7 STEPS TO BUILDING A COACHING DEVELOPMENT PLAN:

7 STEPS TO BUILDING A COACHING DEVELOPMENT PLAN:

1st  Set  the  tone. If you’re initiating the relationship, establish

that coaching isn’t a sign  that the other person is lacking in some critical skill or doing something wrong. In fact,  coaching means that you  see untapped potential in the other person and are invested in that person’s success at work.

2nd   Establish the  goals. You and the other person must

set the goals for the relationship. As the coach in the relationship, you  have two responsibilities in goal setting. One  is to identify the goals you  would like to see the other person achieve. The other responsibility is to solicit from  the other person what goals they want to work  toward. Without your  active solicitation, you may  end up being the only  person setting the goals, which moves you  back to the boss/employee relationship.

3rd Set  responsibilities. The two of you  must then decide how you  can  help  each other develop. As a coach, you  have an additional responsibility beyond what you  agree to in this part of the plan.  You must also  model the desired behaviours you  want to see—you must “walk your talk.” If you  don’t model the behaviour you  want to help  develop, then your  credibility and your effectiveness as a coach are diminished.

4th  Define the  process. At a minimum, the two of you  must decide when, where and how  often you’ll meet to check in with each other. One  caveat: coaching isn’t about friendship. You can be friendly, but coaching is about improving performance at work. As part of deciding how  you’ll work  together, you  must also decide how  you’ll address conflict (and there will be conflict).

5th   Acknowledge what you will get. You’ll probably learn a great deal from  the coaching relationship. Make sure that you acknowledge the benefits that you  expect to get. For instance, being able to conduct “difficult” conversations (conversations that include criticism) is an invaluable skill. If you  intend to develop that skill as part of this  coaching relationship, point out that you  will be using this  opportunity to practice in a safe environment.

6th  Establish benchmarks. The plan  must include clear “measures of progress” and a schedule of when those measures will be met. Benchmarks provide both of you  with markers to determine how well things are going. However, be aware that not  reaching the benchmarks isn’t a sign  of failure—it just means that a timetable adjustment or course correction may  be needed.

7th   Review the  relationship. When looking at a course correction or the achievement of a major benchmark, take the time to assess if the coaching relationship should continue. If you  decide to discontinue the formal coaching relationship, be sure to debrief both the work  you  did  together and how  the co11aching experience enriched both of you