Well the picture may be a bit of a play on words but coaching is something that needs thinking about if you are going to get value.

1. Coaching can undoubtedly make a real difference to performance, if well done by excellent coaches with real business experience. I’ve had a few conversations with CEO’s lately where I’ve been told “all or our senior team have coaches” (sometimes they say mentors but that is the same thing in my view). Now while this is in theory a very good thing, as good coaches can accelerate performance, I do wonder how companies, who are almost certainly paying for those coaches, get the most value out of the money they are spending?
    
   In order to do that they surely need to think how what they are paying for fulfils a number of objectives. These are a series of questions that HRDs or CEOs could usefully ask at the beginning of any assignment:
    
   1.   How does the coaching help the individual to be the skilled operator the company needs them to be? Does the coach understand what behaviours and competencies the coachee needs to display, and can they help them develop them?
   2.   Does the coach understand the strategy of the company to help the coachee to deliver on the strategy?  
   3.   Does the coach have the relevant business experience? Have they ever run a company or held a senior role?
   4.   Does the coach have deep experience and knowledge of coaching?
   5.   Is the coach prepared to work as a team with the other coaches who are working with the senior team? 
   6.   How does the company assess the quality of the coaching?
    
   Good coaches should be only too happy to answer these questions.  Once you are happy with the answers then keep checking.  Schedule regular meetings with the coaches, and also with the coachee, to check on progress. Treat coaches as an extension of your team and make sure they are up to date with company strategy and performance.