Research has identified coaching and mentoring as the most effective methods of developing talent as well as a sure way of introducing and reinforcing a culture of continuous learning and development in an organisation and in life in general.
The advent of user-friendly technologies and interplay between technologies as a result of the digital evolution especially the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has revolutionised the entire learning and development process. Increasingly learning is becoming self-driven, personalised and consumed on demand. Traditional ways of teaching and acquiring learning and rigid or static curricula are fast becoming a thing of the past. On demand and personalised properly curated learning and development interventions are particularly relevant for business and provide an effective solution to the conundrum faced by human capital professionals and management of having learning translated into real life situations and applied “back at work” wherever work is done. Applying different learning techniques also help to imbue a culture of creativity, innovation, imagination and critical thinking.
Introducing a coaching and mentoring culture in an organisation supports learning and development. In fact, coaching has to take centre stage in the learning and development mix if an organisation desires to unlock the capacity of its people and foster critical and solutions thinking across the organization. Furthermore, when coached and mentored professionally individuals become centred and can effectively apply their skills both professionally and socially and can use the whole repertoire of their formal (academic) and informal (non-academic learning and training, social or professional) exposure.
Executive Coaching
This programme adapts to specific needs of each executive and seeks to support the executive to cope with the challenges they face which are a consequence of having leadership responsibilities. There are a variety of reasons why coaching may be necessary for an individual. Among them could be: change of a system, process or principals, a transitioning from one role to another, confronting personal issues, or developing of a strategy to avoid derailment. Overall, executive coaching offers an opportunity for development in structured reflection, sound decision-making, alignment, as well as effective communication.
Development Coaching
This programme adapts scope and approach to the needs of the coachee. It helps individuals increase emotional intelligence (EQ) i.e. self-awareness, self-regulation, self-evaluation, internal motivation, empathy and social skills (refer to https://www.accipio.com). This helps the coachee to be realistic and confront their career (or social) profile and to strategise around personal strengths and improvement areas. This particular programme may become a fusion of coaching and mentoring, depending on the exact development needs of the coachee, and what practical access to career acceleration the coach may be able to provide. For more information please email info@ipm.co.za
Coaching for Performance
This is focused on helping individuals articulate goals and/or crystalise stakeholder expectations, establish ways to improve focus or approach in order to achieve the required levels of input/output and reach objectives or meet expectations.
Goal Coaching
This is coaching that focuses on helping coaches to develop precise and measurable goals and to put in place practical action plans or steps they will follow to achieve each of their goals. This coaching programme offers an option for a self-monitoring system for coachees to ensure that they stay on track despite competing work-life demands.
Coaching for Fit
This is focused on helping individuals to sharpen awareness of different levels of their operating environment and the changes therein, in order to realistically assess current and future fit, particularly as far as human capital viability is concerned. The programme helps individuals reflect and recognise the type of change they have to create, drive, influence, accommodate or adapt to, depending on the role they play. The programme also helps executives and individuals identify strategies and programmes that will capacitate, or repurpose or reallocate human capital to ensure that human resource is fit-for purpose and well-matched to the changing needs of the organisation.
Sustainability Coaching
This is focused on helping individuals reduce the stress of everyday living, and to connect to the authentic self. It helps individuals move from survival mode to thriving. It helps individuals evaluate connections and relationships, and crystalise the role they wish to play based on their ultimate purpose. Sustainability coaching helps promote holistic wellness and a healthy multi-factor life balance using tools such as LifeKite. This programme helps individuals with their relationship tiers, encouraging emergence of authenticity, thereby relieving individuals of stress associated with ill-fitting role-play and prescribed branding. This type of coaching is for individuals’ personal empowerment, particularly where individuals experience internal conflict or stress from their environment.
Coaching for Personal Effectiveness
This is focused on helping individuals define success, identify clutter and noise factors that impede success; pin down priorities and work on specific objectives that will drive them toward success. This coaching provides safe space for reflection, critical self-assessment and development planning.
COACHING DURATION
Effective coaching may take place over a short or an extended period a mix of sessions can be organised starting from a minimum of four sessions to a maximum of twelve sessions depending on the coaching objective and coachee readiness. Previously location of coach and coachee was a barrier to holding coaching sessions and now increasingly this is no longer a factor. Virtual coaching sessions have become possible and shorter coaching programmes have also come to the fore which are made up of a mix of sessions as per coachee requirements. In general, a standard coaching programme that is recommendation comprises a minimum of four (4) by one hour sessions over a period of four (4) weeks.
COACHING PREPARATION
Since workplace professional coaching targets personal development to make organisations more effective, the introductory session to an employee’s coaching programme requires an overview of objectives and a snapshot of current performance, beginning with strategic objectives, drilling down to team contracts and individual deliverables, together with latest feedback by internal/external clients using a 360-degree evaluation tool.
INITIATION PROCESS
The entry point for Organisational Coaching as a human resource capacitating tool is, logically, the HR department. This is not only because of the SAQA mandate, but because the HR department serves as a custodian for people management and development programmes in the organisation.