Catalytic Coaching: The End of the Performance Review

by Garold L. Markle

Book Overview

After two decades of hands-on experience with performance management systems in some of the world's most well recognized organizations, Markle has come to propound what he calls a universal law of modern business. People hate performance reviews. Drawing upon his studies of and experience with systems theory and illustrating his points with real-life examples, Markle explains why employees and managers both have come to regard the ubiquitous performance evaluation as industry's poorest performing, most ineffective, and least efficient personnel practice. By digging down to its roots, he helps us understand why attempts to correct the flawed system fail. He provides an innovative way to measure their ineffectiveness and inefficiency and then introduces his catalytic coaching to replace them.

Markle shows how his system is superior to others in five key business outcomes: 1) positive behavioral change; 2) motivation to work hard; 3) retention of key contributors; 4) internal promotions and succession; and 5) prevention of and protection from lawsuits. Not only is catalytic coaching more effective, it is also more efficient: it requires far less time and paperwork to implement and maintain. Markle gives his readers all of the forms, instruments and detailed instructions they need to operationalize his system. Business executives, senior HR professionals, and organization development specialists will benefit particularly from his presentation, as will other managers, executives, and supervisors, all of whom must learn to take ownership of their responsibilities to their organizations and themselves.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1567203086
• ISBN13: 9781567203080
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Praeger
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

This is an important book for business leaders

Anyone who has been through a performance review or had to deliver one knows they are not providing the performance benefit they were designed to provide. In fact, they are usually demotivating and have a negative impact on performance. As a consultant to management and coach to CEOs, my experience has been that everyone hates the process, it doesn't deliver and it's painful. Garold Markle has an alternative which is working, is constructive, and leads to a feedback-rich culture of performance. Contrast this to the blame-oriented approach that we inherited. This is an important work. I recommend it highly. His approiach is clear and the tools supportive.

caring , coaching and compassion with accountability

In my role as an advisor to CEO's, Presidents, and owners of midsize to large corporations,Gary's book has been very helpful and enlightening. After reading Gary's book, I highlighted several parts of it to share with those final decision makers. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Most have purchased the book and shared it with their top staff for implimentation. Gary's approach of Catalytic Coaching integrates, in a clear way, the elements of caring, coaching, and compassion, with accountability, that so many business are searching for these days. I would recommend buying the book first and then contacting Gary Markle.

Catalytic Coaching Effective Even in Large Law Firm

As managing partner for a large, downtown Houston law firm, I was searching for a new method of working with young lawyers and support staff and helping them grow. I found what I was searching for in Catalytic Coaching! After taking on the role of "coach", I have seen several personnel problems simply disappear and morale in our multi-floor office has skyrocketed. While I was not able to directly utilize the worksheets and action plans set forth in the appendix, the balance of the book was miraculously relevant to and instrumental in getting control of our personnel difficulties. This process is NOT liberal "raise the employee's self-esteem banter"...it IS an effective process and a valuable resource for any business, large or small. Both our organization and our employees have benefitted tremendously from it.

Building a System for Effective Coaching

For years, many have wrestled with the incongruence between the theoretical benefits of performance evaluations and their real-world application. Finally, someone has been able to take this issue to a higher level. Markle does a skillful job in first outlining the problems with the traditional performance evaluation process and its various appendanges, such as pay for performance. Then, through his "Catalytic Coaching process", he places the focus where it should be, on coaching.The effects are subtle but profound. His process dissolves the adversarial environment that typically accompanies the evaluation process. It also recognizes inputs from various external perspectives (i.e., 360 degree feedback) as well as personal goals. And it focuses on business results as well as behavioral changes.Overall, we are able to discard the baggage which so heavily weighed down the concept of performance evaluations and replace it with a process that is positive, productive, and even liberating.