Alongside the Halfords retail business, there are more than 300 Halfords Autocentres across the UK under the management and guidance of the Regional General Managers (RGMs).
Leading Edge had previously supported Halfords’ retail division with management development over a 3-year programme when we were approached by Halfords Autocentres to design and deliver a tailored development programme for its 19 RGMs.
Leading Edge designed a programme that blended skills events and coaching support. Our one-to-one coaching pathways are designed to support individuals (coachees) in new or demanding roles looking to develop certain attributes or for people identified as high performing/high potential.
‘Coaching for Results’ is the pathway and has a defined beginning, middle and end – not for us the ongoing ‘crutch’ relationship. This clear approach is important and is based on our firm belief that an effective coaching relationship lasts about six months and involves three parties – the coach, the coachee and their line manager.
We plan for success by placing the individual at the heart of our coaching approach. Our belief is that individuals can only meet their potential and be truly effective when they:
Our Coaching for Results programme with Halfords Autocentres combined group skills sessions with individual coaching sessions, with focus areas including strengthening business relationships and approaching delegation in a positive way.
Our proven coaching pathway approach is five sessions, run four to six weeks apart:
Session one involved the line manager in a three-way contracting conversation to identify and align what success would look like for both the coachee and Halfords. This collaborative ‘From-To’ agreement provided clarity for all on what would be different at the end and drove commitment. Exploring personal beliefs and attitudes with Insights Discovery and working through 360-degree perspectives helped the coachee develop greater self-awareness and a better understanding of their own preferences – a key part of being open to change.
Sessions two to four were one-to-one interventions with the coach owning the process and the coachee owning the actions. Leading Edge coaches provided telephone support, guidance and challenge between these sessions to help the coachee commit to actions.
Session five was a three-way progress review between coach, coachee and line manager – a very important aspect of coaching that provided an opportunity to agree next steps and strategies for sustaining the progress. This ‘end point’ sets an expectation of visible and viable change from the coachee.
Note: We delivered Halfords’ coaching face to face, but we can also coach virtually via Skype or phone (although we do recommend a face-to-face first session to help establish an effective coaching pathway).
"I have never been professionally coached before. Having someone separate from the business to bring a different point of view and identify what to try and focus on has been extremely beneficial. I was sceptical at first but enjoyed the sessions and definitely saw added value. "”
- Regional General Manager, Halfords Autocentres
