Gold Medal Coach? Prove It (Again and Again)

It’s that time again! In just over a month, several hundred of the world’s best athletes will compete for the highest honor in sports – an Olympic Gold Medal.  Standing behind the front-line, each of them has a coach, who is helping to diagnose shortcomings and guide the teams to become stronger, better, faster on the path to victory. Hurrah – cue the “Chariots of Fire” theme and commercials aplenty!

Back to reality though — it’s June and we’re in Sales facing the first-half close, likely asking ourselves:  How far are we from the finish line? Is our team skilled, motivated and engaged enough to bring back a win?

With the aim of driving productivity, some of our smartest members look to improve manager coaching:  SEC research indicates that the difference between low-quality coaching and highly effective coaching can lift performance 8-19% amongst core performers.  Seeking to curb attrition? We know that good coaching is one of the most effective ways to retain star performers.

However, while most companies set out to launch or re-invigorate coaching programs with great energy and enthusiasm, chances are that many of these efforts will fizzle out. We observe 3 key design flaws that prevent many companies from seeing the long-term benefits of coaching:

1)      There are no clear, objective metrics established around coaching effectiveness

2)      Coaching is not incorporated into manager recognition and rewards

3)      Senior leadership is ill-equipped to evaluate coaching on an ongoing basis

As good coaches will tell you, the key to winning the game is to execute the right strategy.  Faced with lagging performance and poor rep morale, the UK financial services provider Britannia Building Society built a Tiered Coaching Accreditation Program, a rigorous program that ensures managers consistently demonstrate high-quality behaviors and that results can be objectively measured.

Built around the concept of medal rankings (non-accredited, bronze, silver and gold), the program requires that EVERY sales manager at Britannia go through certification, regardless of tenure. Observed by second-line managers and program leads, managers’ coaching proficiency is actively scored against a standardized set of balanced criteria, including both quantitative and qualitative indicators. It’s not enough to get to the number, Britannia rigorously tests HOW you get there.

Gold status is based on the ability to sustain performance across all six months.  It’s a high bar — in a webinar we held with Britannia, Head of National Branches Bob Dixon, shared that in the first year only 1 out of 250 managers actually made it to Gold status.  Rather than promoting based purely on volume results, Britannia was able to uncover hidden coaching talent and focus development on the right people.

Moreover, what makes Britannia’s approach really smart is the continuous re-evaluation. Even that gold status manager can’t just sit shining his or her medal, waving at everyone on lower tiers. The next review is right around the corner – every six months, all managers must prove (again) that they’re coaching effectively. If coaching quality slips, they can be moved down on the coaching dashboard.

The Britannia best practice teaches us a few key lessons about how to build an effective manager coaching accreditation program:

1)      Ongoing Coaching “Pulse” Assessments:  Create a mechanism for ongoing upward feedback and tracking organizational progress (ideally, quarterly)

2)      Dynamic Manager Feedback Process:  Ensure managers receive individual, ongoing feedback on their coaching skills (via a dynamic and easily accessible tool/dashboard). For those at bronze and silver, give clear guidance on WHAT they need to do to reach the next level.

3)      Make it Visible and Pay for it: Play on sales managers’ desire to be the best. Publicly labeling a bronze medalist throws down the competitive gauntlet. If a manager really is a superstar, now there’s a way to reward them with recognition – Gold managers get higher pay packages and are entrusted with the best teams.  Enforce real consequences for managers who remain un-accredited.

4)      Make all Managers Accountable: Provide sales leadership with a view into the frequency of coaching interactions and the improvement in coaching effectiveness.

Building a world-class coaching certification program is powerful — our sister program SEC Solutions has helped numerous companies implement a coaching certification academy, built off Britannia’s approach.

Whichever route you take, it is worth spending extra time in designing the right infrastructure and metrics.  Even if the Olympics come around every 4 years, you’ve only got one chance to get this right! When building quality coaching programs, has your organization considered adding a certification component? What has/has not worked for your coaching certification program?