Excellence to Eminence

What Success Looks Like

Performance Objectives: Coaching Sessions
Excellence, Openess and Trust

January 10, 2011

Coaching is an ongoing process in which you regularly receive feedback about your work from peers and leaders. This feedback focuses on what you are doing well, and identifies ways you can be more effective.

While it should ultimately help you achieve your goals/objectives by increasing your results, it also helps keep you on track by offering a way to check in, monitor progress against goals, and adjust work, if appropriate.

As part of the performance management process, employees and supervisors are required to engage in two coaching sessions per year. These coaching sessions are designed to serve as a checkpoint to see how you are progressing toward your performance objectives, and identify what support you need to achieve your goals.

It’s also an opportunity to make changes to your goals if your responsibilities or the focus of the team have changed. This conversation positions you for success, and ensures there are no surprises at your annual review.

Some questions covered in a coaching session include:

• Am I on track to meet my objectives? If not, how can I get there?
• Are there barriers that are preventing me from meeting my objectives/goals?
• If my job has changed, are my objectives still relevant, or do they need to be revised to reflect my new responsibilities?
• What support/resources/training do I need to achieve my objectives?
• What feedback do I want to give my manager about his/her coaching?
• Are there additional tasks or responsibilities I would like to learn?

While they are part of the performance management process, coaching sessions don’t have to be formal, and don’t require extensive documentation. They can occur during regular update meetings, rather than scheduling a separate meeting. The coaching sessions should be noted on the performance plan to serve as a reminder that these conversations have taken place.

It’s important to seek out and offer coaching and feedback on a regular basis, from peers as well as your supervisor. Tracking and being mindful about these conversations ensures you receive general feedback, as well as feedback specific to your performance objectives.

For more information about our values-based Performance Management tools, review Performance Management Policy 5.25 on the Office of Human Resources web site at go.osu.edu/525, as well as the Performance and Feedback Guide, Personalized Performance Plan Job Aid, and Personalized Performance Plan. For more information, resources, and tools, contact your Employee/Labor Relations consultants. You can find your assigned consultant by visiting go.osu.edu/erc or calling (614) 292-2800.