What steps can you take to ensure your coaching assessment is objective?

Define clear criteria: Establish specific leadership competencies for assessment, such as communication skills or strategic thinking. Use measurable indicators: Track progress through 360-degree feedback assessments to gather input from various stakeholders. Align with organizational context: Ensure assessment criteria reflect company values and goals, like focusing on teamwork or innovation. Avoid bias: Utilize standardized tools, like validated psychometric assessments, to ensure objectivity. Review and adjust criteria: Regularly update assessment criteria based on feedback and outcomes for improved results. For example, refining coaching assessments based on client feedback led to better leadership development.

To ensure objectivity in coaching assessments, I employ a 360-degree assessment approach. This involves gathering feedback from multiple perspectives, including the coachee, peers, supervisors, and other relevant stakeholders. By using diverse sources of input, I can obtain a comprehensive understanding of the coachee's performance and behaviours. Additionally, I focus on using standardised assessment tools and establishing clear evaluation criteria to minimize bias and subjectivity. Through this systematic process, I aim to provide fair and accurate assessments that facilitate meaningful growth and development for the coachee.

Bij coaching komt in zekere zin altijd een beoordeling (assessment) kijken. Hier is zelden tot nooit een externe tool voor nodig. Een stevige senior coach heeft als onderdeel van de eigen expertise om de competenties die nodig zijn voor de betreffende leider voorafgaand aan het traject in kaart te brengen, en tijdens de ontmoeting in de hier&nu deze concrete competenties te toetsen. Dit is de meest zuivere manier voor de executive coach en de leider om in vertrouwen met elkaar aan het werk te gaan. Een externe tool zou het eerder minder zuiver maken dan meer.

Always clarify, criteria. Agreed. And, nuanced, listening that opens space to pivot, / or amend to meet the emerging needs of the client

Coaching criteria or goals are necessary up front and they need to be aligned to a clear strategy, either for the organisation or the individual's career path; in an ideal situation these two aspects are also aligned. Coaching goals set the learning journey across the coaching relationship, and they can change over time, so need to be reviewed periodically at agreed times. Psychological assessments then are used in the context of that review. It's important to ensure that we are measuring and tracking not only individual leader capability metrics but also environmental or contextual metrics. We can measure the leader and their team's effectiveness to ensure we have a comprehensive view of the impact the coaching is making.

Coaching is successful only when the client feels they have walked away with something. I use a personal assessment checklist along with a personal style checklist. The personal style checklist makes me understand the style the person prefers. The personal assessment checklist is for the coachees to use as a baseline for comparison. This helps them share their view on how things are progressing. The other technique I use is feedback post every session to see if something needs to be realigned and that gives a good sense on how the coachee is seeing value in the conversations

For example, personality or values assessments are great when your client is looking to increase self-awareness and get more insights into their steady traits and motivators; however, when they are working on changing a specific behavior, it is also necessary to consider how to factor in time and impact of organizational/situational contexts, not just additional perspectives.

Incorporate anonymized feedback mechanisms in your coaching assessment process. This approach allows individuals to share their insights and observations without the pressure of attribution, fostering more honest and uninhibited feedback. Coupled with a systematic review process that evaluates feedback for consistency and relevance, this strategy can significantly enhance the objectivity of your coaching assessments, ensuring a well-rounded understanding of the coachee's impact and areas for growth.