Coaching 2023: Why it's still worth it for leaders
It’s the start of a new year, usually a time for fresh beginnings, but even the most resilient businesses would probably say they’ve ‘had enough’ of change. Budgets are tight, with a squeeze on spending. So is this really the time to invest in coaching for your leadership team?
‘Yes,’ says Corrine Thomas, JGA’s change expert and Coaching Lead. Corrine knows this is exactly what people would expect her to say, but points out that change – and change programmes – will continue to impact every sector throughout 2023. This makes it even more important that leaders are equipped to manage change well.
Why? Because despite the recession there’s still a strong job market.
‘People are choosing to leave employers if they’re not treated as individuals and their input recognised,’ she explains. ‘Getting your people into a place where they feel motivated, strongly connected to your company and engaged, means they’re more likely to stay, be loyal, and make change programmes happen.’
‘Ultimately, it’s the people within a business who will determine whether a change programme succeeds or fails.’
Supporting leaders to navigate change
Corrine has built a career around supporting change at an organisational, professional and personal level.
Often her work is a blend of all three, as at JGA where she is now leading our team of experienced executive coaches as they deliver our refreshed coaching service: Coaching through Change.
She’s excited that the programme uses Engage, a powerful evidence-based digital toolkit, to assess the psychological readiness and impact of leaders facing change.
Building collaborative senior teams
Coaching is a crowded market, so how is JGA’s Coaching through Change programme different? And why is Corrine confident that it delivers good value for companies facing change right now?
The key is in three words: readiness for change.
‘In a challenging economic environment, Coaching through Change enables individuals to assess their own readiness for change and, with the support of a coach, identify practical actions to overcome any hurdles,’ she explains. ‘This allows them to feel confident, capable and emotionally committed to the change.’
Corrine also points to the programme’s positive impact on the way in which teams work together.
‘Building high levels of trust and having open and honest conversations sits at the heart of this,’ she says. ‘Coaching through Change brings the leadership team together to explore each person’s strengths and the areas they need to work on to be a high performing team.’
The programme includes facilitated workshops which guide leaders to engage in deeper conversations and constructively challenge each other to create collaborative working relationships.
‘Risks and issues that arise are discussed and addressed more rapidly than before,’ she adds.
Changing leaders’ mindsets to achieve results
This is confirmed by initial feedback from the first EO client businesses to engage JGA’s Coaching through Change support.
As one leader told Corrine: ‘We had a brutally honest conversation yesterday after our workshop. This has been needing to happen for about six months. I’m so proud of us – the session really helped us.’
Corrine reveals that participants have found it ‘invaluable’ to be able to reflect on their feelings, thoughts and ideas in their sessions.
‘Guided by our experienced executive coaches, they have enjoyed the space to explore what they want to do to change their mindset. This has increased their confidence, motivation and commitment to the challenges they face.
‘Our Engage survey has been key to starting conversations around how open to change each leader feels. It has provided an accurate reflection of their mindset and, with the support of the coaching, everyone has taken practical actions away to work on.’
At a time of recession, Coaching through Change will ensure that organisations and their leaders avoid the costly impact of poorly-managed change.
Want to know more about how JGA’s Coaching through Change service can support your organisation? Get in touch here.