Coaches can be instrumental in helping leadership, teams and organizations as a whole navigate change, manage transitions, improve overall performance and address culture concerns. In fact, as organizations prepare to return to work and recover from economic uncertainty in the coming months, coaches can play a key role in helping to ensure the transition and recovery efforts are successful.
The challenge for many organizations, however, is deciding whether the role of coaching should fall on the shoulders of internal staff or if they should hire an outside consultant. Here are some reasons to consider an outside advisor.
They are highly skilled in the art of coaching
Leading external coaches receive competency-based rigorous training, complete extensive accredited training programs and obtain advanced degrees. They develop deep expertise in a variety of topics and development. They bring a toolkit of models, assessment tools and best practices and provide focused support and structure to the whole process.
Ultimately, an external coach can provide your HR or management team with a tested partner who can step in, engage employees and drive results.
They bring a fresh, objective perspective
One perceived drawback of outside coaches is that they aren’t as familiar with the workplace culture as an internal coach would be. That’s a fair assessment, but it can actually be a positive. External coaches aren’t influenced by the organization’s history or concerned about internal politics, so they provide direct and honest feedback.
When organizations are struggling to implement change, progress is being blocked, or teams have reached a stalemate, a fresh perspective can lead to a breakthrough.
Particularly in strained environments, employees may feel unable to offer honest feedback and speak openly about issues. Coaches are trained to create psychological safety and provide an environment where clients can openly share and engage in challenging discussions. Plus, coaches understand how to deliver feedback in a way that is more likely to gain buy-in, rather than create conflict.
Besides, the best coaches take the time to understand your organization before they get started and can be instrumental in removing barriers, bolstering collaboration and driving progress.
They are committed to driving positive outcomes
For external coaches, coaching is their sole profession, and they don’t want to fail. They want to succeed so you will recommend them to other organizations or use them again when the need arises. They are going to dedicate the right amount of time and effort to ensure a successful outcome—and they want to see results as quickly as possible. An external coach will offer a full commitment to individuals’ development and work hard to help them reach their full potential.
They can be an especially powerful resource for HR staff or team leaders who are trying to cover training and development on top of an already large workload. When things get busy, it’s understandable for coaching sessions to be pushed to the backburner. In other cases, internal coaches may not have the time to measure progress and plan additional coaching sessions.
External coaches, on the other hand, aren’t distracted by competing responsibilities or roles within the organization. Their objective is to accelerate transformation and get results.
Want more information on external coaching?
Schedule a discovery call today to discuss the JS Consulting approach and determine if we are a good fit for your organization.