Regular readers of my column will be relieved to find that for the first time in about two years I have decided to write about something other than the need for local government to get its finances under control.
Having said that, the theme of this week's issue, ‘Executive coaching' has, as one of its important by-products, an opportunity for organisations to markedly reduce their costs.
There is much debate in the media at present about executive pay, and although I have no wish to throw a rock into that pond, what I will say is that the biggest single difference, in my view, between top-performing organisations and the rest is about a single word ‘leadership' – and as the old saying goes ‘you get what you pay for'. The challenge for organisations, within a downsized environment, is to ensure our management, particularly our top teams, are performing as effectively as they can. It is here that coaching and mentoring have particularly valuable roles to play.
Over the last year, I have been fortunate enough – through the North West Employers' Organisation – to undergo training which has provided me with sound coaching principles which I am now able to use to good effect. In essence, the role of the coach is to form a relationship with the ‘coachee' and, through the use of a variety of behavioural techniques and methods, to assist with the identification of several goals to improve organisational and personal performance.
While I am someone who never likes to over-complicate nor make a pseudo science out of straightforward matters, I have to make clear that executive coaching is a lot more than just having a cosy chat with one of your managers. It needs to follow principles and protocols which will include, for example:
