A lot of training courses and development programmes are conducted with the present in mind, or more accurately, the immediate future. Managers who decide to provide training for their staff members usually do so because they have identified a particular deficiency or area which needs improvement right away. After the training has concluded, the expectation is that those attending will have an increased level of knowledge which they can then put into practice back in the workplace.
Business coaching is often no different. Managers will have observed that one or more of their employees are not performing at the expected or previously seen level, and have chosen to provide them with business coaching sessions in order to help them identify and overcome issues that will enable them to increase their performance. Just as with training courses though, business coaching can also be supplied with a longer timeframe in mind, insofar as developing and preparing employees for their future success and higher responsibilities within the company.
A step up to a position with more responsibility will be a significant transformation and adjustment for a person to have to make, as even positive change can still be extremely confusing and stressful as new situations and processes are gotten used to.
Throwing someone into the new role with little or no preparatory work can cause multiple negative issues for both them and the organisation. The individual will likely suffer from stress and confidence issues as they struggle to adapt to the change, feel overwhelmed with the new responsibilities and even find it difficult to complete work to a successful standard. This will have serious consequences for the company, as the temporary loss of leadership and productivity for that particular department will have a knock-on effect on the overall financial success and possibly the reputation of the company.
Therefore preparatory work is essential to avoid, or at least significantly lessen, the likelihood of the situation occurring. The more planning and preparation that is done beforehand, the quicker, easier and smoother the transition and step up will be. It is for this reason that a lot of organisation commence business coaching for the employees who they are preparing for a step up to a managerial or more senior position in the future, as it increases the chances of success for both sides.
Find out more about business coaching at the Business Coaching Foundation website by visiting www.businesscoachingfoundation.com. The site contains informative articles on various coaching topics as well as courses and qualifications in coaching and management development.