Homework answers / question archive / Module 1 - Background THE PRINCIPLES OF COACHING All articles on the Home page, this page and the Case/SLP page are required unless otherwise noted

Module 1 - Background THE PRINCIPLES OF COACHING All articles on the Home page, this page and the Case/SLP page are required unless otherwise noted

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Module 1 - Background

THE PRINCIPLES OF COACHING

All articles on the Home page, this page and the Case/SLP page are required unless otherwise noted.

The Leader as Coach – What are the Benefits?

The main reason for leaders to coach their subordinates is for performance management. Coaching, when done right, improves an employee’s skills and capability to find his own solution to problems and to reframe challenges.  It can help people achieve more from their job and their career.  A recent study by Bersin & Associates found that organizations that train their managers in coaching have markedly better performance, including

• Higher levels of productivity
• Better employee engagement with the firm
• Better financial performance

Read the following executive summary of this report:

Garr, S.S. (2011) High-impact performance management:  Maximizing performance coaching. Retrieved from http://marketing.bersin.com/rs/bersin/images/111511_ES_HIPM-Practices1_SSG_Final.pdf

The following article is from Leading Concepts, a firm founded by several former Rangers.  It provides a compelling argument for why leaders need to develop coaching skills and lays the foundation for a number of topics we will cover in this module and the rest of the course.

Performance Coaching, Counseling and Leadership Principles. (2014) Leading Conncepts.  Retrieved from http://www.leadingconcepts.com/2014/05/performance-coaching-counseling-and-leadership-principles/

Given that 73% of organizations that successfully teach coaching skills achieve above average business results (vs. only 46 who do an “average” job), why don’t more leaders engage in coaching?  The research reveals several recurring barriers to coaching:

• Managers lack coaching skills
• Managers feel that coaching is too time consuming
• Managers do not believe that coaching pays off in improved performance or “the bottom line”
• Executive leadership does not support or encourage coaching

Coaching Skills

There are four basic skills that must be mastered in order to be able to be successful at coaching.

1. Listening. Active listening is arguably the most basic of the skills.  If the coach does not know how to listen, none of the other skills will matter.  Read about effective listening in this book selection.  You can find this book through the Trident Online Library.

Hope, Michael H. (2006).  The active listening skill set, in Active Listening:  Improve Your Ability to Listen and Lead. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creativc Leadership. Pp 12-16                 

2. Setting Goals.  A coach must be able to help the coachee set goals.  The ability to set SMART goals means setting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and time sensitive.  This video will teach you how to set SMART goals:

Scivicque, C. (2012) How to create SMART goals. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U9dZXlU7YI

3. Questioning. A coach has to learn how to ask the right kinds of questions. Throughout the course you will read a lot about these types of questions and have the chance to practice asking them. Essentially, these types of questions seek to understand – not to judge.  When the coach asks questions, she is trying to elicit ideas from the coachee about how to best frame a problem instead of imposing her own interpretation.  By doing this, the coach is trying to stimulate the coachee’s imagination and creativity.

Asking questions can also focus the coachee's attention on a certain area. Maybe the person is having performance problems – if that's the case, you could ask questions to direct the coachee's attention to ways to improve performance. Another benefit of asking questions is that it gives ownership of a problem to the coachee. Instead of telling the coachee how to solve a problem, you give the individual the tools to come up with ideas. This can foster a feeling of commitment in the coachee.

You'll get the most meaningful answers if you use open questions. Instead of asking questions that begin with "Will you" or "Can you," for instance, ask questions that begin with "How," "Tell me," "What," or "Why."
From Coaching questions and powerful questions. Read the whole article and save it for later use.  It covers the right type of questions to ask in a broad variety of coaching situations:

Cardon, A. (2008) Coaching questions and powerful questions.  Metasystem Coaching.  Retrieved from http://www.metasysteme-coaching.eu/pdfexport.php?nid=774

Here are some examples of some great open-ended coaching questions:

• What questions: Focus
  • What do you want to achieve?
  • What results do you anticipate?
  • What are the possibilities?
• Why questions: Ownership, purpose
  • Why is this important?
  • What impact will this have on the organization?
  • What really matters to you and others about this situation?
• Why not? Barriers
  • What is the likelihood of this not working?
  • What is the worst case scenario?
  • What has gone wrong with similar situations in the past?
• How? Plan
  • What steps have you taken so far?
  • What is the next step?
  • Who needs to be involved?

4. Providing Support and Feedback

Acknowledging positive behavior is so important to the coaching process that it has been called the most important of all coaching activities.  It builds trust and confidence.  However, it is also important to recognize that the coach has to learn how to give negative feedback or risk depriving the coachee of knowing what he is doing wrong and how to improve.  Many people do not like to give negative feedback because they are afraid of the reaction they might get.  The following article from the Trident Online Library gives some practical and down-to-earth suggestions  for delivering constructive, but critical feedback:

 Berglas, S. (2013). Negative feedback. Leadership Excellence, 30(11), 11.

 

 

Module 1 - Case

THE PRINCIPLES OF COACHING

Assignment Overview

Building the coaching relationship

Background

The purpose of the Case Assignment is to create a “Live Case” by experiencing the process of coaching and developing your skills as a coach. Because this case is designed around experiential learning, we can go beyond the conceptual knowledge covered in the reading materials to actual skills building. This requires putting what you are learning into immediate practice.

Although the case assignments involve a coaching experience, the focus is on YOU as the coach.  You will be learning how to prepare for a coaching session, what questions you should ask, what behaviors are most effective.  The case involves a coaching relationship with one person and is continued in stages across all four modules, so be sure to focus on the exact stage covered in each module and do not get ahead of yourself

The goal of the coaching process is to expedite the growth of the coachee’s understanding of his or her strengths and weaknesses. Through the coaching process, the coachee gains an appreciation of his capabilities for growth and builds self-confidence. Thus, before you begin this exercise in coaching, you must first find someone who is willing to go through this exercise with you as a coachee. This can be a friend, a colleague, or a co-worker. It does NOT have to be a situation tied to your job.  The only requirement is that you must be able to identify a contracted piece of work based on a shared concern (if no shared concern can be found – find another coachee).

Johari window

In MGT501, you were introduced to the Johari window as a tool for increasing awareness of how one is perceived by others and to improve communication. This case is designed to enlarge your “open” area and reduce your “blind” area, so you can be more effective as a coach.  At the same time, you will learn to use coaching techniques as a way to correct problem behaviors (blind area”) and help coachees realize they have untapped potential and open the possibility for growth through unused capacities (their “hidden” areas”).

Read: Johari Window (n.d.) Crowe Associates LTD. Retrieved from http://www.crowe-associates.co.uk/coaching-and-mentoring-skills/johari-window-as-a-coaching-tool/

The structure of the Live Case

Each module will follow this cycle: Plan, execute, report

• Before the coaching session, write up a plan using course readings or additional research as a resource (1-2 pages)
• Then meet with the coachee and use your plan as a guide for the session
• The bulk of the report is on how it went: successes and failures. What would you do differently next time? (3 to 5 pages)

Preplanning	Action	Reflection
What are your goals for the   session? What actions do you plan? How will you know if you are   successful?   (1-2 pages)	Meet with coachee (45-50 minutes).	Report on the session. Provide a   narrative descriptive summary of the conversation as it occurred (1 or 2   paragraphs). How do you feel the session went? Analyze the process and outcomes of   your coaching. What new knowledge did you gain? What would you do differently next   time?

Case Assignment

The first step in the coaching process is to build rapport with your coachee. This is where you establish a trusting relationship by demonstrating your credibility, helpfulness, and honesty. To build genuine rapport, you must believe in the potential of the person you are coaching – this cannot be faked.

Some excellent methods for building rapport can be found in the following reading:

Building rapport: Establishing bonds (2014) Mindtools. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/building-rapport.htm

Remember: Shared success is the key to great coaching. The outcome works for both the individual and the organization, because it meets both individual and organizational needs. Coaching is a tool where we are able to create that connection between the person and the organization.

Your task in this module is to identify a partner who is willing to be coached by you over the course of the term. Set up an initial meeting and establish rapport. Do not attempt to get into the later stages of coaching as we will get to them in later modules.  Focus on the process of establishing rapport only.  Write up this meeting as indicated in the Keys to the assignment, below. Turn in your final 4- to 6-page paper to TLC by the due date.

Keys to the Assignment

1. After reading the background materials for this module and doing additional research if needed, prepare your pre-coaching plan for a 45-50 minute session.  Remember that your focus for this case is on the process of building rapport with the coachee.

• What are your goals for this session? How will you know if you are successful?
• What skills will you use?
• How will you go about doing this?
• What questions will you ask? 

2. Conduct your coaching session (45 to 50 minutes).
3. Write up your post-coaching reflection.

• Report the facts of the coaching session.
• What went well and what did not?
• What did you learn about coaching from this session?
• What would you do differently next time?

Assignment Expectations

• Include a cover page and reference page in addition to the 4 to 5 pages of analysis described above.
• Your paper should have an introduction and a conclusion.
• Use headings to indicate major sections of the report
• Cite and reference any outside sources.
• Use APA formatting.
• Proofread and edit your papers carefully. The expectation is zero errors.