Candid Coaching

I have a great idea: What if there was a corporate coaching version of the old TV show Candid Camera, only instead of getting pranked, "candid" would refer to truthful, from-the-gut revelations about whatever it is the coach is coaching the coachee about? 

I've never had a coach (including sports-wise, since I enjoy the couch mainly), so this may be bitterness speaking, but I don't have faith in corporate coaching because I don't think coaches impart honest reflections of the job role they're coaching about. The technical skills usually are only a small part of the story in a job; the larger story is how to navigate the politics of the company's industry or that of the office the worker is based in. What business proposals are the best solution to a challenge the company's customers face, but can't be delivered due to the company's internal bureaucracy?  Let's say you get daily complaints about the search function on your Website, but you know your online division isn't capable of changing this functionality any time soon (i.e. any time less than five years), and that the wheels of this improvement project are in progress, but no progress is being made?  Or what if dropping a vendor partnership would help the company, but if that were done, other partnerships in the industry would suffer? 

In other words, there's a lot to say that has nothing to do with technically-speaking knowing what to do; the trouble is the coach may get into trouble for saying so. The coach and his experienced peers know truths valuable to less experienced workers, but these truths are tacit truths--nothing anyone feels comfortable putting into words in a business setting.

For that reason, my hope for corporate coaching rests with inter-corporate arrangements in which professionals sign up to a Website outside their company to link up with professionals in similar roles in other companies. If it's kept anonymous, this might be the answer to the honesty problem coaching faces. It'll entirely take care of the tacit industry truths a coach at your own company might not feel comfortable talking about, and it may even help with the office politics issue. These coaches most likely haven't worked at the coachee's office, but being in the same industry, and in the same job role, there's a good chance they've faced similar true-but-unspoken situations.

Another idea is to create a diary for each job role that's added to by out-going employees. The "diary" is then handed down to those incoming to those roles. Of course the HR department, and countless others, could potentially view this diary, so it wouldn't give the leeway for honesty an external, anonymous coaching relationship would provide, but some interesting tips might get passed down--like who to call, both inside the company and without, when you're really in trouble (nevermind the neat, organized contact sheet you were e-mailed on your first day).

However you approach coaching, consider the fact that a lot of essential, though uncomfortable, information isn't imparted. Do you have any solutions to this dilemma? Maybe coaches could be locked in the broom closet approximately 1 hour before the coach/coachee meeting and injected with Sodium Pentothal. Would that about cover the highs and lows of what you need to know?

So, what are you doing at your company so there's a greater chance coaches provide coachees with information that will truly help them better service customers, and progress in their careers?  Any helpful details that are probably getting left out?

Comments

[G-Man]

Margery,

I really like your "website" idea. As for the diary idea, trash it. I can't even get my boss to include me on important decisions so that I can record them for him! I asked him what he thought about the idea of me keeping a diary so that information could be shared upon my departure and he looked at me as if I had just told him I was God. He asked me if I was serious and, after replying postively, he gave me a piece of advice; leave all that mushy stuff for the social gatherings, roll up those sleeves and do some real work. That mentality is rampany in my industry, so I think that having a website where others can share their industry knowledge would be appropriate. At least it would give a fair chance to those that we are trying to help. Those that don't want or need our help do not have to access the website. I'll bet that they do anyway! Let us know when you start this up as I will be one of the first to log on and create a section for my industry! Train on!!!!