High-Performance Coaching
For Individuals, Teams and Groups
High-Performance Coaching
Performance coaching is one form of coaching and mentoring appealing to most organizations interested in developing their workforce in competencies and their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) that increase their performance and ultimately higher productivity.
Performance coaching and related training and development components are advancing job performance by:
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Developing individual abilities and competencies
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Increasing individuals’ and teams’ level of job performance
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Energizing individuals’ and teams’ motivation
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Matching individuals’ ability to required activity
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Develop individual relationships to their job performance standards (Rothwell & Bakhshandeh, 2022).
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However, this type of training independently will not alter the nature of any work or job activities and what needs to get done and implemented to achieve all the tasks that are required for performing the job. Performance coaching and related training will provide options and different ways to approach the work and job and alterations in people’s performance by presenting knowledge, offering and building up new skills, and developing new and necessary competencies for individuals and teams to perform their tasks, jobs, and work that would result in a higher level of individual and team performance. Performance coaching is also valued by organizations and their management as one of the fundamental elements of a performance evaluation or performance appraisal (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003, as cited in Rothwell & Bakhshandeh, 2022).
High-Performance Coaching Objectives
The following are some objectives when conducting high-performance coaching. Some of these objectives help the performance coaches or department managers support their clients or employees during the coaching process:
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Support the clients or employees in evaluating their interpersonal competencies and provide access for developing the missing components.
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Review the client's or employees' personal and professional goals and career objectives.
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Identify any potential barriers or difficulties that are in the way of the clients or employees accomplishing their goals and objectives or postponing their progress.
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Support the clients or employees in crafting options and designing an action plan for undertaking identified performance issues.
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Support the clients or employees to evaluate and develop a practical goal for enhancing and increasing their performance and productivity.
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Be available to the clients or employees for further conversations while executing their action plans.
(Rothwell & Bakhshandeh, 2022)
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Institute a safe environment for open communication about conflicts or problems with customers, managers, or organizations.
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Enhance the employees’ and clients’ knowledge and their awareness of their strengths and weaknesses.
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Assist employees or clients to realize their potentials and get present to possibilities and opportunities.
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Get the clients and employees present and appreciate their work environment and businesses and their relationship with their customers, colleagues and co-workers.
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Provide constructive feedback on the clients’ or employees’ mindset, behavior and attitude for increasing their awareness of their interpersonal efficiency.
High-Performance Coaching Process
The following are some general but important elements of a performance coaching process for a high-performance coach or a manager-as-coach to provide coaching and manage the process for their clients and employees. However, these steps could be altered based on special situations or the need for additional steps relevant to the situations.
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Establish Rapport
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Recognize the Issue or Need
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Envision the Outcome
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Establish a Positive and Productive Mindset, Attitude, and Behavior.
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Provide Coaching and Conduct Inquiry
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Action Plan for Developing Skills and Competencies
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Track and Manage the Progress
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Provide Feedback and Redirect
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Evaluate the Progress and Adjust
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Recognize, Acknowledge and Reward
(Rothwell & Bakhshandeh, 2022)
High-Performance coaches use other disciplines, distinctions, and elements of the following strategies during their work with clients and employees for developing competencies, increasing knowledge, enhancing self-awareness and increasing individuals’ and teams’ productivity and performance.
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Organization Development (OD)
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Human Resources Development (HRD)
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Human Performance Improvement (HPI)
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Human Performance Enhancement (HPE)
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Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP)
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Training and Development (T&D)
Resources:
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Rothwell, William, J. and Kazanas, H. C. (2003). The Strategic Development of Talent. Amherst, MA: HRD Press, Inc.
Rothwell, William, J. and Bakhshandeh, Behnam (2022). High-Performance Coaching for Managers (Manuscript submitted for publication). Boca Raton, FL: Routledge; Taylor & Francis Group.