Our Coaching Process

Scruggs Leadership tailors a coaching relationship to the individual needs of the client and the organizational context in which they operate.  Though specific strategies vary, our approach generally contains the following steps:

Step1: Contracting.  SL meets with the client and a sponsoring executive (frequently their boss) to explore personal desired outcomes as well as those desired by the organization.  Mutual trust and chemistry are essential in all coaching relationships, so objectives and concerns of both client and consultant are explored.   Coach and Client collaboratively build a strategy to gather assessment data, understand current impact, and develop a personal change agenda.  The Client is coached on how to best communicate with members of their organization to ensure their support. 

Step 2: Assessment.  Assessment has two purposes:  1) to provide clear, high quality feedback and insight so the client can learn about themselves and the impact of their current behavior on others,  and2) to build a foundation of support in the organization for individual change.  SL gathers data from agreed-upon sources including direct reports, peers, team members, customers, and superiors to characterize strengths and weaknesses, and to describe organizational impacts of each.  An assessment strategy frequently includes one or more of the following:

  • Anonymous individual interviews with 8-10 direct reports, peers, etc

  • 360 degree instrumented feedback

  • Leadership / personality self-assessment instruments (e.g. MBTI, FIRO-B, SDI)

  • Historical, assessment interview

  • Shadow Assessment: observation of “high stake” interactions, presentations, meetings, etc

Step 3: Feedback and Prioritization.   SL compiles and summarizes the assessment data and shares it with the client in meaningful segments. In this way, feedback can be digested while self-insight is encouraged and motivation for change is heightened.  Coach and Client work together to create a set of “high impact” priorities.    A communication process is created by the client to share results of the assessment with members of their organization, to gather additional feedback, and to solicit support for their personal development initiative.

Step 4: Implementation of Personal Development Initiatives. Coach and Client create a development strategy to support the acquisition of new skills, transformation of entrenched relationships, development of new habits and disciplines, and examination of old mindsets.   Most clients find it useful to contract for coaching support for a period of approximately six months during which time the Coachsupports the Client in a number of ways including:

  • Regular face-to-face or telephone coaching to discuss progress and maintain commitment / accountability while providing support and encouragement.

  • Skill development coaching

  • On the job Shadowing (observation and feedback)

  • Conflict mediation 

  • Facilitation of team development activities with client’s team 

Step 5: Review and Evaluation:. SL encourages Clients to conduct a “self and other” assessment three to six months into their change strategy.  This can be a formal or informal process to allow others to acknowledge that change has taken place, provide additional feedback, and, in some cases, to re-contract for change in areas where the client has been less successful.