FOR BRICK ONLY

Paper CASE

For module 1 Please replace:

Garr, S.S. (2011) High-impact performance management: Maximizing performance coaching. Retrieved from http://marketing.bersin.com/rs/bersin/images/111511_ES_HIPM-Practices1_SSG_Final.pdf

With:

Bersin and Associates (2012, June 12). Bersin & Associates unlocks the secrets of effective employee recognition. Cision PR Newswire. Retrieved from: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bersin--associates-unlocks-the-secrets-of-effective-employee-recognition-158548395.html

BACK GROUND

All articles on the Home, Background, Case, and SLP pages are required unless otherwise noted.

The Leader as Coach – What are the Benefits?

The main reason for leaders to coach their subordinates is for performance management . Coaching, when done right, improves an employee’s skills and capability to find his own solution to problems and to reframe challenges.  It can help people achieve more from their job and their career.  A recent study by Bersin & Associates found that organizations that train their managers in coaching have markedly better performance, including:

· Higher levels of productivity

· Better employee engagement with the firm

· Better financial performance

Read the following executive summary of this report:

Garr, S.S. (2011) High-impact performance management:  Maximizing performance coaching. Retrieved from http://marketing.bersin.com/rs/bersin/images/111511_ES_HIPM-Practices1_SSG_Final.pdf

The following article is from Leading Concepts, a firm founded by several former Rangers.  It provides a compelling argument for why leaders need to develop coaching skills and lays the foundation for a number of topics we will cover in this module and the rest of the course.

Performance Coaching, Counseling and Leadership Principles. (2014). Leading Concepts.  Retrieved from http://www.leadingconcepts.com/2014/05/performance-coaching-counseling-and-leadership-principles/

Given that 73% of organizations that successfully teach coaching skills achieve above-average business results (vs. only 46% who do an “average” job), why don’t more leaders engage in coaching?  The research reveals several recurring barriers to coaching:

· Managers lack coaching skills

· Managers feel that coaching is too time consuming

· Managers do not believe that coaching pays off in improved performance or “the bottom line”

· Executive leadership does not support or encourage coaching

Coaching Skills

There are four basic skills that must be mastered to be successful at coaching.

1. Listening. Active listening is arguably the most basic of the skills.  If the coach does not know how to listen, none of the other skills will matter.  Read Part 2 (pp. 19-36) related to effective listening in the following text. You can find this book through the Trident Online Library – EBSCO eBook Collection.

Romero, D. B. (2009). The Business of listening: Become a more effective listener. Rochester, N.Y: Axzo Press.

 

 

The following article defines “active listening,” and what it means to be an empathetic listener:

Ohlin, B. (21 July 2016). Active listening: The art of empathetic conversation. Positive Psychology Program. Retrieved from https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/active-listening/

2. Setting Goals.  A coach must be able to help the coachee set goals. The ability to set SMART goals means setting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time sensitive. This video will teach you how to set SMART goals: Scivicque, C. (2012) How to create SMART goals. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U9dZXlU7YI

3. Questioning. A coach has to learn how to ask the right kinds of questions. Throughout the course you will read a lot about these types of questions and have the chance to practice asking them. Essentially, these types of questions seek to understand – not to judge.  When the coach asks questions, she is trying to elicit ideas from the coachee about how to best frame a problem instead of imposing her own interpretation.  By doing this, the coach is trying to stimulate the coachee’s imagination and creativity.

Asking questions can also focus the coachee's attention on a certain area. Maybe the person is having performance problems – if that's the case, you could ask questions to direct the coachee's attention to ways to improve performance. Another benefit of asking questions is that it gives ownership of a problem to the coachee. Instead of telling the coachee how to solve a problem, you give the individual the tools to come up with ideas. This can foster a feeling of commitment in the coachee.

You will get the most meaningful answers if you use open questions. Instead of asking questions that begin with "Will you" or "Can you," for instance, ask questions that begin with "How," "Tell me," "What," or "Why."

Read the full article “Coaching questions and powerful questions." Save it for future use. It covers the right type of questions to ask in a broad variety of coaching situations:

Cardon, A. (2008). Coaching questions and powerful questions. Metasysteme Coaching.  Retrieved from http://www.metasysteme-coaching.eu/pdfexport.php?nid=774

Here are some examples of effective open-ended coaching questions:

· What questions: Focus

· What do you want to achieve?

· What results do you anticipate?

· What are the possibilities?

· Why questions: Ownership, purpose

· Why is this important?

· What impact will this have on the organization?

· What really matters to you and others about this situation?

· Why not? Barriers

· What is the likelihood of this not working?

· What is the worst case scenario?

· What has gone wrong with similar situations in the past?

· How? Plan

· What steps have you taken so far?

· What is the next step?

· Who needs to be involved?

4. Providing Support and Feedback

Acknowledging positive behavior is so important to the coaching process that it has been called the most important of all coaching activities.  It builds trust and confidence.  However, it is also important to recognize that the coach has to learn how to give negative feedback or risk depriving the coachee of knowing what he is doing wrong and how to improve.  Many people do not like to give negative feedback because they are afraid of the reaction they might get. 

The following article from the Trident Online Library (ProQuest database) gives some practical and down-to-earth suggestions for delivering constructive, but critical feedback:

Berglas, S. (2013). Negative feedback. Leadership Excellence Essentials, 30(11), 11. Available in the Trident University Online Library.

PAPER 1

APA Format

5-7 Pages

Building the coaching relationship

Background

The purpose of the Case Assignment is to create a “Live Case” by experiencing the process of coaching and developing your skills as a coach. Because this case is designed around experiential learning , we can go beyond the conceptual knowledge covered in the reading materials to actual skills building. This requires putting what you are learning into immediate practice.

Although the case assignments involve a coaching experience, the focus is on you as the coach.  You will be learning how to prepare for a coaching session, what questions you should ask, and what behaviors are most effective. The case involves a coaching relationship with one person and is continued in stages across all four modules, so be sure to focus on the exact stage covered in each module and do not get ahead of yourself.

The goal of the coaching process is to expedite the growth of the coachee’s understanding of his or her strengths and weaknesses. Through the coaching process, the coachee gains an appreciation of his capabilities for growth and builds self-confidence. Thus, before you begin this exercise in coaching, you must first find someone who is willing to go through this exercise with you as a coachee. This can be a friend, a colleague, or a co-worker. It does not have to be a situation tied to your job.  The only requirement is that you must be able to identify a contracted piece of work based on a shared concern (if no shared concern can be found, find another coachee).

Johari window

In MGT501, you were introduced to the Johari window as a tool for increasing awareness of how one is perceived by others and to improve communication. This case is designed to enlarge your “open” area and reduce your “blind” area, so you can be more effective as a coach.  At the same time, you will learn to use coaching techniques as a way to correct problem behaviors ("blind area") and help coachees realize they have untapped potential and open the possibility for growth through unused capacities (their “hidden” areas”).

Read: Johari Window (n.d.) Crowe Associates LTD. Retrieved from http://www.crowe-associates.co.uk/coaching-and-mentoring-skills/johari-window-as-a-coaching-tool/

The structure of the Live Case

Each module will follow this cycle: Plan, execute, report

· Before the coaching session, write up a plan using course readings or additional research as a resource (1-2 pages)

· Then meet with the coachee and use your plan as a guide for the session

· The bulk of the report is on how it went: successes and failures. What would you do differently next time? (3 to 5 pages)

Preplanning	Action	Reflection
What are your goals for the session? What actions do you plan? How will you know if you are successful?   (1-2 pages)	Meet with coachee (45-50 minutes).	Report on the session. Provide a  narrative descriptive summary of the conversation as it occurred (1 or 2   paragraphs). How do you feel the session went? Analyze the process and outcomes of  your coaching. What new knowledge did you gain? What would you do differently next  time?

Case Assignment

The first step in the coaching process is to build rapport with your coachee. This is where you establish a trusting relationship by demonstrating your credibility, helpfulness, and honesty. To build genuine rapport, you must believe in the potential of the person you are coaching – this cannot be faked.

Some excellent methods for building rapport can be found in the following readings:

· Building rapport: Establishing bonds (2014) Mindtools. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/building-rapport.htm

· Bluckert, P. (2005). Critical factors in executive coaching - the coaching relationship. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37(6), 336-340. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/214109158?accountid=28844

Remember: Shared success is the key to great coaching!

Shared success means that the outcome works for both the individual and the organization, because it meets both individual and organizational needs. Coaching is a tool where we are able to create that connection between the person and the organization.

Your task in this module is to identify a partner who is willing to be coached by you over the course of the term. Set up an initial meeting and establish rapport. Do not attempt to get into the later stages of coaching; we will get to them in later modules.  Focus on the process of establishing rapport only.  Write up this meeting as indicated in the Keys to the Assignment, below. Turn in your final 4- to 6-page paper to the appropriate dropbox by the due date.

Keys to the Assignment

1. After reading the background materials for this module and doing additional research if needed, prepare your pre-coaching plan for a 45- to 50-minute session.  Remember that your focus for this case is on the process of building rapport with the coachee.

· What are your goals for this session? How will you know if you are successful?

· What skills will you use?

· How will you go about doing this?

· What questions will you ask? 

2. Conduct your coaching session (45 to 50 minutes).

3. Write up your post-coaching reflection.

· Report the facts of the coaching session.

· What went well and what did not?

· What did you learn about coaching from this session?

· What would you do differently next time?

Paper 2

APA Format

Just a completed paper. Minimum should be about 3 pages

Assessing Yourself and Your Environment

One common focus of coaching in organizational settings is to work with an employee to construct a personal development plan. In this SLP, you will be developing your own Leadership Growth Plan (LGP).  The purpose is to have you learn the steps to developing such a plan so you can help others you are coaching to do the same, but also to come out of the class with a personal plan for your own development as a leader.

Why create a Leadership Growth Plan?

It is one thing to want to be a good leader.  It is another thing to achieve it.  Research shows that people who have a vision for where they want to go and then write it down and develop a plan to achieve it, are more successful than people who do not.  An LGP is designed to help you assess your current skills and capacities as a leader, set goals, and make a plan for enhancing your effectiveness by acquiring new skills. 

For an example of what a personal leadership growth plan might look like, see the following:

Create a Personal Leadership Growth Plan (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.myafchome.org/assets/Convention/2012_Convention/personal%20leadership%20growth%20plan-ew.pdf

Guide to the Completion of a Personal Development Plan. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.collegiovolta.org/images/example_pdp_2016.pdf

Assignment Instructions

· In this module, we will begin with the first phase of creating your plan.  You will engage in some assessment and reflection addressed toward giving you a picture of “Who am I”? Then you will write up what you have learned about yourself in a two- to three-page paper. The paper should be an integrated essay assessing your current attributes and capabilities as a leader.  Do not just line up the four topics below and report on them as in a short-answer test.  Use them to “tell the story” of who you are.

Keys to the Assignment

To assess yourself as a leader, consider the following and incorporate your answers into your paper.

· What are your values?

· Make a list of everything that is important to you in life.  Do not censor or edit anything, just get it all on paper. You may find that you think of things you would not have expected.

· Read through the list several times, choose the five most important values, and list them in order of importance.

· Define each value in terms of why it is important to you.

· What is your leadership style?

· You have undoubtedly assessed your leadership style in one or more classes or at work.  If you can recall your dominant style, name and describe it. The most common styles are authoritarian, consulting, participative, and delegating, but there are others.

· Using the authoritative style, you tend to make all important decisions, including how jobs are performed.

· Using the consulting style, you ask for employee input, but then make the decision yourself.

· Using the participative style, you involve employees as partners in the decision.

· Using the delegating style, you empower employees to make the decisions on their own as appropriate.

· If you want to take a new assessment questionnaire, there are many on the Internet.  Just cite the instrument you are using.

· What motivates you?

· Not everyone is motivated by the same things.  What does it for you?  Compensation, titles, perks, social status, money, helping others, doing a good job, winning?

· Repeat the process you used in assessing your values.

· How are your skills in the following competencies?

· Developing subordinates:  fostering employee engagement and commitment to the job and the organization, developing job-related skills and abilities, building decision-making capabilities, encouraging personal accountability for job responsibilities.

· Modeling desirable behaviors:  As a leader you are the “voice” of the organization.  You exemplify its ethics, values, and expectations of employees.  You do not ask people to do things you would not do yourself.

· Challenging the status quo:  Are you willing to try something different, think outside the box, take risks?  Leaders do not simply accept things the way they have always been, but ask, "How can we do it better?"

· Accountability:  Leaders take responsibility for getting the job done.  Leaders try new ideas, create action plans, and evaluate results.