Lifestagetalent development & coaching
Best Practices in talent development & coaching
Strategic talent development enhances student outcomes and boosts staff retention [1].
Organizations that cultivate a culture of continuous growth support a thriving environment that enables staff to meet – and surpass – expectations. Aligning individual goals with school-wide objectives not only bridges performance gaps but also empowers staff to unlock their full potential for future success within your organization.
[1]: engage2learn.org/talent-development
Need more help with designing best practices in talent development & coaching? Partner with us.design
Step
1
Create Content
Having a competency model in place that articulates the set of skills required within a given domain and across each level of seniority is helpful when building up a strong talent development and coaching culture within your organization. Visit the Competency Model Lifestage for guidance on developing an effective competency model, and take care that it aligns with your performance management structures. Establish a 70-20-10 model of development that places the bulk of learning within job-embedded opportunities. Importantly, create a standard set of management expectations and practices that provide clarity to both managers and staff members about what they can expect. Finally, develop a manager training approach that ensures all managers learn effective coaching strategies to use when engaging with staff members.
RESOURCES
DEIA Callout
Managers must consistently work to mitigate bias within their management practices beyond formal bias trainings. Scheduling routine observations of check-ins and coaching meetings provides managers with direct, tangible feedback on their current practices.
design
Step
2
Develop a Clear Communication Strategy
Your communication strategy should provide for a “ground-up” approach with staff members, with most material being shared by managers in one-on-one check-ins. If you are transitioning to using a new approach that historically has not been in place organizationally, develop a set of organizational messages about the purpose of the new practices. Utilize diverse types of communication for this messaging, such as sending regular organization-wide emails, developing FAQ documents for staff and managers, scheduling HR/Talent office hours, and building a standing feedback survey that staff can use to submit ongoing comments and concerns about the new system.
DEIA Callout
Create talking points for manager check-ins and visit department or grade-level meetings to help you to better ascertain trends in satisfaction along lines of difference or areas that need increased attention.
design
Step
3
Train and Calibrate Stakeholders
Manager effectiveness is the primary driver of a strong coaching culture. Instead of relying on one-off trainings for managers, create a sequence that allows for their regular coaching. This process requires the supervisors of managers to observe coaching meetings or check-ins between managers and staff, then conduct debriefs with the managers afterward. Additionally, supervisors should conduct skip-level conversations quarterly to meet with each manager’s staff to hear feedback on the level of development they are receiving and their overall satisfaction.
DEIA Callout
Ensure that skip-level conversation scripts include questions about the ability of the manager to effectively supervise all staff equitably and inclusively.
EdFuel can design talent development & coaching systems and processes for you.