The peril of underestimating internal coaching

I talk to a lot of organisations about their internal coaching strategy and it seems like the most consistent message is one of inconsistency. Some organisations have only one qualified coach if they have any at all, and others have hundreds. Whether yours has a well-established, mature internal coaching approach that continually adds value or you're just starting to explore the idea, it's always worth paying attention to.

The level of complexity and nuance in leading an internal coaching strategy is often underappreciated and benefits from attention being paid to it. At an individual level I've personally benefited from the transformative potential of internal coaching. I've seen it impact others positively as an internal coach and coach supervisor myself. I've now worked with a large range of organisations to see internal coaching used as a tool for wider cultural change and strategic enabling.

It's safe to say I'm a fan of internal coaching.

But it presents unique challenges. I had the privilege of working with the wonderful Katharine St John-Brooks on the Internal Coaching in the latest edition of The Complete Handbook of Coaching, and the process of producing that made it increasingly clear that it's worth investing time in. In order to truly harness the power internal coaching has on offer, we need to adopt a more holistic and systemic perspective.

The challenge of complexity

In many ways internal coaching seems like a straightforward proposition. Train a handful of "natural coaches" with some coaching techniques and models, give them permission to spend the time, and off they go. Colleagues supporting one another through non-directive conversations, how wonderful!

That might take the shape of a more formal approach of matching, supported by processes and CPD structures, as we see in the excellent work done by Grant Thornton UK LLP and Oxford University Press. Or it might be more informal, as the inspiring Jennifer Paylor established while at IBM.

However it looks, there's an intricate web of emotions and dynamics at play that we'd do well to take note of. Emotions are present in the workplace and to deny that is a dangerous game to play, for ourselves and for the culture of an organisation.

Internal coaches aren't just a professional service provider. They're an intrinsic part of the very system they're meant to be supporting change within. There's a duality there that creates complexity and should be navigated with care. Unconscious biases associated with the workplace, personal and interpersonal histories, internal relationships and politics, power dynamics and all sorts of other aspects can all subtly shape the coaching relationship in ways that external coaches rarely have to contend with.

The challenge of being in the system

I've written previously about how internal coaching should always be thought of as systemic. It's never enough as a coach to simply know a bunch of coaching models. But internal coaches need to also deal with culturally-established hierarchies and role boundaries that need to be transcended while they're acting as coach.

Internal coaching relationships are isolated events that take place aside from the day job, and are also part of a larger, dynamic ecosystem. Every interaction ripples outward, impacting teams, the entire organisational culture and even external stakeholders. Internal coaches are called upon to hold a potent spaciousness that consciously brings the organisational context into the coaching room, allows for vulnerability, authenticity and transformation to be present, all the while acknowledging that they are part of the very systems the coaching client is going to be impacting.

This systemic impact makes internal coaching extremely complex - it's much "cleaner" to act as an external coach. It also makes internal coaching a truly powerful lever for cultural transformation. When done well, the act of empowering an internal coaching pool can catalyse a shift towards a more collaborative, growth-oriented mindset that permeates every level of the organisation. Whether that happens through the coaching sessions or through osmosis thanks to the adoption of coaching mindsets in line management, we should be happy about the impact.

But we shouldn't rely on luck for this potential to be realised. When internal coaches have a deep understanding of the systemic forces at play they're much more effective. When they bring a keen awareness of the systemic nature of their work into coaching relationships, we see the impact.

The challenge of personal brand

The job of an internal coach, in some respects, is much harder than that of an external coach. The very nature of an external coach brings with it an unstated assumption that they are experts - in most cases one would expect that to be the case! Internal coaches, on the other hand, will have to work harder to convince a new client that their skills and experience are up to scratch.

The personal coaching brand and presence therefore becomes a crucial asset. This can't be about crafting a superficial image because our colleagues tend to see us on our worst days as well as our best. Crafting a personal coaching brand is about deeply embodying the values and principles that underpin our coaching approach in alignment with strategic organisational goals.

The challenge of good governance

I outlined one of the frameworks I've developed in this article, which draws attention to coaching assurance, procedural documentation, assurance processes and impact monitoring among other things. It lays out a maturity scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is ad hoc and 5 is optimised.

Whenever I've presented that model and asked organisations to self-rate, the majority of organisations place themselves at level 1. That's not particularly surprising. A lot of coaches start their journey because they're much better at conversations than at spreadsheets. And yet a simple presentation of the model alongside the underlying elements that contribute to it tends to catalyse rapid action.

When we get hold of practical tools for navigating the complexities of internal coaching we can amplify its impact to create lasting, positive change, and capture it much more predictably. The unending and entirely transparent lies that guarantee coaching ROI simply by spending more money can be stripped away and replaced by something much more true, meaningful and sustainable.

An invitation to explore

If this resonates with you – if you feel called to dive deeper into the rich, multi-layered world of internal coaching – I'd love to invite you to explore a CPD event I've designed.

I ran a version of this recently for an organisation and it was absolutely wonderful. The feedback was so positive I thought I really ought to offer it to more organisations, so if you'd like a conversation about it please do book one in my calendar!

I can offer a stripped-back lunch and learn, or half-day and full-day highly interactive workshops. And if you have a relatively small coaching pool I'd be excited to explore inviting other organisations to make it as efficient as possible.

Together we'll unpack the emotional complexities, unravel the systemic intricacies, think about powerful personal coaching presence and draw out strategic, aligned thinking around internal coaching.

This isn't just another coaching event to tick the CPD box. It's an opportunity to engage in a transformative exploration of what it truly means to be an internal coach.

So if you're ready to take your internal coaching practice to new heights I encourage you to reach out. It would be a privilege to play a part in your journey and support you in unlocking the full potential of internal coaching within your organisation.

The path ahead is one of profound growth, deep insights, and lasting impact. I look forward to walking beside you on what could be an extraordinary adventure.