On-the-job coaching
This one-on-one development is for sales staff who want to lock in new skills in real client situations, with immediate feedback. The development professional accompanies the employee to client visits and negotiations, and everyone involved receives a written summary of the results.
What is the program about?
One-on-one development in real work situations: an introductory conversation, then 2–5 joint visits or negotiations, with development conversations and a written memo.
A skill learned in a training session works in the training room. The question is whether it works with a client, at a negotiating table, when the person on the other side isn't a practice partner. That's why on-the-job coaching, also known as shadowing, takes place in real work situations: the development professional accompanies the employee or leader to visits and negotiations, and they then process the experience together in a reflective conversation.
What you take away: a written memo on what was observed and the next tasks, for everyone involved: the employee, the manager and HR; and, for the employee, an individual action plan linked to the development goals.
Who is the program for?
For sales staff, whom we observe and develop in real sales situations, and for sales managers who want to work on their own coaching style: how they develop their people. It is especially timely when new skills need to be locked in during live, real work situations.
When is it worth starting?
- salespeople's development calls for concrete observation and immediate feedback
- a sales manager wants to work on their own practice of developing others
- measurable milestones and a documented memo are expected from the development process.
How we work
At the start of every joint visit, we explain the observer's role to the other party, so the situation doesn't become awkward in front of the client either. Detailed notes are taken on the day, and the feedback is captured in a written memo that the employee, their manager and HR all receive.
The process begins with a trust-building introductory conversation in which we clarify the purpose and agenda of our time together. This is followed by 2–5 joint visits or negotiations, in an active or passive observer role, with the observer's role explained to the other party at the start of each one. This way, the development has milestones, not just good intentions.
On-the-job coaching is a one-on-one, hands-on development format: being present together in real work situations, complemented by development conversations and a written memo. The process typically consists of 2–5 joint visits or negotiations, preceded by an introductory conversation that clarifies goals and the agenda; between sessions, there is room to build the relationship further and discuss any professional questions that come up.
Elements of the process
- shadowing: observation in real work situations
- building trust, clarifying goals and the agenda
- development conversation, reflection
- documenting feedback: notes, memo
- setting development milestones and individual actions.
The process rests on three main steps: observation (taking part in a pre-arranged, real visit or negotiation), measurement (sharing what was observed, based on detailed notes, in a coaching-style development conversation) and development (designing a one-off or multi-session development process that supports the defined goals, with concrete individual actions). The experience is processed in a calm setting, based on self-reflection. After the conversation, everyone involved (the employee, their manager and HR) receives a memo on what was observed and the next steps; this document serves as a milestone in the development process.
