Is it possible to coach in an organisational setting, to everyone’s requirements, and without compromising the coach’s integrity? Jenny Summerfield examines a typical contracting process
Coaching in organisations is very different from personal coaching. Drawing up a workable contract that satisfies everyone – the paying organisation, the manager who has commissioned the work and the client being coached – without compromising the coach’s principles, is no mean feat. External coaches who have worked hard to win business will be keen to ensure that the coaching is a complete success. But what if you are being asked to do something unreasonable or unethical? How do you say “no” safely? How can you negotiate a win-win situation? Managers as coaches and internal coaches (who may also be HR professionals) are often under more pressure than external coaches, so it is important they agree a workable contract. Managers with coaching skills can define the boundaries of their role through the contracting discussion. They are under more pressure than most because they have to work harder at gaining the trust of employees. Internal coaches can be the “holders of many secrets”. A good coaching contract will mean they can resist any pressure to share information. In fact, that pressure may not even exist if commissioning managers really understand the contracting process. Managers and HR professionals who buy coaching services also need to engage in the contracting process, to ensure that they select the right coach and manage the process without becoming “piggy in the middle”. From the organisation’s point of view there are substantial benefits in creating a clear and workable contract. Commissioning managers can gain greater insight into the thoughts and emotions behind performance problems. They will understand their people better and benefit from the coach’s insights into coaching and giving feedback. Where there are multiple coaching assignments in a department, managers can harness common themes that emerge from the review process, which can have a positive impact on their own development and that of the business.HR professionals can use the contracting discussion to inform their organisations better about the process of coaching, helping them to ward off pressure to find out confidential information that the coach will not disclose.
The coaching contract
The contract is not necessarily a written document. It is usually a verbal agreement about its purpose, relationships and outcomes. Coaching in organisations usually follows the process shown in the diagram on page 48, where each stage forms part of the contracting process.
STAGE 1: Clarity and timescales
A workable contract needs clear outcomes from the manager’s point of view. It is not uncommon to find that the need for coaching is based on a perception about the client’s performance and behaviour that may be inaccurate.
Some useful questions for the coach to ask:
- Why do you think the client needs coaching?
- What, specifically, has been observed in their performance or behaviour? Turn the vague into the specific: “bad attitude” cannot be coached whereas “does not listen to staff” can.
- Why do you think this is happening? Help the manager to think through reasons for the coaching need.
- Has the client been given any feedback about this? Clear feedback will help the client to understand the reason for coaching.
- Are they a willing participant in the process? Unwillingness may be down to a lack of understanding about the process, perhaps regarding confidentiality. This is useful information to share in your initial meeting with the client.
- What will be a successful outcome for the coaching? This will help you to demonstrate success.
- How much information should be shared at the end of the process? For the coaching to be successful, there needs to be trust. You could offer a development plan at the end of the process without sharing details of discussions.
- Would you like a review meeting at the end? If so, who will be involved?
- What is the timescale/budget for this process? These can be agreed after the initial meeting with the client.
How to say ‘no’ and still create a win-win situation
Many managers are unclear about what makes coaching successful and need to be gently “educated”.
Some common questions that might trip you up, with some suggested responses:
- “We want you to help the client to decide to leave”
“Coaching works because it is an honest relationship based on trust. There can be no hidden agendas between the coach and client. If you have decided that you want this person to leave, I could help you to rehearse the conversation.” - “Can you give the client feedback on their poor performance?” “Giving feedback on performance is not my responsibility as a coach people cannot give feedback on something they have not directly observed but we could talk about how you could do this.”
- “I want to be informed of any discussions you have about me”“The client may want to discuss how he or she is managed by the organisation, and by you, as part of the confidential process between us. If you would like feedback on your management style, you could consider setting up a 360-degree process with all of your team. I could help you to design this.”
I find most managers co-operate once they understand the coaching process. If not, and you are an external coach, turning down this work will be better in the long term no one wants to hire an
unethical coach. Understanding the contracting process can also help HR professionals to select the right coach for the issues at hand. Not all coaches work with “emotional” or “counselling” issues for example, bereavement in the case of an employee who develops timekeeping or concentration problems. HR professionals should clarify what the coach’s approach is, how they would handle certain issues, what they mean by an ethical working contract”, and what information will be shared with them and with the individual’s manager. For multiple contracts, they should find out how useful common themes that emerge can be accessed while maintaining confidentiality.
STAGE 2: Building the foundations
You can use the first meeting with the client to:
- establish initial rapport;
- test their willingness to participate;
- check out their own perceptions of the coaching issue;
- check out the timescales.
All of this will help you to confirm the contract with their manager.
STAGE 3: Confirming the contract
This is a necessary and useful stage as there may be agreements you need to adjust before carrying out the contract.
For example, if the coaching need is “to develop better delegation skills” and you discover that the client has major issues about being “over-controlling”, you will need to bear in mind that more complex issues take longer to resolve, even if you cannot share specifics.
STAGE 4: The coaching relationship
The contract will more successful if you can create a clear and workable contract of confidentiality with your client. This will be much easier if the previous stages of the contract are in place.
STAGE 5: Outcomes
It is important to establish what will be reviewed, and how this will happen, right from the start. The offer of a development plan and review at the end usually helps the manager to feel secure about
the process. It also helps you to retain confidentiality. The decision about who should be directly involved in the review process depends on the client’s learning needs. They may need to develop confidence in communicating with their manager, for example, and after some guidelines from you, may prefer to carry out the review themselves. If misunderstandings are likely, you may want to be involved in a three-way meeting. The manager may also lack confidence and need your support during this process. Or you may decide that it is best for you to have a review with the manager, followed by the manager’s review with the client. This can be helpful if they lack confidence, and allows you to prepare the groundwork.
Jenny Summerfield is an executive coach with 20 years’ performance coaching experience for a range of national and international organisations. She is a founding partner with Working One-to-One Partnership, an independent group of coaches.
1. Initial meeting with manager CLARITY/TIMESCALES
2. Initial meeting with the coachee BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS
3. Agreeing the timescales and outcomes with the manager
4. Delivering the coaching contract THE COACHING RELATIONSHIP
5. Reviewing the coaching contract OUTCOMES
Volume 2, Issue 5