Coaching And Peer Coaching

Coaching

At JM Consulting Group, we provide varying levels of coaching to our clients.  Many of our clients are executives, middle management, or high potential employees who will most likely be promoted to a manager of people in the near future.

Coaching involves a genuine intent to foster the long-term learning and development of staff members to fulfill their current and future goals.  It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.

 

Our coaching approach:

  • Understand overall business direction
  • Learn about the specific goals / direction of the department coachee works within
  • Develop awareness about and articulation of the specific needs for coachee (from multiple perspective when applicable)
  • Discuss process with coachee and formulate a plan that includes an action-oriented approach

Typically coaching assignments are 3-6 months in length, 45-60 minute sessions, every week or every other week.

The underpinnings of our coaching approach include:

  • Developing a strong, trusting relationship with the coachee (and other stakeholders involved)
  • Creating open lines of communication between the coachee, coachee's manager and coach (if agreed upon upfront).  This ensure support internally and externally over the course of the coaching and accelerates sustainability internally once coaching has ended
  • Applying learnings after every coaching session, ideally with some level of reflection using note-taking on the side of the coachee and action steps to show progress
  • Being accessible (cell phone, work phone, flexible hours)
  • Coaching is gift for leaders not a penalty.  We will not accept coaching assignments for leaders that are having severe performance or employee relations issues.

 Why?

We believe the perception of coaching within an organization should be positive.   The intent being the organization is making an investment in leaders because they want them to succeed.  It is not meant to be viewed as negative or in need of remedial treatment.

Peer Coaching

There are various ways to offer peer coaching within your organization that include offering it as a way to:

  • Sustain learning and networking across a management population after a formalized training experience has ended
  • Provide an "a la carte" opportunity for managers to sign up for to achieve the same outcomes as above
  • Engage "non-managers" to help the overall organization learn to coach each other without having direct authority over anyone

Process:

  • Peer groups are identified
  • Peer groups meet on a regular basis (bi-monthly or monthly)
  • Coaching templates are used to practice coaching skills (be on receiver and giver side)
  • Facilitator may be present to help assist with meetings
  • Open discussion and coaching during time together with action planning / application in between meetings

Benefits:

  • Develops and nurtures strong peer relationships
  • Fosters knowledge sharing across the organization
  • Promotes a management or overall coaching community