Coach All-Stars for the Best ROI in People Development
07/07/08 Filed in: SAC Releases
July 7, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The SAC® Release
Coaching the All-Stars Pays Bigger Dividends Than
Most Other Training and Development
Coaching all-star performers pays higher dividends than virtually all remedial training, notes Alan Weiss, Ph.D. who is CEO of the Society for Advancement of Consulting® (SAC®). In a poll of its international membership and their clients, "We found that too many organizations ignore their best performers—and best source of return on investment—when developing people," he says.
“It’s all about taking a strengths-based perspective,” notes SAC charter member Tom Stevens, whose consulting company Think Leadership Ideas is based in North Carolina. “Individuals gain superior performance by building on strengths more than shoring up weaknesses. Companies gain superior performance by accelerating their top-performers more than bringing their under-performers up to average.” Stevens acknowledges that often companies agree in principle but not in practice when it comes to allocating resources to develop their people.
Gayle Lantz, president of WorkMatters, Inc., a consulting firm based in Birmingham, Alabama, notes that smart companies integrate coaching for top performers as part of their retention strategy. Coaching outstanding performers involves helping them find new challenges and growth opportunity. These motivated professionals appreciate a collaborator and sounding board to help them achieve even higher levels of success. As a result, they’re more likely to stay with their employer.
"Raising the bar is critical when coaching All Stars," says Ann Latham, president of Uncommon Clarity, Inc. "Triggering new paradigms, perspectives and possibilities allows high performing employees to apply their considerable strengths to new challenges." Latham, an organizational performance expert from Massachusetts, goes on to explain that, ironically, one of the best opportunities for All-Star growth comes from exploring the downside of their strengths. "Do their quick thinking and persuasive powers discourage co-workers from speaking up and engaging in vital debate? Does an incredible track record of success prevent them from seeing the potential of new approaches? Does stellar execution lock them into responsibilities that are actually holding them back? Does conspicuous self-confidence deprive them of the feedback we all need to learn? Exploring questions like these with top performers can help them become even more effective."
Carl Robinson, Ph.D., Managing Principal of Advanced Leadership Consulting in Seattle, specializes in developing executive teams in fast growth organizations.
“All Stars generally are the most coachable of executive coaching clients because they have a mindset for self-development. In fact, you get more 'bang for your buck' because you can help them leapfrog to a higher level rather than dragging a derailed executive back to an average level. For example, you rarely have to help All-Stars correct major interpersonal problems. Instead, they must focus on what they need to learn to get to the next level, which generally has to do with honing their influence skills (working through others) and thinking and acting more strategically. All-Stars who understand the big picture and act accordingly have the best shot at becoming leaders of an organization.”
Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist and leadership coach and president of Working Resources, a strategic talent management firm in San Francisco, CA. He specializes in executive coaching for developing emotionally intelligent leaders and lawyers. He offers a couple of insights:
"In my leadership development experience over the past twenty years, I believe the best way to coach and develop star performers is to help them create work experiences that stretch their capabilities beyond their wildest imagination.
"Depending on the workplace, sometimes a superstar can create lofty challenges and with free rein go for the stars. In other work environments exceptional people might have to influence organizational leaders to co-create new work assignments where the learning curve is steep and the rewards enormous.
SAC member Bill Corbett is president of Corbett Business Consulting in Loveland, Colorado. He commented: “The four most effective practices for coaching a high achiever are: 1) Control the relationship by using powerful language; 2) Build trust by being authentic; 3) Determine where the high achiever’s redline or current capacity is by delegating more and more important work, until he or she raises the white flag; 4) Coach to new heights by helping acquire the skills needed.”
"The final consideration," observes Weiss, "is that investing in top performers increases retention and decreases 'jumping ship' because of the perception that their work is not appreciated. This is independent of whatever their financial rewards are."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The SAC® Release
Coaching the All-Stars Pays Bigger Dividends Than
Most Other Training and Development
Coaching all-star performers pays higher dividends than virtually all remedial training, notes Alan Weiss, Ph.D. who is CEO of the Society for Advancement of Consulting® (SAC®). In a poll of its international membership and their clients, "We found that too many organizations ignore their best performers—and best source of return on investment—when developing people," he says.
“It’s all about taking a strengths-based perspective,” notes SAC charter member Tom Stevens, whose consulting company Think Leadership Ideas is based in North Carolina. “Individuals gain superior performance by building on strengths more than shoring up weaknesses. Companies gain superior performance by accelerating their top-performers more than bringing their under-performers up to average.” Stevens acknowledges that often companies agree in principle but not in practice when it comes to allocating resources to develop their people.
Gayle Lantz, president of WorkMatters, Inc., a consulting firm based in Birmingham, Alabama, notes that smart companies integrate coaching for top performers as part of their retention strategy. Coaching outstanding performers involves helping them find new challenges and growth opportunity. These motivated professionals appreciate a collaborator and sounding board to help them achieve even higher levels of success. As a result, they’re more likely to stay with their employer.
"Raising the bar is critical when coaching All Stars," says Ann Latham, president of Uncommon Clarity, Inc. "Triggering new paradigms, perspectives and possibilities allows high performing employees to apply their considerable strengths to new challenges." Latham, an organizational performance expert from Massachusetts, goes on to explain that, ironically, one of the best opportunities for All-Star growth comes from exploring the downside of their strengths. "Do their quick thinking and persuasive powers discourage co-workers from speaking up and engaging in vital debate? Does an incredible track record of success prevent them from seeing the potential of new approaches? Does stellar execution lock them into responsibilities that are actually holding them back? Does conspicuous self-confidence deprive them of the feedback we all need to learn? Exploring questions like these with top performers can help them become even more effective."
Carl Robinson, Ph.D., Managing Principal of Advanced Leadership Consulting in Seattle, specializes in developing executive teams in fast growth organizations.
“All Stars generally are the most coachable of executive coaching clients because they have a mindset for self-development. In fact, you get more 'bang for your buck' because you can help them leapfrog to a higher level rather than dragging a derailed executive back to an average level. For example, you rarely have to help All-Stars correct major interpersonal problems. Instead, they must focus on what they need to learn to get to the next level, which generally has to do with honing their influence skills (working through others) and thinking and acting more strategically. All-Stars who understand the big picture and act accordingly have the best shot at becoming leaders of an organization.”
Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist and leadership coach and president of Working Resources, a strategic talent management firm in San Francisco, CA. He specializes in executive coaching for developing emotionally intelligent leaders and lawyers. He offers a couple of insights:
"In my leadership development experience over the past twenty years, I believe the best way to coach and develop star performers is to help them create work experiences that stretch their capabilities beyond their wildest imagination.
"Depending on the workplace, sometimes a superstar can create lofty challenges and with free rein go for the stars. In other work environments exceptional people might have to influence organizational leaders to co-create new work assignments where the learning curve is steep and the rewards enormous.
SAC member Bill Corbett is president of Corbett Business Consulting in Loveland, Colorado. He commented: “The four most effective practices for coaching a high achiever are: 1) Control the relationship by using powerful language; 2) Build trust by being authentic; 3) Determine where the high achiever’s redline or current capacity is by delegating more and more important work, until he or she raises the white flag; 4) Coach to new heights by helping acquire the skills needed.”
"The final consideration," observes Weiss, "is that investing in top performers increases retention and decreases 'jumping ship' because of the perception that their work is not appreciated. This is independent of whatever their financial rewards are."
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SAC is an international association of consulting professionals who subscribe to an industry code of ethics and have provided evidence of significant consulting results among their clients. For more information, please go to http://www.consultingsociety.com, write to info@summitconsulting.com, or call 800/825-6153 (401/886-4097).
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