Tool: Peer Coaching Circles

“Truly authentic leaders are open both to their gifts and to their underdeveloped qualities. People who understand who they are tend to have a more powerful voice – and to make a more profound contribution to an enterprise…”
- Kevin Cashman, Founder and President, Leadersource

Can you answer these questions?

• What are my particular strengths? What are my development areas?

• What does my organization need from its leaders? Based on my current knowledge, skills, and abilities, how am I contributing to my organization? What skills am I missing that could be critical to my organization’s mission and my success?

• How can I take charge of my own development? What would I put on my development plan that would inspire me and help the organization?

If you are reading this, you probably understand the importance of continuing to expand your own knowledge base and capacities. Many leaders overlook their responsibility in self-development.

Welcome to a tool that can assist you with uncovering your strengths and development opportunities as a leader – Peer Coaching Circles.

What is it?

A safe, informal, and collaborative feedback tool for leaders to provide ongoing support, coaching, and feedback to one another.

A peer coaching circle consists of 4 participants and meets at least once a month for 2 hours to dialogue on individual and organizational development opportunities, challenges, needs, frustrations, and ideas. Each person has 30 minutes to present a leadership and/or management challenge they are facing, share how they are responding, and receive coaching from their peers.

Peer coaches are to be in service of helping each other gain greater self-awareness and continue to grow as leaders. Knowing our weaknesses is a critical first step in being able to do something about them. Lack of awareness, whether through neglect or arrogance is a major contributor to career derailment.

What can it do?

Enhance the development of the following:

• Cross-functional relationships and dialogue

• Individual skills, knowledge, and abilities

• Strategies and initiatives that address our business opportunities and challenges

How it works?

Step 1. Identify 3 peers to form a peer coaching circle.

Step 2. Invite the peers to join a peer coaching circle and determine the first meeting date.

Step 3. Conduct the first meeting, which should establish ground rules, participant expectations, and meeting structure (frequency, length, structure for coaching circle meetings).

Step 4. Conduct the monthly peer coaching circle meetings.