HPL's Coaching Services help individuals, many of whom may lack extensive management training, to do their jobs more effectively. "Coaching is an individualized developmental process that links personal leadership and new skills development to your organization's - and your - biggest challenges," says HPL's Senior Consultant and Executive Coach Ann Rogers. The process often incorporates 360-degree feedback and other assessments that identify the two or three most important individual goals and/or challenges that need to be addressed to improve individual and team performance. Weekly or biweekly meetings with the coach are conducted to help clients maximize their leadership potential and ultimately increase performance. In recent engagements, HPL has coached leaders and managers to address Project Management, Customer Service, Sales and Sales Management, and Meeting Effectiveness challenges, as well as other key issues.

For example, Ms. Rogers recently worked with a hi-tech company's Vice President of Business Development who wanted to build new and stronger relationships with client organizations, and ultimately close more sales. Ms. Rogers conducted a series of interviews with the VP's senior managers, colleagues, and existing customers, while the VP completed several detailed self-assessments. Using the HPL Coaching Process, this client became more confident and skilled. As a result of the coaching, the VP (and her company) was able to secure five new client partnerships worth more than $1 million in new revenue within six months of the initial coaching.

In another ongoing HPL coaching project with a large federal agency, HPL's Senior Consultant and Executive Coach David Dennen is coaching GS-14s who perform numerous leadership and management tasks as well as other senior-level responsibilities. Using the HPL Coaching Process, participants are working to improve leadership competencies, such as: Leading and Managing Change; Leadership Skills and Techniques; Conflict Resolution; and Customer/Client Relations. HPL's coaching engagement began with in-depth, one-on-one coaching sessions with participants, which were the basis for determining current leadership potential, challenges, communication style, and overall individual coaching goals. Then participants completed individual skill assessments to customize their coaching program, set milestones, and achieve specific goals. HPL is continuing to work with them on a monthly basis to discuss leadership competencies and to act as a sounding board for individual leadership issues. With help from their personal coach, Dr. Dennen, participants create measurable action plans and strategies to assist with goal development and goal achievement. As HPL's coaching services conclude, these goals will be reviewed to measure improvements in individual performance and organizational effectiveness.

Early reactions from participants and the Agency's Regional Administrator have been extremely positive, with one participant stating: "I have worked in this Agency for many years, and I have never gotten this type of useful feedback before. It really makes a difference to talk about how I am dealing with change, conflict, communication, delegation, and other topics. A lot of things make much more sense to me now. And my coach has helped me to move to specific action. I am now effectively confronting some real challenges. The one-on-one Coaching has made a real difference for me."