Course Syllabus for

HDDR 6372  PERFORMANCE  COACHING

Dr. Robert Barner

Julie Higgins

Office: Legacy Campus, Bldg. 3, Suite 118, Room 188bB

Office Hours: (by appointment only) Thursdays & Fridays; 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Tel: 214-621-1514

E-mail: ibscribe@earthlink.net

 

 

Course Overview

Performance coaching is designed to help managers address significant behavioral problems or leadership style issues that are adversely impacting their performance. This course introduces students to research on interpersonal and leadership style issues that have been shown to play key roles in leadership success or failure. Students are also introduced to research related to leadership “derailment”, or failure patterns observed in managers who have been previously assessed as being high-potential leaders. Students also review studies that evaluate the impact of coaching practices on outcomes in coaching.

 

Within this course students learn about the most common performance coaching challenges that are likely to be encountered in performance coaching. They learn how to meet and address resistance to coaching and learn the intricacies of client contracting, with particular attention to establishing clear and detailed expectations for performance improvement. Students learn how to help clients and their organizational stakeholders gain alignment on the performance metrics they will use to gauge the effectiveness of the coaching process. Students are also shown how to adapt coaching interventions to this most difficult of coaching areas. Finally, students engage in structured practice in conducting performance coaching sessions.

 

 

Course Content

 

First Weekend: September 5 - 7

Friday; 4 – 9 pm; Sat-Sun  8:30 am – 5:30 pm

Pre-work:

·        “Leadership is a Contact Sport” Marshall Goldsmith

·        “The Targeted Assessment Coaching Interview” Robert Barner

·        “Coaching Executives for Business Results” Alyssa M. Freas

·        “Getting Smart: Clarifying Coaching Goals & Roles” Robert Witherspoon

·        “The Coaching Process: Guidelines and Protocols” Perry Zeus & Suzanne Skiffington

 

Content:

·        The unique challenges faced by performance coaches

·        Leadership style and behavioral patterns that are associated with managerial success or failure

·        A model for executive coaching

·        Establishing the coaching partnership: roles & accountabilities

·        Contracting for performance coaching – Why outcomes and metrics are important to the success of performance coaching

·        Establishing trust and working through issues of resistance

·        Adapting the assessment process to the unique needs of performance coaching

·        Gaining stakeholder alignment on success factors and coaching guidelines

·        Evaluating Contextual Factors [changes to organizational structure, underlying job requirements, etc.] that can affect the success of coaching engagements

·        Homework assignment: obtaining multi-rater feedback

 

Second Weekend: September 12 - 14

Friday; 4 – 9 pm; Sat-Sun 8:30 am – 5:30 pm

Pre-work:

Articles:

“360 Feedback: Best Practices to Ensure Impact” Center for Creative Leadership

“Coaching for Behavioral Change” Marshall Goldsmith

“Executive Focus: How leaders lose it, how to regain it” DDI

“Why executives derail: perspectives across time and cultures” Ellen Van Velso and Jean Brittain Leslie

“Try Feedforward instead of Feedback” Marshall Goldsmith

 

Content:

·        How to balance accountability and commitment

·        Conducting the first coaching session

·        Conducting the check-in process with organizational stakeholders:

·        Modeling of a performance coaching scenario by the instructor

·        Structured role-play and practice in performance coaching

·        Conducting the second coaching interview session

·        Conducting the check-in process with organizational stakeholders

·        Dealing with setbacks and failures

 

Structured Peer-Coaching Practice:

A critical part of developing your expertise in coaching involves being able to objectively understand the communication style that you bring into the coaching process. To build skills in this area during the course you will be provided with a number of structured role plays that place you in the role of a coach. In addition, you will also be asked to engage in one actual peer-coaching practice situation.

 

To prepare for this coaching situation during the first class session you will be asked to select a coaching partner. During the last class session you and your partner will take turns presenting each other one leadership development issue that you each are currently attempting to address. This can be a career development decision that you are facing, or a leadership style or work relationship issue that you are currently attempting to revolve. During the last class you will have 30 minutes to present your issue to your partner, with your partner playing the role of peer-coach. Immediately after the session your partner will provide you with feedback, through use of a feedback form provided by the instructor.

 

Note on Option for Audiotaped Review & Feedback:

As a means of strengthening this area, you have the option (this is not a course requirement) of audio recording your session and selecting from this session a 10-minute section for review. You will be asked to transcribe this 10-minute section and conduct a self-analysis of your coaching style, based on an interview assessment protocol provided by the instructor. If you email this to your instructor within a week following the class session your instructor will provide you with a personalized written feedback summary, suggesting steps you could take to strengthen your coaching communication style. Your performance on this practice session and the feedback that you receive will not affect your class grade. Please note that before recording the session you will need to make certain that your partner is comfortable with the idea of having their coaching issue recorded and reviewed by the instructor.

 

 

COURSE TEXT

 

In lieu of a text, students will be asked to purchase a binder of articles containing required readings. Students will be notified by email in advance regarding required pre-readings for each course session.

 

 

GRADING PROCESS

 

The course evaluation process is as follows:

 

a) 50% of the course grade will be based on writing a (8-12 pages, double-spaced) research paper on one topic that addresses one aspect of executive performance coaching. The paper will employ 5 scholarly references on the subject. These should not include papers that are distributed in the binder of articles. [papers to be emailed to Dr. Barner no later than Friday September 26th, 2008] at ibscribe@earthlink.net

Examples:

 

b)   50% of the course grade will be based on completing a written self-evaluation of a coaching simulation. During the second weekend of class each student will be asked to audiotape a 30-minute developmental coaching session with another student, with students randomly paired by the instructor. Students will be asked to transcribe a 10-minute section of their interviews and write a 6-10 page self-analysis of their coaching style and approach, based on an interview assessment protocol provided by the instructor. The instructor will provide students with personalized feedback on the effectiveness of their coaching interventions. Papers and accompanying transcripts are to be emailed to the instructor no later than Friday, September 26th, 2008 at ibscribe@earthlink.net

 

Academic Policies of Special Importance to Students:

 

Academic Integrity and Ethical Conduct as an SMU Student:

 

Students are reminded of the SMU Honor Code as referenced in the Student Handbook.  Intellectual integrity and academic honesty are both the foundation and the goals for this program. Please reference and review the university policies on the responsibilities, policies, and penalties regarding academic honesty.

http://www.smu.edu/studentlife/PCL_05_HC.asp

 

Religious Observance.

 

Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing class should notify their professor in writing at the beginning of the term, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the absence.

 

Disability Accommodations:  Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first contact Ms. Rebecca Marin, Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities (214-768-4557) to verify the disability and establish eligibility for accommodations.  They should then schedule an appointment with the professor to make appropriate arrangements.

 

Class Decorum:

 

To foster a good learning environment for yourself and your fellow students we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines during class:

 

 

 

Key Learning Objectives and How Learning Objectives Are to Be Achieved

 

Key Learning Objectives

As a result of this course students will be able to...

How Achieved

1. Identify the unique coaching challenges that differentiate performance coaching from transitional or developmental coaching.

Given a written summary of a leader who is about to initiate performance coaching students will be able to a) identify, from the facts presented in the summary the unique coaching issues that the coach is likely to face, and b) explain how these coaching challenges are representative of performance coaching engagements.

2. Identify, from behavioral observations and background data on a leader, leaders style and behavioral patterns that are likely to be contributing to work performance issues.

Students will take part in a coaching simulation involving a) a background summary of a leader who is seeking performance coaching to address certain performance issues, observations of the leader within a client-coach role-play session. Based on this data students will be asked to identify factors that are likely to be contributing to the leader’s performance issues. They will also be asked to link their conclusions to available research regarding underlying leadership and behavioral patterns that have been shown to influence leadership job success, with specific attention to research on leadership derailment.

3. Conduct an initial coaching session to clearly define the client’s expectations for coaching, to assess performance improvement issues, and to set goals for improvement.

Based on the conclusions that they develop in  objective #2 students will be asked to engage in a role play situation with another student representing the client, and to use the session to convey their framing of the client’s performance issues, confirm the client’s expectations for coaching, and jointly set goals for improvement. Students will receive written feedback from their partners on a coaching feedback form provided by the instructor.

4. Evaluate contextual factors (changes to organizational structure, underlying job requirements, etc.) that can affect the success of coaching engagements.

Students will be provided with supplemental information that builds on the case material summarized in objective #3. This information will references changes the hypothetical organization is about to encounter in its reporting structure, job requirements, and leadership roles. Based on this new information students will be asked to reassess their initial recommendations that they’ve developed on the goal’s and action plans that they’ve developed to support their performance coaching assignment.

5. Create a performance consulting contract that addresses the expressed needs of the client and organizational stakeholders

Based on the information provided under objectives #2 and 3, students will be asked to engage in a role play scenario, in which they meet with their client to formalize the client’s performance improvement needs and coaching goals into a contract.