Hi,
A client of mine has requested that I evaluate and document the outcome from 1:1 coaching sessions that I am having with their managers - as well as making recommendations for longer-term development. Given that a lot of the premises for successful coaching rests on confidentiality, this is a bit of a tricky one. Has anyone else had the same challenge? What did you come up with?
Thanks in advance, Mike.

Mike:

Whenever I am faced with this issue, I make it clear to the client AND the people being coached that NOTHING will be revealed as a result of our coaching sessions unless the COACHEE wishes to communicate it individually (or with my assistance) to the organization. I also believe that the COACHEE needs to be aware of your plans to communicate difficult information back to the organization. In other words, based on your professional assessment, if the COACHEE requires some intervention and you plan to make that recommendation to the organization, I let the COACHEE know that. Again, this is a 'ground rule' that is established well ahead of time. It may not be popular, but coaching isn't a popularity contest.

If you violate that confidentiality, you'll sink your abilities to be a good coach. Now, if there are illegal activities, etc., that presents a different situation.

I think it is possible to assist with development and honor the rules of confidentiality. Go into it with the rules established or make them clear early in the process.

John B.
The Corporate STAR Program
www.corporate-star.com

Well, this is one I'd like to weigh in on. I am an executive coach as well as a marriage and afmily therapist. Whoever is footing the bill definitely deserves to have some knowledge of how the process is working out. What I try to do is meet with the coachee and their performance manager to clearly define (and write out) what the expected (or hope for) outcomes are. As John stated you can't reveal the specifics of what is discussed in session. However, you can always relate back to your original outline to measure progress.
In addition, I believe that any organization that hires coaches for its employees without benchmarking and defining expected outcomes is throwing their money out.
Mike all you need to evaluate and document is whatever you agree to evaluate and document from the outset. With the knowledge of the client and the coachee.

I do not coach for a living but do use coaching, so have some interest here.

I'm curious to know what the basis is that the organisation has used to make the decision to bring in Mike (or any other coach?) as a coach. Are there 'life' or 'personal' issues with the coachee that may be impacting on organisation issues? Or is it an article of faith? If the latter then perhaps there's little grounds for such an evaluation - I mean, there's no clear baseline to compare pre and post coaching to. If it's the former, then surely it's the organisation's responsibility to undertake the evaluation - isn't it responsible to the shareholders as to how it allocates resources such as cash and how it generates a return, financial or otherwise, from the use of these resources?

I'm not sure that this helps answer the question directly - so I'll give that a bit more thought - I just wanted to put my stake in the ground!

Regards

Martin

Mike,

There should be no need to get too cosmic or sexy here.

I have faced the same situation and here is how I do it (if the coaching relationship is not a total secret, this should work). A simple, non-scientific solution:

PRE and POST relationship "360+" from colleagues, supervisor, direct reports and customers (special care must be taken for customer interviews).

Developing this assessment is the trick....each question should represent a category that relates to the coaching changes that you are being hired to affect or facilitate. Try to have different group of people responding POST than PRE.

Show positive change of the needle and debrief it with the coachee and the supervisor/leader who brought you in.

hope this helps,

sf,
Boom
http://astdboardcoaching360.boom-tv.com
www.businessbattlefield.com