Last month, Compass East defined Core Values to determine what we stand for as a firm. In order to establish a strong culture defined by those core values, consistent employee feedback and development is crucial to standardizing processes, training, and most importantly employee growth.
Our leadership team recently implemented and completed our first week of proactive coaching. Compass East created a customized, performance evaluation system that is focused on providing a clear framework and roadmap for each member of our team and how their role contributes to the greater success of our firm.
What is Proactive Coaching?
Proactive coaching is an alternative approach to traditional performance evaluations. As an employee-empowered process, the end-goal of proactive coaching is to define a clear personal development plan for the employee based on their personal and professional ambitions and tie them to team goals. By approaching the evaluation from the bottom-up, proactive coaching establishes a solid foundation through planning, goal setting, and establishing clear expectations to deliver measurable results.
Proactive coaching begins with the designation of your manager and coach. Manager’s serve as the traditional evaluator/supervisor who will gauge your growth and goals throughout each quarter. As the employee’s direct report, managers oversee the day to day work of the employee. Coaches are leaders within the organization who are not your direct manager, but serve as a resource, advocate, and accountability partner after your personal development plan is set.
Self-Assessment/Session #1
The Coaching Process starts with a self-assessment, where the employee fills out a form providing feedback on three areas: contribution/growth, self-improvements/disappointments, and development needs.
Through the assessment, the employee can be honest about where they succeeded, failed, and express career aspirations. These insights will help guide the discussion and development plan with direct input from the employee.
As the Coach and Manager, the goal of the first session is to provide an outlet for your employees to be candid and honest. The group reviews the assessment and establishes the baseline for the coach to begin developing a personal development plan according to the employee’s needs.
Personal Development Plan
Closely following the first coaching session, the coach will create a personal development plan and meet with the employee to set quarterly goals. By breaking down long-term goals into short-term objectives the company can help increase focus with a clear vision for the employee’s future development.
After setting personal goals that align with company goals, the coach will meet with the employee to establish a recurring cadence for ongoing coaching sessions and structured check-ins. At Compass East, these sessions take place three times a year.
Employee Perspective
Proactive coaching provided me with a platform to have an open and honest environment where I could speak freely, leading to productive conversations that have already resulted in real-time changes, adjustments, and clarifications.
As an Intern who is newly navigating the professional world, it has been extremely valuable to have one-on-ones with members of the leadership team. Within two weeks, I have already seen the investment in coaching sessions pay off for my professional development and my roadmap at Compass East.
Having done performance reviews at previous companies, I’ve already noticed the immediate difference with proactive coaching. The positive and open atmosphere made me feel much more valued and motivated compared to a traditional evaluation that focused more on negatives and provided no solutions. With objectives set, I have a clear picture of where I am supposed to put my time and effort and understand the path I need to follow to achieve those goals. Moving forward, I am excited about the opportunity to continue developing my skill set and add value to Compass East.
After our first week of proactive coaching, the Compass East team met at the end of the week to celebrate with a team outing at Von Elrod’s!
