Coaching in Pharma: Valuable Business Skill or Temporary Fad?

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Learn how coaching can transform an employee’s performance and ensure that employees remain motivated and loyal to their manager and company. Medical Sales Managers who coach effectively tend to have more stable, motivated and productive teams.

There continues to be massive coverage in the press about how effective the skill of coaching can be, both in the workplace and in people’s personal lives. Life coaching is fast becoming popular and, in response, there has been a recent ‘explosion’ of accredited life coaches being churned out by various Life Coach Training Schools. But, what about using the skill of coaching in business? Can a pharmaceutical manager employ coaching skills to further the performance, general motivation and morale of his/her employees?

Learn how coaching can transform an employee’s performance and ensure that employees remain motivated and loyal to their manager and company. Sales Managers who coach effectively tend to have more stable, motivated and productive teams.

But it is essential to point out that coaching is only one part of the pharmaceutical manager’s role. The challenge is to ensure that all the differing aspects of management are built into that role. Promoting the skill of coaching may be worthwhile, but without the other aspects of management, a manager would not be fully effective.

Recruitment, performance management, financial management, business planning and customer engagement are just a few of the skills that a pharmaceutical manager requires in order to be successful. A manager must get the right balance of all skills to succeed. Being a successful coach does not guarantee managerial success.

Managers often struggle to cope with coaching, both in terms of taking the skills on board and also in taking the time to put them into practice. Training courses help provide initial exposure to the skill, although there is often a lack of qualified coaching follow-up support available after a course has been completed. Without follow-up many managers will revert to their old ‘directive’ ways, particularly when under pressure or stress.

In summary, coaching is an essential business skill. Many managers do not possess the appropriate skills or do not use them as often as they should. Coaching is only part of the manager’s role and should be used in balance with other skills. Managers should fully understand what coaching is about and what it entails before embarking on using these skills.

There are plenty of opportunities to coach in a manager’s everyday role. This review explores the basics.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The distinction between management and coaching is currently a hot topic across all industries. The recent explosion of accredited life coaches has been followed by efforts to ensure that the principles of coaching transfer to the world of business. The pharmaceutical industry is no exception. The question remains, can pharmaceutical managers use coaching skills to motivate their staff and improve performance?

A good coach aims to enhance performance through feedback, motivation, listening and questioning. Yet coaching is not always the ideal method; sometimes directive management is more appropriate. However, there are many opportunities for pharmaceutical managers to adopt coaching skills: field visits, progress reviews, team meetings and individual appraisals all benefit from the coaching philosophy.

This Improving Practices review provides advice and guidance for pharmaceutical managers looking to develop the art of coaching. It defines the differences between coaching and managing, and explains how successful managers require a balance of skills. It looks at the GROW and OUTCOMES^® frameworks for coaching, and demonstrates how teams can grow and become more productive through an understanding of these approaches. It also looks at the major requirements of any training programme designed for coaches. The review concludes that coaching is an essential business skill, and that the ‘directive’ approach eventually leads to managerial suicide. Coaching is not a modern fad, but a vital component of good management.

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