Coaching is the hot topic of the moment, again, or is it always? What do you think of coaching? I’ve noticed a change over the years, it is gaining increasing respect and recognition. Interviews I’ve seen on Bloomberg with highly recognised business “growth guru” Verne Harnish, (who’s recent book, Scalability, is on order for me at the moment) discuss the increase in external coaching and decrease in staff management.

I often see staff who have been promoted into a role and walk out on Friday as an employee and walk back in the office on Monday to a different desk as a member of management without any guidance or direction. How do they know what they’re expected to do and how they’re expected to do it? There is a presumption that they’ve earned the promotion, and that senior management have approved their new role so they should know how to execute it.

Disappointing really, as who would expect an individual to know what they’re doing from day 1 when they start a new role? No-one, we’ve recognised the value of induction, introduction and a supportive welcome from the business overall. This is also required for staff promoted from within and sometimes they receive it from a senior mentor or manager. However, if this isn’t available, there is a reason to hire external coaching and give the individual every chance of success.

As a client of mine often says, “what got you here, won’t get you there”, (thank you, Justin).

I’ve just finished reading Shoe Dog by Philip Knight (Nike), what a great storyteller! It’s fascinating to read how he talks about his management team and who he’s worked with over the years. His complete disregard for responding to some of this team probably won’t work in most places and is excused by his entrepreneurship and drive. If you want to continue to develop your team and improve your culture, look at who is honestly, really mentoring and coaching in your business and if there isn’t enough going on, redress the balance. Short term investment, long term retention.

My role is to work with small businesses to ensure that they have the right people, infrastructure and accountability frameworks to grow strategically successfully. As part of this I run a management program for transitioning managers in parallel to MD Mentoring and Business Consulting – it’s a great model and one I’m proud of developing.