We recently interviewed a transformational leader who is in the process of initiating a peer-to-peer coaching program within his department. He was anxious to share this information and is hopeful that other leaders will be encouraged to implement their own peer-to-peer coaching programs.
Beth: What motivated you to implement a peer-to-peer coaching program within your department?
Jay: As you know, a year or so ago I participated in a 6 month executive coaching and 360 feedback process with your support. Although the process required significant reflection and was difficult at times, I believe I came through it with a much clearer understanding of the perceptions of my leadership style. I have been working hard to become a more genuine, transparent leader and my stakeholders have noticed the difference. I wanted the leaders in my organization to have a similar opportunity because they are responsible for solving complex problems that impact global resources and systems. Our daily interactions require a high level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence which coaching can facilitate. Unfortunately, right now we have a tight budget for “formal” leadership activities. A colleague provided an article on peer-to-peer coaching written by Marshall Goldsmith. I am implementing a similar process with the help of my HR business partner, and the initial reactions to the program are very positive.
Beth: What is the ideal outcome for your program? How will you know that you have been successful?
Jay: When I kicked off this program I outlined our corporate values including integrity and transparency, collaboration to achieve innovation, a passion for achievement, and accountability. I am challenging my departmental leaders at all levels to be “corporate poster children” so to speak because I believe that we must model the behaviors we expect to see demonstrated. My ideal outcome for this program would be that my leaders develop a keen awareness of the behaviors that they are currently demonstrating, and they develop some new behaviors aligned with our values. Don’t get me wrong, I have some very strong leaders in my organization; however I consider this activity “sharpening the saw” to use a Covey metaphor. I will know that we are successful when our followers and key stakeholders notice a difference.
Beth: Can you give us a brief overview of the process?
Jay: Yes, and I can summarize in six steps. 1) The first step is for each participant to become clear on a particular area of development that he/she wants to address. I implemented this program right after performance evaluations so that participants have recent feedback to work with. 2) The second step is to select a “learning partner”. Each person serves as both a participant and a “peer coach”. 3) The coach then observes the participant in a total of 4 meetings (or other opportunities such as a presentation), and documents their observations in writing. 4) The coach meets with the participant after each observation and provides the feedback. An important requirement is that the coach withhold judgment and document observations only. 5) The leader then decides how to make improvements. The coach doesn’t give suggestions unless asked. Although we won’t follow the Marshall Goldsmith process exactly, he created something called “FeedForward” which is a method for asking random stakeholders how to improve. This is a great way to solicit suggestions and additional feedback. 6) Finally, after working on a particular area for development, the participant is responsible for collecting follow-up feedback. Many times I do this after meetings by saying something like, “I am working on my active listening skills. From 1-10 how would you rate my active listening skills (1 being the lowest, and 10 being the highest), and what suggestions do you have for improvement?”
In my staff meetings, I have started asking a few people to volunteer what they have learned to date. My HR business partner is helping us think about how our behaviors impact our performance overall. After four observations are completed for each participant, we will consider that to be one “round”. We are planning to go through four rounds in total this year.
Beth: You mentioned that the early feedback regarding the program is positive. Are there any concerns?
Jay: Some of my leaders are concerned that they are too busy to participate in something like this; however, I met with a colleague from another company who has successfully implemented peer-to-peer coaching. He said that it has become a way of interacting within his group. His employees are in many of the same meetings anyway; now they just follow-up with a cup of coffee to get some additional feedback. I anticipate this being the case with my group as well. We work together closely and there are always opportunities to observe each other in action. We just need to take the extra step of providing the feedback. Another question that was posed was whether my team members have the ability to be “formal coaches” for one another. This is already a part of their job description and what we expect of our leaders...to coach their employees and team members. My HR business partner did facilitate a short training program to outline the responsibilities of the coach and to give each person some practice doing things like asking open-ended questions.
Beth: What is the number one benefit you hope to see from this process in the short term?
Jay: I hope that my leaders will begin to coach each other more in the moment, and we will be able to work quickly through complex issues as a team. With this coaching process I hope that we will be able to eliminate some of the behaviors that often get us stuck. I am guilty of letting that happen to me. Right now, I have one or two mentors who provide me with real-time feedback when possible. When I am asking for (and they are giving) feedback, I always have a greater level of clarity in my decision making. And the coaching model is actually a problem solving model that we already use today. It involves 1) uncovering issues, 2) collecting data, 3) making decisions on how to address or improve, and 4) following up later to see if we have accomplished what we intended. The missing link for us is that we don’t regularly apply this process to our own areas of development. Through this peer-to-peer coaching program, we will be doing so.
Beth: Is this program part of a larger leadership development initiative you are supporting?
Jay: That is an interesting question because with our budget constraints over the past few years, we have reduced the funding that was previously spent on things such as formal classes. I know that some of my colleagues are only spending money on their “key talent”; however, I believe that my strategy is better and will yield greater results. I am looking for low-cost but effective initiatives that touch more of my employees, because I expect all of them to demonstrate transformational leadership skills in alignment with our company values. I plan to use coaching in its various forms across the board because it is targeted, and it can be cost effective.
Beth: Jay, thank you for your time and for sharing this information about your new program. I wish you great success, and would love an opportunity to follow up with you next year to review your overall learnings.
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