Five years ago, Sara Hope swapped her role as internal coach at KPMG for the life of an independent coach, while Louise Buckle stepped into Sara’s shoes after six years of successful independent practice. Here they share their insights and experiences of how the market has shifted in that time, how coaching in organisations is adapting to the contextual changes in the workplace, and the new questions we need to explore in the profession
Louise’s story
Being inside
At the Coaching at Work conference last year, I drew attention to the paradox that those who were there to help large complex organisations, often working with their senior leaders, were the same people who had chosen to leave a similar organisation for the freedom of independent practice.
This had started to concern me as an external coach, and it was a big part of my reason for joining KPMG. It is challenging dealing with the pressures and frustrations of day-to-day organisational life, but my earlier passion remains true. After nearly five years in KPMG, I am still deeply committed to the value of inhouse and internal coaching and to supporting our collective thinking about the many ways coaching can contribute to organisational effectiveness.
Being inside, I am reminded of how enduring organisations can be, how deep their cultures run and how hard it is for organisations to change. As an internal coach you get to see the long view, up close and personal. However, when, every quarter, we step back to review coaching themes and outcomes, we also see how much the individuals we work with and the organisation as a whole, does change.
My greatest delight though, in the past few years, has been seeing others develop into their coaching roles, whether they be colleagues, new additions to the inhouse team or internal coaches in the ‘job-plus’ style. They love their coaching practice.
I now take for granted the support, challenge and stimulation of my colleagues. It’s great being part of a collective effort and to know you have insightful support when facing challenging clients and situations.
Sustainability of coaching
One question that emerges when I network with other sponsors is the issue of coaching sustainability in organisations. This came to the fore when, having set up a sponsors group in 2010, I found, two years later, virtually all of the other group members had moved on from their coaching sponsor role. As an industry, we need to get past the rollercoaster journey that coaching has been on in many organisations.
The real test for coaching is sustainability of a legitimate place in the architecture of the business, such that when a change initiative or talent programme ends, coaching’s contribution does not.
New developments
What I and the wider coaching team do, has evolved to respond to business challenges and opportunities. In the past five years we have: introduced group, team and systemic coaching; supported acquisitions; noticed increased interest in developing coaching skills among staff; introduced a ‘job-plus’ style Associate Coach role; reached a greater range of clients, eg, maternity returners; and built relationships with a diverse team of external coaches who each bring a unique strength to the overall coaching effort, and have helped us get on top of unregulated coaching activity.
Would these developments in coaching practice have happened if we hadn’t been there as professional coaches, providing a focus for coaching, a sounding board, a change resource and offering innovative solutions in just-in-time ways? Some, but not all, and not in an aligned way.
Inhouse coach and sponsors
As organisations talk more and more openly about a coaching culture, we see a need for a strategic view of coaching capability, capacity and culture. As coaches in KPMG, we are valued for our insights into the business and our subject matter expertise.
We are becoming more active in change work and are seen as systemic enablers rather than only developers of individuals. As a result, we are seeing our roles becoming stronger as ‘supervisors’ and ‘champions’ of others’ coaching practices and conversations. Perhaps a new classification is emerging: that of ‘organisational coach’ rather than ‘executive’ or ‘internal’ coach.
Inhouse coaches do work in a complex web of roles. They can be coach, sponsor, champion, coaching skills trainer, change agent, business partner and often also, technical or functional leader. We need to evaluate these complex coaching roles through the lens of organisational effectiveness as well as individual development.
We hear some external coaches declaiming the ways in which inhouse coach roles are compromised. This argument values independence and ‘objectivity’ above connectedness and context. It also often fails to acknowledge the impact of the commercial and reputational considerations that externals are subject to.
To provide the best support to individuals, teams, organisations and society, perhaps all coaches might strive to work effectively with the conditions of their existence to be both more independent and better connected.
Sara’s story
Outside in
I have noticed that the landscape for coaching in organisations is evolving. Five years since leaving my full-time internal coaching role at KPMG, my perspectives are changing, too.
When I embarked on becoming an external coach, my expectation was that I would be spending the majority of my time doing one-on-one coaching; the reality has been somewhat different. The rapid development of internal capability within organisations has led me to a space where I am being invited to share more of my own stories, insights and research to help create a sustainable internal resource. My ‘strapline’ has long been focused on building ‘strength from within’, as this is where I see the long-term value of coaching.
The increased breadth I have developed from working outside-in with a number of businesses across a variety of sectors has challenged my thinking on what it means to be an internal coach.
Acknowledging complexity and appreciating context is critical. Being an internal coach at KPMG is very different to working with internal coaches in other sectors. Valuing and paying attention to the unique nature of each organisation I work with is critical. To be successful in a system, any model for internal coaching has to be fluid and organic.
As with Louise’s experiences, I notice that when things go well, the internal coaching agenda is driven by the business, rather than a top-down, planned approach.
On reflection, I probably took for granted the opportunities I had been given when working in a full-time internal coaching role; the continued ebb and flow of engaging with new sponsors, working to different business agendas and managing varying expectations. What this gave me is stories, and it’s through my own stories that I have been able to explore assumptions, offer new perspectives and engage in more fruitful conversations about internal coaching.
Listening to the stories from hundreds of other coaches who have experienced what it is like to work internally has enabled me to create a rich tapestry from which new insights and alternative perspectives have emerged.
Terms and definitions
I have noticed a language developing around coaching in businesses – the use of the term ‘internal coach’ is growing.
As the landscape of leadership changes, I wonder how much current definitions will help or hinder the evolution of coaching in organisations. I was talking to a CEO recently whose aim was to increase the leadership capability of his business, which employed about 2,000 people. The language of ‘internal coaching’ didn’t strike a chord. Yet, when we spoke about bringing more honesty into conversations, he nodded:
“Yes, that’s exactly what we need to be doing.”
Perhaps we should question our terms and definitions, and develop greater flexibility in the language we use to articulate the commercial value of internal coaching.
Diversity vs inclusivity
As I reflect on what I wrote in ‘Flip Side’ (vol 5, issue 5, p34), I notice the thread of comparison between internal and external coaching. More recently, I am hearing examples of organisations focusing attention on what unites their community of internal and external coaches. We do share a common values base.
Perhaps we could borrow some thinking from the current diversity agenda to help reframe our thinking, and move from the diversity of coaching, to valuing the inclusivity of coaching from the perspectives of all those who coach in organisations. How would it be if we stopped looking at internal and external coaching, and instead focused on the quality of the conversation; isn’t that what coaching is all about?
Internal capability
I have noticed a rapid growth in the number of courses and qualifications targeted at internal coaches. How are these affecting the evolution of coaching in organisations? Is it demand- or supplier-led?
Yet some of the trainers who are creating such courses have never coached internally in an organisation. What impact might their personal assumptions have on content and design?
I wonder too, the extent to which internal programmes are equipping internal coaches to have conversations that businesses and leaders need in order to be successful in a rapidly changing growth economy. Do they develop competence in the coach to engender a pioneering spirit, creativity, manage uncertainty and push the boundaries of what their clients need? Being internal and navigating the marketplace remains a challenge.
What questions do we ask?
Those who coach in organisations are at the heart of making change happen. If we want our leaders to take a stronger ethical stance, speak from the heart and engender a spirit of inclusivity in the way they work, we need to model it in our coaching.
Over the past five years, we have seen a change in the place of coaching in organisations and the nature of the conversations. The voice of internal coaching in the coaching bodies is developing too, and some inspirational stories are being shared.
Through social media and the sharing of research, opportunities exist to have a voice, develop communities, challenge the status quo and collaborate.
Louise and I are keen to continue this conversation with you and hear your reflections about the new horizons for organisational coaching.
sara@theinternalcoach.com
louise.buckle@kpmg.co.uk
COACHING AT WORK, VOLUME 9, ISSUE 5