Feature Workforce Development


Coaching for the first


days100


By Diane Rance (pictured), executive coach and mentor at Creating Value With People. She is also a Council member at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, initiating and championing the Chamber’s Growth Through People Campaign.


Recruiting a new person is expensive; not only are there the recruitment costs of an agency or internal recruitment to consider, but also training costs, in addition to your time and energy and the disruption to normal working. You probably just want ‘full service’ to resume as quickly as possible. Coaching is one way you can accelerate that process. Do you remember how it felt the last time you started a new role,


perhaps in a new company? It can be hard to talk through your concerns and uncertainties with colleagues, HR or your new manager. It can also be hard to ask for help, to build new relationships and to feel in control. The longer it takes someone new to develop their networks, local


information and skills, the longer it takes to see the returns on your recruitment and employment costs. How much are you wasting by not accelerating a new member of staff’s transition into a new role?


What is transition coaching? So often individuals in new roles receive the standard induction covering health and safety, introductions to new colleagues, information about the department and are then left to get on with settling into their role. However, this really only addresses the minimal needs for new staff to begin to perform effectively. Working with a coach during the first few months can support a new member of staff or executive by giving them a safe environment to think and plan so they can perform their new role fully as early as possible. The plan could include:


• Identifying key relationships, and how to build them effectively, including with new colleagues, a new manager, new direct reports, and the wider team


• Making sense of a huge amount of new information, quickly including identifying questions to be asked and decisions to be made. Coaching provides time to take stock and reflect.


A coach provides a safe relationship to discuss fears and develop plans to manage and overcome them, building confidence and effectiveness in


54 CHAMBERLINK July/August 2018


the process. A coach can help an employee new to the area think through how to settle in quickly, ensuring that distractions outside of work do not become distractions at work. For senior leaders and executives there is an extra dimension to making


an effective transition – the impact their style and first moves have on the team they’re managing, their new colleagues and the wider organisation. A coach can work with a leader to create an action plan tailored to their individual needs and situation, including:


• Reflecting on their personal style and that of the new organisation and understanding what they need to adapt to make the relationships work


• Identifying the “political” situation the new leader is in and the best way to achieve early wins, to build personal credibility and self-confidence


• Helping a senior leader to think about how to build useful and effective relationships. Are there people they haven't met yet who could be critical to their success? Who are the sources of power that have influence in the organisation?


How might transition coaching work? There are many options including single face-to-face sessions one month into a new role, with follow-on skype/telephone sessions, or face-to-face sessions at one-month intervals. Whichever option you choose, ideally there would be an opportunity for


a ‘chemistry test’ before hand for each party to check they’re happy to work together.


What next? So if you want those in new roles to perform effectively as quickly as possible why not review your current induction and on-boarding processes and include coaching as part of them from now on?


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80