Coaching is gaining in popularity, as more organisations recognise the benefits they can gain from improved employee performance through coaching.
However, it seems to me that there is still a perception that coaching is for ‘higher-ups’. The assumption is that coaching is expensive, both in terms of money and time. So, the argument goes, investment in coaching to help develop people should be aimed at those where the results will have most impact, usually assumed to be those in senior positions.
I think we need to challenge some of those assumptions. Let’s start with cost.
A ‘good’ coach is expensive
I talked to an HR person recently. She gave me a lot of information about how her company worked with external coaches. But without asking me any questions, she assumed that the company could not afford me as a coach for ‘ordinary’ employees. She assumed that she’d have to pay £300 for an hour of coaching. This fee was based on what her company was paying for the executive coaches, but also on other assumptions – that there were no coaches close by, that you’d have to hire someone from London, pay their expenses, bring them down to the company for half a day etc.
It didn’t cross this HR person’s mind that they could invest in a whole course of coaching – say, 6 sessions, plus introductory session and evaluation session – for the same price. Yet they had internal coaches who were doing just that for a similar cost. And at that same company, they’d think nothing of signing off £300 to send someone to a training event or conference, regardless of level. But although the employee might get a few hours of valuable ‘input’, it’s unlikely there’d be any follow-up to see if the investment in training had made any real difference to the employee or company.
It has to be face-to-face
The assumption is that the coach or coachee has to travel to be at a coaching session in person. But this takes time and has an opportunity cost – you could be working instead of travelling. I’ve mentioned before that I do a lot of work online – training and coaching online via telephone and video calls. This has significantly reduced the costs I need to charge to clients. In addition, both parties can choose a comfortable environment for themselves. Don’t get me wrong – coaching in person is the ideal solution for many. But many clients find a session can be just as effective online.
And not only does technology mean you don’t have to travel, it also opens up the range of coaches you have access to, meaning you can find one that suits your needs, rather than having one that’s conveniently close-by.
We have too many employees
Employees won’t need a coach all the time. But it may be appropriate for specific times or challenges in their career, for example when:
- you’ve been newly promoted
- you are going through a transition or period of change
- you are looking to develop skills and behaviours to get you to the next level or take you in a new direction
So let’s start challenging this idea that coaches are just for the C-suite and open it up to all.