Tis the time of year for the industry to observe the trends and themes of the year past and the year to come. And there’s plenty of talk around what will guide and inform the coaching profession in 2022.
Industry leaders when polled appear to be anticipating more need for team coaching, and building resilience and adaptability for themselves and their teams. Building coaching skills in business leaders is high on the agenda (but frankly, this one is always on the list). Technology is also driving the explosion of remote coaching and the idea of ‘democratisation of coaching’ – essentially that coaching is for all levels of employees, rather than just reserved for the upper echelons.
Great, I understand the big market moves. That helps, but within all this marketing and advertorial ‘noise’ I’m personally struggling to hear the real ‘signal’, that being, how do I and my team keep improving the environment for insight and behavioural change to happen for our clients. How can Morgan Philips be 10% better in 2022, than we were in 2021?
Because at Morgan Philips we already have a strong coaching pedigree. We’ve supported managers and leaders in extending their capabilities to deliver through the craziness of the last 18 months. We’ve also converted a few sceptics along the way, from thinking that coaching is merely a cosy ‘time out’ from the cut and thrust of work. Instead that it is a focused and tailored approach to shifting behaviours that are ‘mainlined’ into performance.
I believe our coaching practice continues to elevate its positive impact through small refinements, innovations and with a spirit of courage to unearth and address the topics that hold people back. We will endeavour to do this in collaboration and co-operation with our clients. In the meantime, here are four key pillars that drives Morgan Philips’ coaching.
Benchmarking
Coaching benefits from data, be it development centre reports, 360 degree feedback, performance appraisal or personality and ability psychometric tools. At Morgan Philips we benchmark our coaching with combinations of this data. It expedites getting the priority issues ‘on the table’ and also provides a ‘shared endeavour’ for coach and coachee in their initial interactions to collectively build the development journey. Simultaneously, it helps build a sound professional relationship.
Stakeholder involvement
Our coaching connects with the business context. Line manager and HR / Talent representatives are involved in an initial session to make clear the rules of engagement for the coaching. Manager expectations for change are surfaced and goals agreed upon, while appropriate measures of success are established. A closing session once the coaching is complete involves the line manager to review progress, and transfer ongoing areas of development back into the business.
Relationship based
During the coaching, we consistently foster the one-to-one relationship. We are experienced to operate through periods of business and life transition, navigating and steering the progress against goals, conscious of and undeterred by that which is uncontrollable. With a strong supportive relationship in place the coaching can pivot and adapt effectively to changing circumstances. In a world of development solutions, Morgan Philips keeps a strong focus on Development Relationships.
Supervised coaches
Morgan Philips coaches talk to coaches of their own. In a confidential setting we require our coaches to conduct continuous improvement, and regularly reflect and review their coaching case-load to maintain the highest standards of delivery.
Finally, regarding our current 2022 plans, we follow the final principle.
Technology supported, not technology led
Morgan Philips is not offering AI driven recommendations, automated e-learning or machine produced immersive learning experiences. While plenty of advances are being seen in this area, we maintain the perspective that the human connection, when harnessed correctly, provides all the impetus for change required. We are building an online platform that will complement the coaching sessions we provide, streamlining scheduling and administration; providing relevant learning content to the coachee, and driving more activity and auditing progress between coaching sessions, but the human connection is front and centre.
To your success in 2022 (and beyond)!
Author: Phil Jefferis, Head of Development Practice, Morgan Philips Talent Consulting UK