Shadow Coaching: Turning Development Feedback on its Head
Ken Ideus, Ed.D, Delta Partnership Ltd.

Stuart, a senior leader with a multi-national, strides into the conference room as usual to take his seat at the centre of the table. He is accompanied by a bright young manager whom those around the table assume to be his new “EA” (Executive Assistant). Stuart starts the meeting: “Before we begin, I would like to introduce you to the young woman on my right. She is here to keep an eye on me, so to speak. She has been with the organisation for about 5 years now and has been assigned as my Shadow Coach for the next 6 months. I’ve asked her to watch for a few things, behaviours, which I’ve been working on as part of the feedback you and a few others have given me over the years. After the meeting, she will be giving me her observations about how I did in those areas. How’s that for turning coaching on its head!”

What is commonly referred to as shadow coaching, usually involves an aspiring young hi-potential leader following a senior manager around for a few months to “learn the ropes” of the business and get tuned into the “political landscape”. A lot of exposure and learning takes place with the preponderance of it going one way, from leader to follower.

Shadow Coaching as described above, turns that process around, making the assumption that senior, experienced players can learn a great deal from a more junior, fresher pair of eyes. While using that fresh pair of eyes, the junior shadow does get most of the advantages of the traditional process. What’s been added in a very real sense is “dual development”...

To read Ken's full article on the power of Shadow Coaching click here.

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