Business Is My Religion coach. French real estate investor. My mission: enable people to access financial security | My Billionaire Business
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In the last few years, a number of companies have begun to rely on executive coaching in order to improve performance. In some cases, coaching proves to be an effective solution. In other cases, it is not enough. What are some common causes of a coaching failure?
1. The problem has not been correctly identified.
Often, it's the management team that hires the coach to solve an identified problem or work with a person who they think needs help to improve their performance. However, that person may not be someone who wants coaching. In some cases, the coached person has no say in the matter and the request does not come directly from them. They may even feel offended and not want to collaborate.
Or it may be that they're not the one who really needs coaching. Even if they agree to collaborate, the problem may not be solved if the source of the problem is not clearly identified. The source of the blockage could be their manager, a direct report or another person altogether. Therefore, it is important to always keep in mind that a company is a human organization. That means that a linear reading of relationships is not conducive. It is a system. Thus, in order to adjust the behavior of employees, it is necessary to watch how people interact with each other.
2. The coach does not have enough expertise in the industry.
Today, anyone can call themselves a coach, but that doesn't mean they have extensive experience in that company's industry. However, this expertise is necessary to understand how an organization functions—and how to mitigate any dysfunction. It is often easier for a person who has already worked in the sector to understand the interests of each stakeholder and to propose an adequate solution, from an outside view. Thus, before choosing a coach, it's a good idea to analyze their background and ask questions about past clients or case studies.
3. The objective is not clearly defined.
In some cases, it is really the coaching objective that has been badly defined. The company may have objectives in mind but has not communicated them well to the coached employee. As a result, this person may set different goals for themself. At the end of the coaching, none of the stakeholders are satisfied with the result, since the points that were essential for the coached person have not been worked on. To avoid this type of misunderstanding, it is necessary to agree on the objectives from the beginning. The coach must take into account the goals of the coached person and the organization and then define a strategy to reach these shared objectives.
4. The coach uses the same strategy for all coachees.
In the field of coaching, there is no magic formula. It is necessary to adapt the strategy to each situation and to each person. Since they are dealing with human beings, the coach must remain flexible in their approach and adapt to the pace and capacity of the coached person. They can combine different methods depending on the responses of the coachee.
It is also important to remember that the goal of coaching is always to empower a coached person to become autonomous at the end of the process. It is not a subordinate relationship between the coach and the coachee. Therefore, it is not the coach's role to tell the coachee how to change things. Rather, with the coach's intervention, the coached person should learn to use their existing skills to find a solution. Otherwise, there's a risk of creating a dependency on the coach.
5. The change is not integrated into the organizational system.
The coached person may have integrated the change but cannot apply it in the current organizational system. Thus, in their coaching work, the coach must take into account the context in which the coachee finds themself. It is important to consider a company as a system. The change of one element of this system will have repercussions and can disrupt the system. In order for the work to be successful, the company must be truly ready to accept the change. For example, if the formulated need is that the manager must have more of a leadership role, it is necessary for upper management to accept their leadership.
6. The coach intervenes too late.
If coaching is considered as a last resort, the result may have limited impacts. A situation that has become bogged down may be more complex to resolve. Coaching is an invitation to work on oneself and should be offered as soon as an issue is detected, in order to allow them the opportunity to improve in their job. Coaching should not be considered a punishment, but rather a means to achieve excellence.
In conclusion, a coach is an external person who can help a company to develop. But for this to happen, it is necessary to respect some conditions. First, the selected coach should be competent enough. Then, the objectives must be clear from the beginning of the coaching. If a company really wants a change, it should be ready to integrate coaching into the organizational system. Finally, coaching should not be seen as the last resort to a problem in order for it to work.
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