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Writer's pictureErik Thorén

Is it important to have internal coaching guidelines?

Last week I had an interesting discussion with a manager. She wondered if it is important for an organization to have internal coaching guidelines to support its managers.


In larger organizations that have several sales managers, you can sometimes create coaching guidelines. The purpose of coaching guidelines is usually to guide, strengthen and change managers' behavior around coaching.


Coaching Guidelines can, among other things, describe WHAT and HOW managers should do to coach & develop their teams.

My experience is that simply creating coaching guidelines is usually not enough to influence a change in behavior among sales managers in a company.

In order for coaching guidelines to have a greater effect on a group of managers, other parts should also be included.


Management support

  • Management specifically states that coaching is critical to the company's success. Both in the short and long term.

  • The management shows the way by "living as you learn" themselves.

  • The management is involved in developing coaching guidelines, i.e. coaching becomes a prioritized behavior in the organization.


Managers are trained in coaching

  • Managers are trained in coaching. The parts/moments that have been included in their coaching guidelines reflect the coach training.

  • Training extends over time. This is to underpin a change as an individual but also as a group.

  • New managers are trained in the same way in their on-boarding. This is to build continuity and underpin a corporate culture.


Create coach "KPIs" on managers

  • One of the most important tasks of a manager is to develop his team's skills (skill-sets).

  • Therefore, companies need to follow up their managers on this. "What gets measured, gets done."

  • It is therefore important that the Management follows up the work of their sales manager in coaching. How these KPIs are set needs to be adapted to each organization.


Written Coaching guidelines

  • Written, easy-to-read and easily accessible Coaching guidelines for the user.


Conducting coaching sessions

  • Many managers spend less than 2 hours a week really coaching the development of their employees. With 10-15 salespeople in their team, this does not leave much time for each salesperson.

  • Book time per salesperson each month that is dedicated to coaching and developing the employee.

  • Use internal coaching guidelines as support before and during these coaching sessions.


Good luck with the coaching.

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