Executive
Coaching and Employee Retention
By Jane Raitt
Retention of high impact leaders and performers is on the minds of corporations more so today than ever. That said, corporations offer all kinds of incentives to keep employees from leaving and going elsewhere. Day Care Centers, Work Out Centers, market basket benefits, services like cleaning and beauty salons on site and even pet insurance are some of the ways that organizations attract employees. But attracting high performers is one thing; retaining them is another. The “cosmetics” eventually pale and what is left is the everyday organizational structure and values of the organization. If these are not in place or expressed effectively, the probability of employee retention is low.
How an organization treats its leaders and its commitment to the individual is critical to employee retention. A Gallup Poll revealed that although the sizzle—those life balance incentives cited earlier-- are nice to have, what really matters is how managers manage and executives lead. The people challenge has and always will be the mainstay to employee satisfaction.
Zenith Executive
and Corporate Coaching
It is not unusual for high impact performers to be hired for their technical
and functional abilities. At some point, however, these very same performers
are elevated to managerial roles. Other skills come into play at this developmental
juncture: communicating change, dialoguing effectively with subordinates,
encouraging creativity, running successful productive teams. Oh, yes, the
organization can hire a high priced consulting firm to do management training
or send these up and coming leaders to a costly five day seminar to learn
about management philosophies and general managerial skills. But each may
be at a different developmental stage or have some personal challenges that
need to be addressed. Every case is different.
Zenith’s Executive, Corporate and Leadership Coaching is the solution. This highly individualized process is designed to help individuals and organizations achieve positive, measurable results in a finite timeframe. It provides the tools, the support and the structure for setting better goals and achieving those goals more efficiently. It starts with the individual and his/her agenda for change. It assists in helping the manager identify obstacles to success, make better decisions and stay on track. For the organization, coaching helps individuals align themselves with organizational values and goals so that the individual’s contributions coincide with the organization’s visions and strategies for success.
Economically, it makes
sense to retain high impact performers. Besides the obvious costs of losing
a knowledge base when an employee leaves, there is the training and steep
learning curve for new hires who, it is estimated, function at only 60% effectiveness
within the first three months. It makes even better sense for an organization
to invest in the growth and development of its individual leaders and managers.
By investing in Zenith Executive, Corporate and Leadership Coaching, not only
is the organization confirming the value of the individual performer, but
equally it is investing in the retention of key competent employees by making
it an attractive place to work.