Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER OCTOBER 2018 FEATURES 49 e decision to make coaching optional for leadership develop- ment was intentional, she says. e "pull" approach has allowed the practice to steadily grow in participation and popularity while sustaining momentum over the years. Canadian Blood Services con- tinues to evolve its eight-year-old coaching practice, which now includes a diverse team of inter- nal coaches and a robust external coaching network. Offered in conjunction with a 360-degree feedback assessment, the program makes coaching more scalable and accessible to a wider audience. As a result, many leaders and employees have now shifted their perception of coaching from re- medial to positive as a way to support continued growth and development. "Having someone in my corner to help me define my personal and professional aspirations was so helpful," says Lise Simpson, di- rector of corporate affairs at Ca- nadian Blood Services in Ottawa. "My coach empowered me to understand my own habits and what was getting in the way of my success." Simpson's coaching engage- ment lasted six months, includ- ing weekly interval check-ins via Skype and phone conversations. "I found that I was stepping up more often at work," she says. "It's surprising to see yourself starting to do the things you had in the back of your mind but were never confident to do them because you didn't have the chance to work them through first with someone else." Keith Colwell, another senior leader at Canadian Blood Servic- es who manages organizational payroll, finance and HR services, noticed a ripple effect through the organization as a result of its adopted coaching culture, which inspired him to become creden- tialed as a coach and part of the organization's internal coaching team. "Coaching can help unleash the potential in employees," he says. "You're basically able to lever- age as an organization the full assets that the employee brings to the table, utilize their abilities and keep them engaged with their work. e coaching helps them see and utilize their full value." Canadian Blood Services con- tinues to evaluate the effective- ness of its coaching practice and look for ways to innovate and improve. So far, the results are encouraging, with 99 per cent of participants saying they have been satisfied with the coaching experi- ence, and 80 per cent saying the coaching helped them achieve their development and leader- ship goals. Sleeman Breweries also saw similar results as a result of its coaching program. Leaders are now able to listen more effectively and ask more powerful questions, instead of relying on advice and instructions. "There will be times when leaders have to be direct," says Durocher. "Coaching isn't the only tool we can use, but it's an effective and powerful tool that can help en- gage employees, empower them, build their self-confidence, and lets everyone have more mean- ingful discussions." As for the new hire Danbrook took under his wing, he says the self-actualization realized by the recent university graduate has helped contribute to a "night-and- day" mentality. "He realized the importance of social skills and developing rela- tionships in this industry and ran with it." Both ICF-certified coaches, Nance MacLeod works at Career Com- pass Canada in Toronto and Denis Lévesque works at Solutions Opti- Gestion in Ottawa. Leaders listen better, instead of relying on advice COACHING < pg. 47 "Having someone in my corner helped me define my personal and professional aspirations. My coach empowered me to understand my own habits." Credit: Google Street View

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