While conducting an informal poll of friends and colleagues over the past couple of months, I discovered two very different schools of thought about the role of coaching in the workplace. The first views coaching as a means to help employees improve performance, increase productivity, and bolster job satisfaction. Coaching in this context is a tool used to leverage individual performance for company success. In this model, it is as likely that high potential employees are targeted to receive coaching, as are those with performance issues. The second one, and by far the more prevalent of the two, believes coaching is an intervention tool used solely for "problem" employees, those with attitude problems that are hindering performance and creating conflict among co-workers. Coaching, in this scenario, is seen as "time out" for poor behavior.

Coaching, however, is not intended to be a stopgap measure for sub-par performance, but rather an opportunity for the employee to master new skills and adapt to change, long before behavioral and performance issues rise to the surface and wreak organizational havoc. This proactive model calls for the commitment of those in management positions to identify those individuals who could benefit from coaching, be they underperformers, high potentials, or new hires. When approaching an individual selected for coaching, equal parts of honesty, directness, and compassion generally work best. The manager's role is to promote the benefits of coaching and to help the employee make the connection between his/her individual goals and those of the organization. In this way, coaching is perceived as a catalyst for positive change, instead of an unwelcome disciplinary action.

From my personal experience as a coach, I find that the model described by Dotlich and Cairo in their book, Action Coaching, is one of the most effective I have used in my coaching relationships. It is comprised of eight steps:

1. Determine what needs to happen and in what context, and the type of coaching required (i.e., transition coaching, skill deficiency, a specific problem or situation)
2. Establish trust and a set of mutual expectations
3. Determine goals and contract for results
4. Collect and communicate feedback through assessment tools and interviews with others
5. Translate talk into action (adjust personal goals as needed, align goals to business needs, evaluate progress)
6. Support big steps by providing regularly scheduled milestone meetings and helping client to work through obstacles, fears and doubts
7. Foster reflection about actions through use of reflective listening, obstacle reviews and constructive feedback
8. Evaluate individual and organizational progress on a regular basis

By Bob Carnegie

Over the past year, R. Carnegie Associates, Inc. has had the challenging and rewarding opportunity to work with Averion Inc, a dynamic contract research organization based in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Averion has been in operation since 1983. Drs. Philip Lavin and David Schoenfeld, company founders, established the company as Boston Biostatistics, Inc. when they began operations as statistical consultants to academia and industry. As one of only a few pioneers in the areas of clinical research, Dr. Lavin's business vision was clear and timely.

For more than two decades the company has built a strong reputation in the industry. Dr. Lavin has been leading the company through growth in various dimensions to meet the demands of the industry. During this growth and evolution there has been a consistent theme in their mode of operation. The theme is: offer quality services that are supported by individuals who can provide critical thinking and proactive guidance in all areas of service offerings. In addition, remain flexible, always maintain integrity, develop a business relationship based on trust, and provide insights that add value to the client project.

Averion provides clinical trials support for therapeutic, biologic, and medical device products. They assist biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies in the design, execution, and reporting of clinical studies. What makes their services unique is the integrity of the processes supporting them and the personal commitment of the individuals on their clients' projects. The Averion website can be found at www.AVERIONINC.com.

During the past year, we've provided professional workshops, management and executive coaching, and staffing services for this fine organization. We particularly appreciate the opportunity of working closely with Dr. Phil Lavin, President, Dr. Tess Schmalbach, Executive Vice President, and Ms. Sharon Cohen, Human Resources Manager.

The summer of 2002 will again put Bob Carnegie "on tour" all over the country. In June, he conducted two days of training for the American Heart Association in New York City, focusing on Performance Management, Coaching and Counseling. This is the third in a series of workshops designed specifically for the AHA that Bob has presented over the past two years for this great client.

Starting July 16, Bob will hit the road for several weeks for the U.S. Customs Service. Following a very successful pilot program in New York City in April, U.S. Customs asked Bob to conduct this three-day workshop six more times in other locations. Entitled "Collecting Testimonial Evidence: Interviewing Skills for Auditors", this participative training program improves auditors' skills in a variety of communications areas, including questioning and listening skills, conflict management, and presentation techniques. Bob is conducting this program on behalf of the Government Audit Training Institute, Graduate School, USDA, for whom he has been a faculty member since 1985. The program schedule is as follows:

July 23-25 Chicago, Illinois
August 5-7 Long Beach, California
August 13-15 Detroit, Michigan
August 26-28 Houston, Texas
September 17-19 Long Beach, California

Also in September, Bob will be conducting this workshop for the Government Audit Training Institute in their Washington, D.C. headquarters, as an open enrollment class on September 9-11.

All in all, a very busy summer!