What Young Professionals Are Saying....

Over the past year, I have had the privilege of coaching various young professionals, some newly out of college embarking on their career, and others, recently promoted or identified by their organizations as rising stars. I deliberately use the word privilege because it has been a joy and so rewarding to contribute to their development and to watch these new leaders blossom in such a short time. As someone who began her career in training and development, I am intimately aware of the benefits and pitfalls of training new leaders with no post training support. This experience has brought home first-hand the important role that coaching can play in helping new leaders emerge.

This past year's experience beckoned me to conduct a survey on coaching young professionals to learn more. I was curious about what outcomes were being reported by both coachees and their organizations, since coaching this level of leader is not as common as coaching those higher in the ranks. What I discovered is that young professionals and their employers view coaching as a development tool that helps new leaders significantly shorten their leadership learning curve. These new leaders report that coaching provides an opportunity for reflection as they begin to hone their own personal leadership style in a safe and confidential manner. The organizations value coaching because they see results and support for the training and development they have provided. The outcome? A new leader who feels supported, challenged and instantly effective, and a company that sees their development dollars spent wisely.

In these challenging economic times when dollars for employee development are tight, it's gratifying to see forward thinking organizations providing coaching for their up and coming leaders, as well as for their executives and middle managers.

If you are, or have, a rising star you, too, may want to include coaching as part of his or her development plan.