estimates a savings of $744,632 USD and a return on
investment of 211 percent over five years. LTC has
also been credited with an 18 percent increase in
employee engagement (from 52 percent in 2005 to
70 percent in 2013).
CareSource also measures LTC clients’ return on
expectations. After clients identify their expectations
for the coaching engagement, Becker asks them to use
a 10-point scale to assess their confidence in achieving
each goal. They’re asked to repeat the exercise at the
end of the engagement. Current ROE numbers show
a 91 percent increase in leaders’ confidence in their
ability to achieve their goals after coaching.
Smith says one of the most powerful illustrations of
LTC’s impact is the way coaching skills have been put
into action across the organization.
“When I’m doing three- to four-month post-coaching
evaluations, I often hear, ‘I now use the coaching
questions that were used with me with my staff,
and that’s making them more effective,’” Smith says.
“Their personal goal for coaching may be to become
more effective as a leader, but the longer-term effect
is that they in turn are using these skills with their
staff, thereby allowing them to be more effective and
become more empowered.”
Prior to September 2014, Becker—whose job
description allocates 75 to 85 percent of his work
time to coaching—was one of only two internal coach
practitioners serving LTC clients. (The second internal
coach had 25 percent of his time allocated to coaching.
CareSource also keeps an Executive Coach, and ICF
Member, on retainer to partner with senior leaders
as requested.) As CareSource continued to grow,
however, the demand for coaching in LTC outpaced
Becker’s availability. As a result, the organization added
a second ICF Professional Certified Coach with 15-plus
years of experience to the team.
Becker says the addition of another full-time staff
resource helps ensure the program’s continued
success by enabling LTC clients to lengthen
engagements on request and providing for expanded
training of managers and leaders to use coaching skills.
Coaching World
Becker and Smith encourage other nonprofit talentdevelopment professionals to invest in coaching for
their organizations—however lean their operating
budget. “As a nonprofit, we put roughly 93 cents of
every dollar back into our members’ care,” Smith says.
“Yet, in the midst of all that, we have chosen to invest
in coaching our leaders. Having an internal coaching
program in our organization is that critical.”
13