The challenge
An internal coaching network established within a SME was struggling with low engagement due to the network’s visibility across the business dwindling after the netwrok lead left the organisation. This led to the loss of trained coaches and fewer and fewer coachees.
At the next coaching network progress meeting I was voted in to lead the network due to my experience as a career coach and my ‘get stuff done’ nature. From October 2023, I took the lead position of the Coaching Network and had a clear objective: revitalise the coaching offer by increasing uptake, enhancing the skills of existing coaches, and embedding the network into the broader staff development ecosystem.
My intervention
To raise the profile of coaching, I introduced a number of targeted initiatives.
I created a blog showcasing coach and coachee experiences to demonstrate real-world impact.
I reached out to managers during the career development quarter with specific examples of how coaching could support their teams.
I coordinated a business-wide team-by-team ‘introduction to the Coaching Network and how it can help you’ initiative, whereby every coach took responsibility improving the visibility of the network and themselves as a coach by presenting to different teams.
I presented at new starter events to raise early awareness and arranged for coaches to visit business teams to explain what coaching is and how to get involved.
I presented at an internal, monthly recorded interview style update about coaching.
I organised annual, tailored refreshers for coaches based on their individual development needs to ensure they remained confident and effective.
The outcome
As a result, every coach in the network had at least one coachee they were supporting, some with multiple, and five new coaches joined the network. I personally coached six staff members from across different teams and positions of seniority within the organisation, further embedding coaching as a valued and accessible development tool.