Five Steps to Secure Superstar Talent with Proactive Coaching Plans

The Business Impact of Employee Turnover

Challenges to change

• Ambiguity. Many organizations, especially if they’re resource-strapped, clearly define what success or expectations look like in a given role and how one progresses and grows.

• Retrospective. If they do, they’re often stuck in the retrospective nature of conventional performance evaluations. These often come as an unpleasant surprise to employees, judging past work—which can rarely be changed at that point—rather than equipping employees with actionable insights on how to improve moving forward.

• Lack of time. Performance evaluations are often urgent, time-consuming tasks for managers who are already juggling multiple responsibilities and projects.

• Lack of context. They may not be attuned to the everyday details of their reports' work or fully understand how to evaluate them effectively. Managers may also not fully understand what their reports care about most, leading to misaligned expectations and missed opportunities for meaningful growth.

• Unclear benefits. Moreover, managers aren't always clear on what these performance reviews actually achieve. While they're used to evaluate existing staff, they often fall short in helping reports improve and contribute more value to the organization.

A Win-Win Solution: The Coaching Plan Approach

• Career Goals: Begin by exploring the employee's desired next role and its significance to them. Foster a trusting relationship through deep listening and regular career conversations that discuss specific goals, dreams, and passions. This approach creates psychological safety, enabling open discussions about growth and development. Consider setting concrete title or compensation targets within a timeframe, based on specific success factors.

• Key Skills: Collaborate with the employee to determine the top 5-7 skills essential for success in their target role. For each skill, clearly outline what success looks like to establish tangible benchmarks for development. This empowers employees with a tangible goal to work towards and helps managers track progress effectively.

• Prioritization: Have both the manager and employee rate the importance of each skill and the employee's current proficiency. This prioritization helps focus efforts on the most critical areas for growth. Don’t also forget to identify natural strengths, ensuring a balanced development approach and encouraging them to use those strengths in the development of their growth areas.

• Coaching Plan: At the start of each quarter, develop a plan that aligns the highest priority skills with both company needs and the employee's personal goals. Identify specific projects or tasks that will foster growth in these areas and establish concrete ways to measure progress.

• Ownership: Empower the employee to take ownership of their development by providing regular updates on their improvement. Encourage them to send artifacts or updates before each session to demonstrate their progress, creating a feedback loop that enhances accountability and productivity.