimes neglect to adequately coach employees toward ongoing performance improvement, primarily because they entrust that responsibility to managers without...

In The Coaching Approach: A Key Tool for Successful Managers (hereafter the Study), ATD Research examines the use of coaching as a managerial tool, and provides insight on how learning leaders can more effectively develop and sustain successful coaching programs. Although coaching is a powerful tool, only about a quarter of organizations heavily incorporate it in their talent development portfolio. To obtain quantitative data for the Study, ATD Research sent a survey to learning leaders at organizations of all sizes and across all sectors in June 2014. The survey...

Peer coaching is a process by which professionals, managers, and executives, who may or may not work together, come together and form a trusting environment to help one another in supporting and facilitating self-directed learning. In the peer coaching process, each person alternates between playing the role of peer coach and peer client.  There are a wide variety of peer coaching models that you can choose from and customize to the coaching needs of your target audience. Included here are descriptions and comparisons of different peer coaching models that can be...

Although I allow for much latitude in defining what coaching is, I am pretty passionate about declaring what coaching is not. I’d like to debunk a few common myths about coaching. You’ve probably heard them before—you may even ascribe to some of them.  Myth #1: Coaching is giving advice.  Actually, coaching involves asking the questions that the coachee wouldn’t think to ask herself so that she can access her own answers. It’s intended to help people whose perspectives are so ingrained that they can’t see their blindspots come to a new awareness of themselves. A...

The rise in global leaders creates a need for skilled global coaches to assist them. Coaching has evolved during the past 20 years. The standard one-to-one coaching assignment is still a dominant mode of skills development. However, far fewer of these are remedial anymore. Although coaching started with the goal of "fixing" bad behavior and saving careers, most assignments now are proactive and developmental. The goal is to help a leader learn skills needed to operate at the next level. Executive coaching began in the 1960s as a way to help leaders become more...

Modern mentoring is dynamic and comprised of relational connections of all types. The common thread that unites these connections and relationships is that they are born or derived from a learning need shared by as few as a couple of people to as many as over 100. The following are some examples of how modern mentoring can take shape.  Peer Mentoring Peer mentoring connects colleagues at the same hierarchical level in the organization but who may be in different functions or divisions. Learning relationships of this sort are particularly beneficial because peers...

In order to retain talent in today’s competitive job market, companies realize they must better engage employees and provide meaningful career development opportunities. To accomplish this, mentoring programs are once again increasing in popularity within corporations.  Traditional mentoring has transformed into many styles and uses. Mentoring programs exist to help junior employees become acquainted with their job roles and organization, help train and develop existing employees, and prepare tomorrow’s leaders all while increasing overall job satisfaction and...

Individual coaching is still met with skepticism by some in the corporate world. They assume that people are hard-wired—they are who they are—and therefore often fail to either uncover an individual’s full potential or turn a blind eye to damaging behaviors in the workplace, especially if other performance benchmarks are being met. But, in fact, people can make significant behavioral changes to improve their performance when the right coach and coaching model are applied . Despite the adage about old dogs and new tricks, studies by behavioral scientists prove...

Recently, managerial coaching has become a hot topic among organizations, particularly among workplace learning and performance professionals. Along with organizational interest in managerial coaching have come increased investments in related supervisory training and assessment (such as 360 degree feedback). Although coaching is often regarded as a desirable behavior for successful management and leadership, there is limited published research on managerial coaching outcomes—particularly related to employee reactions and performance. But, emerging research that...

In a September 2012 report, the Gallup organization confirmed that more than half of the American adults surveyed don’t use their strengths throughout the day. “57% [say] they use them for six hours or fewer each day. About one in four report that they use their strengths at least 10 hours a day.”  This is a sad statistic, isn’t it? I’d like to examine this concept a bit more, and then share five steps to help ensure you get to use your strengths more throughout each day, every day.  According to Gallup, strengths are defined as “activities for which one can...

Isolating the effects of a coaching program on business impact data is one of the most challenging, yet necessary, steps in the ROI Methodology. When addressed credibly, this step links the coaching process directly to business impact. Other factors are always present. In almost every situation, multiple factors affect business results. During the time that coaching programs are implemented, many other functions within the organization may be attempting to improve the same metrics addressed by coaching program. For example, marketing and sales programs are...

Donald was faced with an interesting dilemma. His firm was growing and he was hiring new employees at a fairly rapid rate. As he looked back over the last few months, he noticed that his new hires were struggling to answer basic financial questions from clients. In talking with the senior team, Donald realized that their on-boarding process needed to include a formal way to build financial acumen in new hires. At the same time, the company didn't want to lose the personal touch of bringing new people into the firm, which was the bedrock of their culture and...

People are your most valuable asset. We know that we should invest in people and help them be more effective, but daily demands and other “priorities” get in the way week-after-week. The real question remains, “What are you actually doing about it? Are you growing the capability of your people? Are you taking an interest in their development? Are you current with the review cycle? Are you a coaching your people?” Developing people is more important than ever. The ability to change and grow is taking on more and more importance today. The pace of change is faster...