Change Management Coaching for Managers

I’ve blogged about the pivotal role of line managers in delivering redundancy programmes (After Redundancy Training and Mentoring Vital). We’ve also touched on the profound emotional impact such programmes can have on the managers who are expected to deliver them and pick up the pieces. However, I’ve not looked in detail at the important role coaching can play.

And that is in no small part because coaching is all about change, both external, such as aiming for different results, and internal, looking at self-realisation, beliefs and values.

So here are my thoughts on why coaching is so fundamental to any change programme.

Empowerment

One of the most critical benefits is the opportunity coaching gives individuals to see their situation with greater clarity and from a different perspective. A good coach uses open-ended questions to draw out ideas and unearth new options from the person they are coaching. So through careful questioning – the approach is ask not tell – the coach helps the individual take ownership of the situation which had previously left them feeling trapped or powerless.

Stress and anxiety relief

Kubler-Ross’s change curve illustrates how people experience change. However, progression from shock to denial, anger, testing, letting go and, finally, integration is unpredictable. And it can be even more traumatic where individuals feel they have no control over what is happening to them. Coaching can guide managers through the change curve by helping them explore and tackle the root causes of stress and anxiety at their own pace and in the right way to allow them to move on. The coach is there to make it a smooth journey, not to give the manager the answers. So it is important that managers understand the process and are happy with the choice of coach.

Skills development

When an organisation is going through a change programme, frontline mangers’ skills can be tested to the max. From managing sickness absence, stress and conflict, to improving employee engagement, empowerment and morale, managers are expected to come up with the full package. Yet many managers will not have the whole skill set to constantly cope with the competing emotional and practical demands of a restructure. Coaching is a powerful way to boost managers’ skills quickly and with minimum anxiety through careful action, planning and review.

Focus

In the midst of a change programme it can be easy for managers to lose sight of the larger goal. An experienced coach who understands the overall organisational strategy can help managers stay focused and overcome obstacles and assumptions to learn new ways of doing things. A good coach will also hold managers accountable for their actions so the organisation can be sure they are heading in the right direction. The key is ensuring the coach and the manager know what the goals of the process are.

The future

This change programme might be hard and the end might not be in sight. However, it won’t be the last. To some HR thinkers, learning from change can be more valuable than the change itself. A good coach can help managers learn from their experiences to become stronger and better equipped for future challenges and further change.

Steve Walker

Steve is a highly experienced and respected learning and development consultant and management development trainer. He has a proven track record in designing, delivering and managing training interventions. Having held senior training roles in a number of large retailers including Sainsbury and Homebase, Steve today supports learning and development teams from a range of private, public and third-sector organisations.

View Steve’s full profile.