Developing a Coaching Culture
– best practice thinking
Peter Bluckert
Phillip Matthews
Programme Director
Director, Executive Education
UCD Smurfit School
UCD Smurfit School
Developing a Coaching
Culture – best practice
thinking
Presenter:
Moderator:
Peter Bluckert
Phillip Matthews
AGENDA
1. Defining a coaching culture
2. The evolving stages of a coaching culture
3. Examples of corporate goals for developing
a coaching culture
4. Ten key principles in developing a coaching
culture
5. What do great coaching managers do?
25 minutes
Questions and Answers
15 minutes
1. Defining a coaching culture
“A critical mass of its members engage in creating
relationships through which impactful conversations
can take place that are crucial for continuous
improvement of performance.
They do this by actively and courageously seeking out
opportunities to hold respectful and candid conversations.
Vitally, they have learned how to value and use
feedback from all sources as the key to developing the
high trust relationships necessary for the transformation
of organisational performance – the move from good
to great”
[Crane 2000 ]
2. The evolving stages of a coaching culture
Executive coaching
Ad hoc growth
A more structured approach
Typically starts here
with external
coaching to senior
leaders to support
development or prevent
derailment
Coaching grows in ‘pockets’.
No one quite knows
who’s doing what or
what the organisational
benefits are
Recognition that a more strategic
approach to develop internal
capacity and a coaching culture
is required. Executive briefings
and Manager as Coach
training courses are
commissioned
1
2
3
Bedding in
Integrating
Normalised
Leaders model coaching
behaviours which creates a
cascading effect.
Managers engage in
coaching conversations
Coaching begins
to stick.
Coaching becomes integrated
into people and performance
management processes.
Greater use of coaching
with teams as well
as individuals
A critical mass/tipping point
is reached and a
coaching style of leading
becomes a way of doing
business, a dominant
style of interacting
4
5
6
3. Examples of corporate goals for coaching
 Develop and sustain competitive advantage
 Support current leaders, grow future leaders
 Retain high potential staff
 Strengthen company cohesion and engagement
 Staff motivation and support
4. Ten key principles for developing a
coaching culture
1.Start with the question - Why take this journey? Make an
honest assessment of the current culture – what’s good and
working well. What needs to improve or change and why?
2.Align to business strategy. Should support business strategy
and have clear business objectives. There needs to be a clear
link between coaching and the success of the business.
Establish ROI/ coaching evaluation process at the beginning
against desired outcomes
3.Drive from the top. Successful implementation requires
Executive level commitment, championing and role modelling
of a coaching approach and behaviours
4. Ten key principles for developing a
coaching culture
4. Set up as an OD intervention. Explain to colleagues the bigger
picture business rationale for developing a coaching culture.
Position it positively; as developmental not remedial
5. Develop a common understanding of coaching. People have
very different understandings of what coaching is which can
lead to confusion and frustration. Agree on an organisationwide coaching definition and core coaching models and
concepts
6. Develop coaching capability. Commission class-leading
accredited coach training and development for Executive
team, senior leaders, HR , line managers and coaching
‘champions’. Ensure CPD, progression routes, supervision and
support are in place
4. Ten key principles for developing a
coaching culture
7. Manage the quality of your externally supplied coaching.
Develop a small panel of external coaches who are
experienced, accredited and supervised and who fit the
culture. Ensure external coaching takes place within a three
or four party contract
8. Build a community of internal and external coaches. This
provides a mechanism to ensure organisational learning can
be derived from individual coaching conversations and
enables cultural blockages to surface and get addressed
9. Gather success stories. Collect and communicate positive
outcomes produced by coaching behaviours. Create a
coaching intranet site
10. Evaluate outcomes. Conduct evaluation against agreed
metrics
5. What do great coaching managers do?
They operate from a coaching mindset which means:
They constantly look for opportunities to improve performance. They use
day-day work experiences, positive and negative, highlights and mistakes
as opportunities for learning and continuous improvement. They’re
interested in the ‘how’ as well as the ‘what’
They spot talent and develop people. They are interested in potential as
well as current performance. They challenge and stretch colleagues to be
the best they can be. The result is that they grow leaders who go on to
make significant contributions to the organisation
They use certain skills and display common characteristics. They ask good
questions, and then they listen. They are looking to help colleagues and
are capable of expressing empathy. They provide clear and timely
feedback and are prepared to go to a tougher place if needed
They know their people and what they’re doing. They take the time and
care to know their team members as people. They clarify tasks and
performance expectations, empower people but also stay in touch and
show interest in what they are working on
QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS
Diploma in Business and
Executive Coaching
Duration: 6 workshops - 16 days in all
Schedule: Part-time
Starting: March 2010
If you would like further information,
please contact Gillian Brown on:
Phone: +353 1 716 8818
Email: gillian.brown@ucd.ie
www.smurfitschool.ie/executiveeducation
Thank you for your
participation today.
For more information on our
coaching programmes led by
Peter Bluckert, please contact:
Gillian Brown, Programme Manager
Tel: +353 1 716 8818
Email: gillian.brown@ucd.ie
NEXT WEBINAR
9th February 2010
‘Threats, Refusals and Ultimatums:
Dealing with Hardball Negotiators’
with Stephen Boyle
This webinar will look at :
The challenges of dealing with opponents who won't budge
from their positions
The challenges of dealing with opponents who don't want
to listen
The challenges of dealing with opponents who simply
refuse to negotiate