Client Stories > Creating Executive Coaches: Biotech

Creating Executive Coaches: Biotech

Creating Executive Coaches

Using Executive Coaching to Drive Performance at a Biotech

Client Case Study

Situation – Creating Executive Coaches

This Biotech Company is an industry leader in the field of antibody discovery and development. Over the past 30 years the company has built strong intellectual property, technology platforms, and capabilities to engineer cutting-edge therapeutic antibodies that have the potential to transform medicine and reshape people’s lives.

To capitalize on a significant market opportunity that would have a major impact on the company’s future, the company launched a strategic initiative to develop its Leaders, Managers, and Management Systems. Shortly thereafter, the poor economic conditions affected the company, requiring a workforce reduction and increased workloads for the remaining employees.

The company weathered the economic storm and put itself on a positive course to execute its key strategic initiatives. To accelerate its momentum the company decided to implement an executive coaching certification program for 6-12 high potential leaders to create leadership leverage throughout the organization.  The overall objectives were to leverage previous investments in management training, increase employee engagement, retain key employees, and push critical strategic initiatives forward by:

  • Engaging key employees in participating in knowledge transfer and skill building
  • Decreasing turnover and possible loss of “tribal” information necessary to company success
  • Providing motivation and a platform for a formal on-going internal coaching program
  • Implementing proven methodologies used to coach and drive performance along with frameworks for having focused and productive conversations, employing active listening skills, managing difficult conversations, and applying tools (such as Personality Inventory and Interaction Styles) in real time
  • Increasing organizational productivity

Complications

The company recognized the importance of maintaining a strong, focused team during this critical period, and feared that its actions during turbulent economic times had eroded past efforts to develop its workforce and create a performance-based culture. They were especially concerned about:

  • Having to cut development resources across the company
  • Managing future career uncertainty across the workforce
  • Increasing workloads caused by workforce reductions

Approach for Creating Executive Coaches

1. Identify Desired Results

  • Determine coach and “coachee” selection criteria
  • Finalize business objectives
  • Identify program success metrics

2. Assess the Current Situation

3. Design the Exact Solution

  • Finalize design to meet agreed-upon objectives and success metrics while overcoming potential barriers

Approach (cont.)

4. Deliver Performance Learning

  • Kickoff for Creating Executive Coaches
     1-hour project kickoff session to introduce the program and gain commitment from participants
  • Day 1
    1-day facilitated session plus initial assignment focusing on concepts and content for effective coaching
  • Customized Monthly Learning Bursts
    Coaches attend monthly 2-3 hour monthly learning bursts to learn new models and skills, debrief their coaching sessions, and to obtain feedback and more in-depth instruction on using various tools and models. Topics shifted according to needs.
  • Final Certification of Creating Executive Coaches
    By LSA and VP of HR

5. Implement Coaching and Follow-Through

  • Monthly Application and Coaching Sessions
    Focused on just-in-time practice, mastery, feedback, or discussion as a group, in specific teams, or 1×1
  • Monthly Phone Coaching Sessions
    Each participant was able to schedule 30-45 minute monthly 1×1 phone sessions with the master facilitator to debrief and work on specific skills, issues, and questions.

6. Measure Impact and Results

  • Level-1 Coach satisfaction measurement

Note: Program participants coached individuals who were in a different part of the organization. Coaching engagements lasted 6 months on average.

Results
In six months:

Coachees

  • 100% reported coaching enabled them to perform at a higher level
  • 78 % reported their expectations of coaching were met

  • 100 % reported they would recommend coaching to a colleague

Coachees’ Managers

  • 50% reported they observed significant changes in their employees’ behavior

  • 100% reported they would like another staff member to receive coaching

  • 100% suggested other members of their staff receive coaching training

Coaches

  • 100% of coaches reported they would recommend the program to a peer

Related Information

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I believe it will help us create an even higher performance culture by ensuring we have a common understanding of how to create higher performance and work toward clear and common strategic goals.

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We have made huge progress, and I was also able to identify 2-3 high potentials while having the extra benefit of people stepping up to carry key strategic projects forward.

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I highly recommend them to anyone looking to take their leaders and the performance of their teams to the next level.

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