Career coaching for 60 “outstanding performers”
Impetus to the project
As part of an initiative for the „outstanding performers" at Zalando (2019, 60 employees at the Berlin site), the employees in question were given the opportunity for reflection in the context of 1:1 coaching as one of several offers.
The focus of the reflection was to be on the mid- and long-term career and life goals of the outstanding performers. The focus of the two hours of coaching was on the individual. It was not linked to a specific expectation from the organization.
The goal of the intervention was to recognize and honor the outstanding commitment of the target group and also to motivate them through this.
Setting:
Exclusive offer for the group of approximately 60 outstanding performers at Zalando.
1x2 hours of individual coaching as part of a broader support program for outstanding performers at Zalando.
Contents:
Reflect on personal talents, areas of motivation and desires for influence in life.
Impetus for answers to the questions: What am I passionate about? What footprints do I want to leave behind?
What we did
For a quick introduction to the content of the compact format, the coaching session was preceded by the implementation of the Gallup Strengthfinder. The goal of the reflection on the coachee's 5 most prominent talents was to bring the statements of the evaluation that were coherent for the coachee into a meaningful action-guiding picture for him/her.
In a second part of the coaching, the coachees were invited to reflect on the question: "Who am I?" using a method from career coaching inspired by Richard Nelson Bolles. The goal here was to work out priority life roles/goals and, in combination with the personal image of one's own talents, to identify fields of effectiveness.
Experience and result
A total of 41 coaching sessions took place in April and May 2019 with 6 coaches from subject:RESOUL.
The biggest challenge in the project was to meet the demand for content (personal and professional reflection with substance) within the time available (once two hours with each oustanding performer). However, with the help of the Gallup Strengthfinder as a structuring element and basis for the reflection, as well as some trial rounds in self-experimentation (incl. nice own insights), this succeeded well. Overall, not only the client and the coachees, but also we are very satisfied with the offer that we were able to realize here.
What our client says
A quantitative as well as qualitative evaluation of the measure was conducted. The coaching offer was rated as the best initiative within the Outstanding Performer offers.
88% of the participants in the evaluation would recommend the coaching to colleagues. Main reasons: very personal, very professional coaches, structured yet open-ended.
84% of the participants in the evaluation found that this coaching was an appropriate offer for the appreciation of the Outstanding Performers through: individual setting, focus on strengths and the offer of an outside perspective.
„The coach was very open-minded but structured at the same time. Clear expectation setting: what could be discussed and what was not realistic in one single session.“
„The result-open approach and the provided guidance by the coach.“
„That it was personal 1 on 1, not a shared training, and that it focused on my personal goals and strength which was not limited only to the companyagenda."
„I would love to get more of this external coaching and more regularly. A one time investment is good and nice but doing this more regularly wouldhelp me a lot.”