Most people are familiar with executive or leadership coaching, the kind that’s usually provided to senior leaders and executives. Those engagements typically range from six to twelve months or longer and include biweekly meetings, 360-degree feedback, or other types of assessments.
The coach and coachee (client) meet approximately every two weeks. Between sessions, the coach will suggest homework in the form of experiments to help a leader try out new behaviors or thought patterns. The benefits and return on investment (ROI) of leadership coaching are well understood and documented.
So what’s different about spot coaching?
Spot coaching, which involves fewer sessions than traditional coaching, can be used to help tackle an immediate challenge or problem like an interpersonal conflict with a manager or team member, feeling stuck in your career, or even feelings of burnout. It may take only one session, or possibly two to three to see results. This is what’s unique about spot coaching – it’s a short-term, just-in-time approach.
Who uses spot coaching?
Increasingly, companies ranging from Fortune 100 to startups are offering spot coaching to employees at all levels. People may be eligible for one or more sessions per month. In some organizations, a coach is available on a weekly or monthly basis so that anyone can drop in if there’s something on their mind.
Spot coaching is part of the movement toward the democratization of coaching – giving more people access to coaching regardless of their role or level. Companies use spot coaching on its own or in combination with longer-term engagements because it’s more accessible and easier to scale as well as more affordable.
Does spot coaching work?
You’re probably thinking to yourself, if coaching usually takes at least six months, can a single coaching session really help? We understand that long-standing habits built over time cannot be expected to change overnight but that doesn’t mean we can’t successfully make incremental changes more quickly, and still have an impact.
Our behaviors are influenced by everything from the values we were raised with to what made us successful earlier in our careers. Still, even in one focused discussion, a coach can help you gain perspective which will help you show up differently and change your mindset. For instance, a coaching conversation might help you:
- Begin to recognize and question certain deeply held beliefs or assumptions.
- Understand how your own behaviors are contributing to an undesirable situation.
- Learn to take a new approach to a relationship that isn’t working for you.
People leaders looking to support people’s growth and development even on a limited budget are turning to spot coaching when other tools don’t work. If a team member is feeling stuck, can’t figure out how to change bad habits, or wants to improve a working relationship, spot coaching might just be the answer.
Interested in a real-world example? Take a look at my post about what I personally learned from spot coaching early in my own career. <coming soon>
