by Gary Reinecke | Feb 13, 2017 | Church Growth, Church Multiplication, Coach Training, Disciplemaking, Leader Development, Uncategorized |
It is easy to get excited about coaching or a training initiative without understanding the true impact.
How many times have you heard colleagues discuss a new training process or coaching resource? And then get partway through the experience without understanding the impact on you or your organization. Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to consider the potential Return on Investment (ROI) before you start?
Consider a coaching relationship. When you or I establish a coach agreement we ask the leader to create goals. Over the course of the next year we work towards achieving those goals and assess the progress at the conclusion of our time together. Using the six levels described below you can see that we moved from Level 0 (scope, in my example) to Level 1 (reaction to the coaching process) to Level 2 (learning that occurred) to level 3 (applying the knowledge to the leader’s ministry).
There is a process to measure the ROI on training and coaching. Most of the coaching and training done in organizations settle for Level 1 or Level 2 evaluation – a few take it to Level 3. Here are the six levels:
- Level 0: Inputs
- Level 1: Reaction
- Level 2: Learning
- Level 3: Application
- Level 4: Impact
- Level 5: Return on Investment (ROI)
Review the descriptions above and consider a coaching or training process you are leading. Let’s say it is a leader development process that involves quarterly workshops with coaching in-between. Whatever it is that you are currently working on (developing small group leaders), or anticipate in the near future – what level of measurement are you incorporating in your process.
I’ve discovered that leaders are eager to know the ROI on some of the training and coaching that they are engaged. When they realize that it is possible to calculate and monetize the impact of their investment, it transforms the significance of the training/coaching because they are clear “why” they are making the investment.
Places where ROI is helpful:
- Organization-wide leader development training
- Coaching pastors, church planters, regional network leaders and movement leaders
- Coach training for church planting, parent church coaches or disciple-making movements
A helpful book on ROI, entitled “Show Me the Money” provides a more complete explanation. If you have questions, please e-mail InFocus for more information.
by Gary Reinecke | Jan 30, 2017 | Uncategorized |
How many times have you bought a highly recommended book just to let it collect dust on your shelf?
One of those books for me has been “The Fifth Discipline” by Peter Senge. This book has been and continues to be a strong proponent for creating a culture of coaching within an organization, whether it be a business, a church or mission agency. How is that you ask?
Let me explain the five disciplines of healthy organizational life according to Senge.
- Personal Mastery – is the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and seeing reality objectively.
- Mental Models – are deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action.
- Shared Vision – involves the skills of unearthing shared “pictures of the future” that foster genuine commitment and enrollment rather than compliance.
- Team Learning – starts with “dialogue,” the capacity of members of a team to suspend assumptions and enter into a genuine “thinking together.”
- Systems Thinking – integrates the disciplines, fusing them into a coherent body of theory and practice.
With these as a framework for healthy team life, contemplate how the following might enhance your team.
- If you could help people continually see reality objectively.
- If you could challenge team members unpack their mental models.
- If you could engage people in a shared vision.
- If you could foster a value for team learning.
- If you could integrate these disciplines in a systematic way in your team…
What difference would it make?
I want to challenge you to pick-up the book. If it is on your shelf and you have already read it, browse the titles and subtitles or take note of text you highlighted. Now reflect on the points above and envision how the five disciplines might impact your team, organization, or ministry.
by Gary Reinecke | Jan 20, 2017 | Uncategorized |
The hard work of coaching requires the coach to slow down, go below the surface and uncover key issues.
Not too long ago I was meeting with a pastoral leader who wanted help supervising a new staff member. The new staff member struggled with feedback. They winced when it was given and quick to excuse or diminish the helpful insights. On top of that, he continued repeating the same mistakes. I had several ideas swirling around in my head but I stopped, challenged and chose to remain present.
Then I asked him the following:
- What was the source of the staff member’s insecurity?
- What had the pastoral leader tried to help him receive feedback?
- What had worked in his past experience?
- What strategies could he brainstorm?
- What would he do?
Receiving feedback is a learned skill. Helping someone grow in this area can be a game changer. What are some ways you have helped those you coach exercise this important leadership muscle?
by Gary Reinecke | Dec 30, 2016 | Disciplemaking, Leader Development, Uncategorized |
The last two blogs I’ve shared questions to help you reflect on your accomplishments this year (2016) to prepare for the year ahead (2017), by envisioning where you believe God is encouraging you to grow. These questions are also intended for you to use with those you coach. It is always energizing to put the final touches on one year and anticipate the possibilities to come.
As I reflect on the year ahead I am reminded of the words of the the prophet in Jeremiah 29:11.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
I encourage you to rest in that knowledge.
Moving into next year, I am excited about the many ways God wants to use you and your unique gifts to catalyze disciplemaking movements. InFocus is committed to your success and E.source is a vehicle focused on that vision. Here is what you can expect every month as we move into the New Year.
- Week #1: A Coaching Tip
- Week #2: A Question of the Week
- Week #3: A Leader Development Tip
- Week #4 & #5: A Resource &/or Book Review
May the Lord richly bless you, may He surround you with a team of people that will make your vision a reality and provide the resources to fulfill what he has called you to accomplish.
by Gary Reinecke | Dec 19, 2016 | Uncategorized |
December is a very important month to help leaders reflect on the past and set goals for the upcoming year. A friend and colleague of mine, Brian Howard, gave me a list of questions that he uses. Last week I shared questions to reflect on 2016.
Here are a few samples from that list to help leader reflect on the year ahead:
- What would you like to be your biggest triumph in 2017?
- What advice would you like to give yourself in 2017?
- What would you be most happy about completing in 2017?
What questions do you use to help leaders reflect on the year ahead? Take a moment to identify some of the questions you have used. Please share a question to help leaders project into the new year to formulate goals they want to pursue.
by Gary Reinecke | Dec 13, 2016 | Uncategorized |
December is a very important month to help leaders reflect on the past and set goals for the upcoming year. A friend and colleague of mine, Brian Howard, gave me a list of questions that he uses to help leaders he coaches reflect on the past. Here are a few samples from that list:
- What was your biggest triumph in 2016?
- What was the smartest decision you made in 2016?
- What one word best sums up and describes your 2016 experience?
It would be easy to move into a goal-setting exercise for the year to come. However, asking leaders to pause, reflect and celebrate is a life-giving exercise – giving gratitude and thanks to the Lord. This establishes a healthy foundation to craft goals for the upcoming year.
What questions do you use to help leaders reflect on their year, progress made and challenges encountered? Take a moment to identify some of the questions you could use this month. Next week I will share some of the questions I use to help leaders project into the new year to formulate goals they want to pursue.
