The different coaching phases

Regardless of the coaching format used, we pay particular attention to the working method, which is based on a three-way relational framework: person being coached / HR department or superior / coach.

1. THE EXPLORATORY INTERVIEW

Before starting the coaching program we always hold a personal meeting with the manager, this takes the form of an exploratory interview and involves no commitments or fees for any of the parties. This meeting is oriented towards a number of objectives:

 

  • For the coach, this allows them to gather a clear understanding of the context and the manager’s expectations – ensuring that these expectations are indeed their own, and not imposed on them (a “prescribed” coaching program is very rarely successful)
  • This also allows the manager to discover the coach’s personality and approach
  • The idea is to ensure that both parties are able and willing to work together
2. THE THREE-WAY INTERVIEW

If the initial phase is successful, the second stage is to set up a three-way interview between the coach, the person being coached and their hierarchical superior. A member of the HR department is often also present during these meetings to act as a guarantor for the process. This interview is again oriented towards three dimensions:

 

  • The person who is being coached restates their work objectives in the presence of their superior, who is there to represent the company that is paying for the coaching
  • The superior then confirms the pertinence of the objectives and may even propose others, provided that the person being coached is prepared to take these on as their own objectives
  • The three involved parties then consider the most reliable and observable progress and achievement indicators for the coaching program.

 

At the end of this meeting we draw up a contract covering all of the subjects discussed during the three-way interview, not forgetting the administrative aspects of the coaching program: structure, duration and budget. In keeping with this three-fold logic the contract is then signed by the person being coached, their superior (or HR manager) and the coach, each of whom keeps a copy.

3. THE COACHING

The actual coaching program can now start, this takes the form of hour and a half long sessions held every three weeks or so.

 

These sessions are held at the Roland & Associés offices on Rue Saint Dominique: leaving the professional working environment is a means of changing one’s perspective and accelerating the process of transformation for the person being coached. The Roland & Associés office is located in a privileged environment it is near to a tree-lined park and this helps to provide a sense of perspective.

4. THE PROGRESS MEETING

The company may sometimes request a meeting at a midway point in the coaching program, but in all cases the coaching program ends with a progress meeting in the presence of the same parties as the initial meeting.  This interview is oriented towards these three major axes:

 

  • The person being coached describes their experience and discusses the achievement of the contractual goals. Their superior gives their observations regarding any progress that they have noticed
  • The coach expresses their experiences of the program and proposes a review of the initially defined achievement indicators. This is the occasion where the effectiveness of the coaching can be discussed in the clearest terms
  • The coach then asks the post-coaching questions: what next for the person being coached? How has their management position and responsibility evolved? What use will the company make of this renewed or transformed dynamic?

 

The responses are not always immediate at this stage, but the idea of considering the future serves as a reminder that a coaching program must operate on a long term basis to produce the best results.