Being coached to take on a management role

Joce White

The situation

Joce White was coached by a non-executive director to take on the role of HR manager.

The process

The director was on a one-year contract and this imposed a timescale for the coaching programme. At the start of the process Joce worked with her coach to produce a list of all the tasks that she needed to be able to do; the pair then identified where she was and produced a plan of action. The coach then guided her, allowed her to practise, checked on her progress and gradually released her to take on the tasks alone.

Positive aspects of this approach

Because the director was only available one day each week, Joce did not rely on him and was therefore encouraged to work alone. The time constraints also meant that when together, the time was maximized. Because Joce trusted and respected the director the relationship worked well. He gave her positive encouragement and was honest with her when this was needed.

Challenges faced

Joce did get something wrong which could have been costly and damaging in her HR role. The challenge was overcome because the director was supportive and helped her to sort things out and analyse what happened so that she could learn from it.

Learning

Joce found the process of taking on the new role quite daunting “ she was in the role and those people around her expected her to be fully competent immediately. Her coach rarely told her what to do and she was able to maintain responsibility for her own development. She suggests that a coachee should view the coach as a resource and that when a coach shares experiences and stories, these can support development and help to put things into context.

Top tips for coachees

• Want to do it for you; don t rely too heavily on the coach.

• Decide how best to use your time with the coach.

• Come up with your own ideas and answers, then discuss them with the coach.

• Keep reflecting back on what you have learnt and tell yourself ˜well done .

Advice for the coach

• Do it for them, not you.

• Do it because you enjoy it and want to give something back.

• Don t take over and control too much.

• Be available and flexible.

• Listen.