Do you have a coach yet? The best performers in any discipline all seem to have coaches or mentors these days. There is good reason for this and studies are now proving the benefits and ROI of coaching for leaders and managers, not just sports professionals and performers.
A study by DBM and the Human Capital Institute, "Trends in Executive Coaching: New Research Reveals Emerging Best Practices" shows organizations increasingly are using executive coaching to enhance performance across the enterprise. Of study respondents who calculate ROI, 77 percent believe executive coaching provides their organizations with a solid return. These individuals estimate levels ranging from a minimum of 100 percent ROI to more than a 500 percent return.
These are pretty impressive results that people feel they are getting from coaching. So why is coaching so effective and gaining in popularity over the last few years? What is the difference between coaching and training? Can coaching replace training? The answer to these questions depends on the situation and the needs of the individual.
The aforementioned study was focused on executive coaching but coaching can be used at all levels in an organization. The best investment in coaching would be at the leadership level and should be combined with training. The reason is that training provides the knowledge of what to do and how to do it while coaching provides ongoing support to apply the skills or knowledge until it becomes a habit.
The business owner or executive who wants to work less and earn more must gain the knowledge of the leadership style to use to develop people and teams to be autonomous. That means that people need to be able to work together and solve problems on their own. And the problems that are the hardest for people to solve on their own are communication problems and conflict. This is the biggest impediment to teamwork.
Last week I visited a new shoe store that was opened by the son of a friend. I learned that the sales staff were on salary plus shared commission in order to encourage teamwork and consistent customer service. I asked him what happens if one sales person sees another team member who is not doing their job well? He said that they are to let him know and he will deal with the person in question. Now if I was the salesperson who sees a situation with a colleague that needs to be addressed, would I feel comfortable risking my relationship with that person by going to my boss? Would I know how to approach the person myself to tell them what needs to be said to improve performance? Maybe or maybe not. This owner has plans to expand and open more stores but he needs to realize that do so, people need to become self-managed and thus they need to learn all the skills required for teamwork. If not, he may not have the time and energy to devote himself to expansion plans and the compensation system may not work either. The risk is such that if conflicts arise and don't get resolved effectively, he may lose some good people as they will seek a better working environment. Studies show that up to 70% of people leave a job because of a poor relationship with their boss or another employee.
The leader needs to know what people must do to collaborate and work together. People need to learn how to communicate using active listening and how to hold effective meetings and use problem solving techniques such as brainstorming, nominal group technique and forced field analysis. This is essential for people to learn in order to become self-directed and build an organization that is driven by continuous improvement. Of course the other approach is to have strong managers who establish and enforce policies and procedures that people must adhere to. However this does not fuel innovative thinking and drive continuous improvement, but it does keep things under control and is the most common organizational approach. Control also inflicts greater stress on people. A study by the Quebec Statistics Institute shows that 2 out of 5 employees express being very stressed at work and that one quarter of them are taking medication as a result. They claim the main cause of stress is not being able to use their talents and competencies sufficiently, lack of decision making authority and feeling pressured psychologically. This all comes from working in a controlled type of organization.
Thus coaching for a leader is necessary to incorporate an organizational strategy that will transform an organization over time from a control style of management to a participative style. This requires developing the leadership and collaborative qualities of both managers and employees. This is the job of the leader and to think that one can do it alone without any training or coaching is simply dreaming.
Do you want to develop yourself and your organization? We are developing new ways to help leaders get coaching and will soon be announcing an online learning and coaching system. This can supplement or replace face to face coaching. We will be announcing this in the next few weeks so stay tuned or contact me for more information.
Here's a great ROI - To learn more about this author, visit Stephen Goldberg's Website.
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Dave Kurlan
Dave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development.
Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit.
He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine.
He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball.
He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales success or one of the many who have failed to change? So what are you doing to change those results? Let’s be honest, with companies moving globally and at lightening speeds, the traditional business solutions are outdated and dead. My approach moves your business out of its comfort zone and secures your competitive advantage now. If you are seeking to increase sales, build customer loyalty, create a culture of great attitudes or just achieve some sleep filled nights, then we should talk because my clients have experienced exactly those types of results. Learn more about customer loyalty at http://www.processspecialist.com/customer-loyalty.htm Give me a call at 219.759.5601 for a free strategy session. P.S. If you are seeking a motivational speaker, sales trainer or small business expert that will leave your audience smiling and remembering, please feel free to contact me at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Stephen Goldberg
(Visit Stephen's Website)
What makes a highly effective speaker,
facilitator or coach? Someone creative,
flexible, engaging, knowledgeable, and
committed to helping others, makes a big
impact on his audience.
With over thirteen years’ experience as a
facilitator and coach, and a practical
business and sales background, Stephen
Goldberg possesses these essential
qualities, and more.
Creating fast-paced learning through
interactive activities, and engaging
listeners with humour and stories,
Stephen‘s from-the-heart style of delivery
responds and adapts to the specific needs
of each event’s participants, entertaining
while always stimulating learning and
growth. The visually rich multimedia
presentations that accompany his speeches
capture the attention and the emotions of
his audience. Read more at www.optimusperformance.ca/e
n-products.php
Stephen is regularly featured in articles
in the Montreal Gazette Business and
Working life sections. He is the owner of
Optimus Performance, a successful human
resources development and consulting
company, and publishes its monthly
e-newsletter.Sign up for it at visitor.co
nstantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=110131599017
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