The business environment continues to be extraordinarily challenging for most of our clients. Many have expressed concerns about how to provide needed support and development of critical leaders in the face of deep budget cuts. We know that leadership development is a critical lever in generating new business and achieving other goals but finding ways to afford quality development while strictly managing costs is tough.

We’re working hard with our clients to develop strategies to get the most value out of their limited spend. We wanted to share with you some of the solutions we’ve developed to meet the expressed needs of other clients.

1. Shorter coaching engagements – Some of our clients are choosing to work with coaches for only three months as opposed to the more typical initial six months. Three months of coaching allows for stakeholder feedback; creation of development plans; and usually enough practice of new skills/behaviors to achieve some early wins. For disciplined and motivated leaders, the momentum of a three-month engagement can be self-sustained or continued with reduced levels of support from their coach.
2. Multi-leader discounts – We have been able to provide volume discounted pricing when multiple leaders are willing to work with the same coach and we are able to create efficiencies around the in-person work (e.g. the coach is able to meet face-to-face with multiple leaders on the same day.)
3. Laser coaching – Oftentimes, leaders do not need to engage in sustained coaching but need timely, focused coaching to “laser” in on a specific business issue or an especially important conversation/presentation/meeting. We have worked with clients to set up laser coaching days where a coach comes on site to provide one-on-one coaching to 5-6 leaders in prescheduled timeslots. These targeted sessions provide leaders with needed coaching on real-time issues in a cost-effective way.
4. Amplifying the value of classroom spend with application coaching –  For groups of leaders with a shared learning need (e.g. strengthening high stakes presentation skills or delivering effective performance feedback) we’re developing very short, focused classroom sessions followed by immediate application coaching for practicing the target skill aided by on-site coaches. Learners needing additional support can practice in subsequent laser coaching sessions as described above.

In addition to these offerings, we are working hard across the board to help you maximize the value from your investment with Goodstone Group services. Whether by continuing to upgrade our network with coaches who have the skills and experiences that you’ve told us are difficult to find in the marketplace or by increased pricing flexibility, we’re committed to making your investment in targeted leadership development a smart business investment.

No matter what your budget is, we invite you to reach out and let us know what your leadership development needs are. We are continually learning from our clients and welcome the opportunity to work together to find a solution that meets your needs and constraints.