A newsletter to support High Perforce Leadership and Creativity in Individuals
and Organizations™
Vm.
1, No. 1, 2001
By
Jan Hoistad, Ph.D. and Associates
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Not so
very long ago, Time Magazine published an article entitled
"Play of the Day - Fostering employee loyalty in a tight labor market,
companies are offering workers personal coaches as tools to help them
thrive" (read this
article online at Time.com). The article describes how companies,
many of them FORTUNE 500's, such as IBM, Dow Chemical, Glaxo Welcome,
Marriott International, and others including Eastman Kodak, Abbott
Laboratories World Wide and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, all have found
the merits of hiring coaches to help their employees discover what
it takes to make them content in the workplace.
When
this article was published a mere 5 months ago, the economy was booming
with no signs of slowing down, and they reasoned that offering coaching
to your employees was a good thing to help retain them in an employee
driven marketplace - if they are happier, hopefully they will stay.
"Companies also see it as a way to help valued employees evolve in
a swiftly changing business environment." (Time, 9/25/00, p. B27)
Just
5 months later, we might characterize the business sphere as more
"unknown", definitely rocky, with analysts walking the fence not knowing
whether to predict stability in the near future or more economic difficulties
throughout months to come. Companies are feeling the domino effect
of slowing sales and revenues, a growing number are choosing to layoff
a first round of workers as everyone tightens their belts. There is
an atmosphere of taking cautious action backed up by a sense of "wait
and see".
Entrepreneurs,
corporate heads, division directors and project managers, are all
called on to be like great basketball players - ready to pivot on
a dime, ready to make swift decisions, anticipating next moves - hopefully,
winning moves, in spite of constantly shifting circumstances.
Not only
are you, as a leader in your business or group, called upon to make
insightful moves in a rapidly growing marketplace - stressful in and
of itself - but now you are called upon to contend with deep-seated
anxiety brought on by shifting layers of political, economic, global,
local, personal and other factors creating an ever changing panorama
of business and professional choices and decisions.
What
are we to think about Coaching in this economic context? My view is
that it makes it even more important, and for deeper reasons. Here
are just a few of those reasons:
· 
One
of the biggest reasons to have a coach in these times is to help leaders
keep their eyes on the "big picture" while keeping their feet deeply
rooted in values and goals. With the many leaders I personally coach,
I have watched recently as they struggle with day-to-day pressures
and decisions, which were not present in the past few years. Sure,
there were pressures, but of a different nature - those were pressures
of excitement and staying on top of the potential for growth. Now
they are faced with the potential of downsizing if things don't turn
around, if jobs don't come in soon. Visioning, creative development
and networking time feels like a luxury. It feels hard to justify
or find the time to step back and revisit their bigger visions and
goals - to re-strategize - but to do so within the larger context
they were more in touch with these past few years when business was
booming.
The
coaching promise:
Coaching on a regular basis keeps a leader on track with his or her
larger vision and goals. Coaching time is giving conscious attention
to future needs and developments, and strategizing ways to integrate
this throughout the day. Coaching can be invaluable through the stages
and life cycles of any business. Learning to ride the contractions
and expansions of the marketplace, and the economy, is a necessary
skill for a leader, and coaching can be a vital asset.
· 
Another
overriding reason that leaders can benefit from coaching during these
times is to help them manage the many stressors they are experiencing,
both for themselves and their employees. In effect, this is a "double
whammy" of stress. I watch many of my coaching clients struggle to
maintain a regular schedule, often working late into the night. I
see the time for their responsibilities eaten up with continuous demands
for their time, attention, and input - especially in these times of
uncertainty.
Everyone
needs extra support in times of stress. As a leader responsible for
a group of people at work, and maybe another group at home, a lot
is expected of you. Leaders need extra support to maintain 1) continuous
alignment with your role and responsibilities, 2) deep inner stability,
and 3) great self-care.
The
coaching promise:The
coaching relationship is typically a place where you can "let down
your hair" and talk about just how difficult it may be to handle all
the demands - then, with support, it is a relationship in which to
figure out ways to prioritize the needs for self and others, to look
at what is possible, to evaluate potential decisions and choices.
A good coach will also give you feedback when you are approaching
burnout. Or when a lack of balance in needs of home and demands of
work threaten your emotional or spiritual well-being. A good coach
cannot tell you what to do, but they can help you stay in touch with
what is important to you in the "bigger picture" - for your work and
for yourself personally. They can help you learn skills of self-care,
delegating responsibility, communicating in alignment with your values,
visions, and goals, guiding self others through times of instability
- all important, especially important in times of stress.
· 
Wise
leaders strive to develop the strength and skills of others around
them. They need good directors and managers in tune with the culture,
vision, and goals of the group or organization. They need employees
at all levels who feel empowered to be conscious and creative in responding
to the needs of the business, no matter how large or small. This allows
the leader to focus on the "bigger picture", it ensures smooth successorship
at all levels, responsibilities and challenges are shared, employees
feel empowered.
Not all
corporate heads, entrepreneurs, or business owners are skilled in
developing the strengths of their company's leadership. In my work,
I see leaders trying to learn so many skills, trying to develop themselves
consciously, sometimes it is hard to do this and know how to train,
develop, and coach others all at the same time. While this is definitely
the ideal - to have leadership teaching, training and coaching all
throughout an organization, sometimes this isn't the reality - especially
in companies smaller than the FORTUNE 500's. It is also not always
possible in some of the newer companies where a tradition of training,
coaching, or mentoring has not been established. When this does not
come naturally or easily, it is cost and time effective to hire a
coach to help your organization grow skills and strength in alignment
with the company culture, vision and goals.
The
coaching promise:
A good coach can cut time and cost by helping your directors and managers
get on board with your direction. These are the people caught in the
middle of any transition time - within an economy or within a company's
growth. They are intermediaries between you and the employees. With
motivation and good coaching, they can quickly learn and strengthen
the skill areas in need. Often these include learning about roles
and boundaries, appropriate communication, sorting out inner alignment
with that of the organization, and learning how to raise the bar of
expectations for people they supervise. These are all teachable skills.
A good coach can provide skill development in many areas and resources
for other arenas. Thus everyone in the company can keep pace with
your ever-deepening awareness, vision, interpersonal and business
skill development. Your company will be stronger at all levels.
· 
As
companies tighten their belts, I observe many leaders experiencing
inner conflict when they have to lay off good people. No one wants
to let people go. No one wants to put families in jeopardy. It is
a difficult aspect of the business world. When CEO, John Chambers
of Cisco, had to lay off 5000 IBM employees in his previous role,
it was so painful, he swore he'd never do it again! This and other
significant experiences have shaped the business decisions he makes
and how he leads on a daily basis. It has definitely impacted the
culture of his company.
Companies
are offering people assistance in career counseling, severance packages,
and coaching to sort out where to go or what to do next in their work
life. This may be in alignment with your people and company values.
Coaching is a supportive service that may be cost and time effective
for you.
I have
also coached managers or directors who are not sure they are in the
right position or company. Maybe the company has changed, or they
took a position they wanted to grow into. Now they are questioning
compatibility and so are you. How do they receive assistance in sorting
this out without shame, having to pretend it is a good fit, or hiding
it from their superiors? Again, many companies value assisting employees
to do what makes them most content, and that sometimes means providing
assistance to work their way out of a company.
The
coaching promise:
The Time article cites Harvard professor of business administration,
David Thomas, who says, "corporations believe that coaching helps
employees and that the dollar investment is far less than the cost
of replacing employees. Still in encouraging folks to follow their
feelings and develop their strengths, corporations are taking a risk:
that their most valued employees will be coached right out the door.
In my
experience, some insightful organizations are assisting people to
figure out if this is the best "fit" and how to grow the skills necessary
for the role, or what else they might want to do. This is humanly
effective, as well as, cost effective. People will want to work for
a company that cares, and does so by providing professional development
dollars.
No matter
what the economy, coaching is here to stay for some very good reasons.
Get yourself a good coach.
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