Coaches Are Not Fixers!

It doesn't happen often, but now and then I meet a prospective client who really just wants me to manage their direct report for them. In this instance, the coach is perceived as someone who will come and take care of the "difficult conversations" with their direct report. This seldom solves the perceived "problem", which is usually a relational problem and not a competence problem.

Coaches are not "fixers" to be sent in when managers don't have the skills to build relationships with their teams (i.e. provide feedback and mentoring etc.) It is usually the manager that would benefit from coaching to improve influence and self-awareness when this is the case!

Coaches are most effective when the coaching journey involves the line manager and the direct report. It's often called a "tripartite coaching agreement" and is referred to by Marc Kahn as "Coaching on the Axis". It is a collaborative way of accelerating learning - whether it be to close behaviour gaps or push to the next learning edge. Importantly, it ensures that all involved are on the same page about why coaching is taking place and what the agreed outcomes are. This approach fosters trust between manager and direct report and trust is the foundation of any effective team.

So if you have coaches working in your organisation, reflect on whether they are partnering with the organisation as well as the individual in a way that creates alignment and integration between the parties. The coach working in an organisation has two clients: the person in coaching and the organisation. It's a carefully considered contract guided by ethics and driven by both the organisation and the individual in coaching. Holding the complexities of this relationship is a learned skill. Find a coach who can do this and you will have excellent support for both your staff member and your organisational strategy!