What is just-in-time coaching?

Just-in-time coaching is an impartial and measured perspective on a particular situation. It’s a trained, trusted, and in-the-moment voice.

Just-in-time coaching fosters a sense of agency in an otherwise uncertain situation. 

What is SPOT coaching?

SPOT coaching is a structured approach to just-in-time coaching designed to move you from observation to action. SPOT coaching equips you with a sense of agency – and, then, moves you toward a “solution-first” mindset. SPOT coaching asks questions in four key areas:

• Situation: What is going on? How did the situation emerge?

• Problem: What, exactly, is the core challenge? Are you able to identify the root cause? 

• Opportunity: What opportunities are presented by this problem? Can you turn a potential negative into a potential positive?

• Timeline: When would you like to see results? Is there a hard-and-fast deadline? 

Why follow a set process?

We want to equip you with a clear sense of agency and make the most of your time. Many on-demand coaching providers charge by unit of time – every five minutes, for example – which gives these providers an incentive to protract the conversation. Whether or not this incentive is real or perceived, we believe it is imprudent to introduce it in the first place. So, we structured our just-in-time coaching services to be compartmentalized and efficient – resulting in “on-topic” conversations that last about 30 minutes.  

How does just-in-time coaching compare to traditional coaching?

A traditional coaching relationship – which generally follows an annual cycle with monthly conversations – focuses on long-term behaviors and opportunities, while SPOT coaching is more situational, focusing on an immediate need. The key differences are scope and duration. A career civil servant could, for instance, launch a traditional coaching relationship to navigate the uncertainties of a hybrid work environment. At the same time, this civil servant may desire just-in-time coaching services to discuss how to work with a specific individual – with a specific personality – in a virtual-only format. 

Critically, traditional and SPOT coaching are both confidential – what you discuss stays between you and your coach. (In some traditional coaching relationships, you may participate in a three-way conversation with you, your coach, and your manager.) 

Who benefits most from SPOT coaching?

Although our just-in-time coaching is open to everyone, we find that our most productive relationships are with leaders and executives in the Federal government. Since Colleague Consulting has predominantly served Federal agencies over the past 25 years, most of our coaches have extensive experience with the Federal workforce. And we believe an “insider” perspective – balanced with commercial coaching experience – can jumpstart a relationship. Our “typical” coach splits their time about 60/40 between public and private clients. 

Perhaps more importantly, we have heard from our clients that following our SPOT process allows them to arrive at a solution or path forward without formally engaging a coach – that is, without incurring a cost.

How much does SPOT coaching cost?

We price our SPOT coaching services in much the same way as our traditional coaching services: a fixed fee per session, based on the seniority and experience of the coach.

The math is simple: a SPOT session is approximately 70% of the cost of a traditional session. We charge a slight premium – 70% versus 50% – to account for the time our coaches spend “on call.” Our coaches’ time is valuable, and we want to compensate them for being available to you, undistracted, on 48-hour notice. 

How do your costs compare to the market?

If you are considering several on-demand coaching providers, we will save you the trouble of discovering that our prices tend to be about five percent above the market median. We are not needlessly expensive; rather, we only use certified, active, and experienced coaches. When you engage a Senior Coach, for example, you should expect an ICF-certified PCC coach with a minimum of 750 verified hours of coaching under their belt. An Executive Coach will be a PCC coach with 1,500 verified hours of coaching. 

How long does it take to engage a SPOT coach?

If you are “coach-agnostic,” you can expect to have a conversation scheduled within 48 hours of reaching out. If you have a particular coach in mind, that timeline may extend to 72 hours – more on your coach preference below.

Will I have the same SPOT coach every time?

If a relationship is working well, we want to reinforce it. So, if you have a traditional coach with whom you have been enjoying measurable results, we will likely pair you with them for SPOT services. Similarly, if you have had a successful SPOT engagement with a coach and want another SPOT session, we will try to pair you again.

If, however, timing is of paramount concern, we will pair you as quickly as possible – that is, with the next available coach.

What should I expect?

When you walk away from a SPOT coaching engagement, we want you to have an empowering sense of agency and a “solution-first” mindset – in other words, an ability to “own” the challenge and view it as an opportunity. 

Recently, one of our SPOT coaches helped their client, who had been detailed to a brand-new business unit, frame their assignment as a unique skillset, which they could later market as a differentiated addition to their professional toolkit. Instead of something they “had to do for six months,” our client approached the detail as a structured learning opportunity that helped them spread their “brand” across organizations. 

What should I not expect?

Critically, you should not expect a quick fix. Our coaches – whether traditional or on-demand – are not here to solve a specific problem on your behalf. Rather, SPOT coaching is designed to equip you with tools, techniques, and mindset to address emergent challenges. The “problem” stage is a prime example. Colleague Consulting has organizational development consultants who spend weeks performing root cause analyses, so we would not expect you and your coach to knock one out in 13 minutes. Getting you in the “correct” mindset is the point – encouraging you to instinctively step back from the immediate challenge and appreciate the complexities. 

You should also not expect an opportunity to “vent.” While cathartic in the moment, venting rarely results in a sustained solution and, therefore, is not a good use of your and your coach’s time. Our coaches are happy to listen, but a productive coaching session, just-in-time or traditional, should move from discussion to action.

How should I prepare for, and make the most of, a SPOT coaching engagement?

• Walk through our SPOT process: Before scheduling time with a just-in-time coach, we encourage you to run the planned conversation through our SPOT model. Doing so ensures two things – first, the topic is worthy of a coaching conversation and, second, you’ll make the most of your coaching session. Proactively walking through the SPOT process is like reading through the instructions before – not while – you assemble furniture.

• Set expectations with yourself: Be realistic with what you and your coach can achieve in 30 minutes. The goal of SPOT coaching is not to solve a problem or exploit an opportunity. Rather, SPOT coaching is intended to help you approach a challenge with a constructive and dispassionate mindset.  

• Embrace informality and vulnerability: Like traditional coaching, our SPOT coaches work one-on-one, face-to-face – albeit under a “virtual-first” model in which video calls are the de facto means of meeting. Within this virtual-first context, we want our clients to be comfortable if the family room behind them is a little messy, or they are wearing a ballcap to hide unkempt hair. We want you and your coach to be completely comfortable in the moment.

• Create time and space: Just-in-time does not mean anytime – nor anywhere. Although we celebrate the elevated flexibility that many professionals have enjoyed over the past few years, we want you and your coach to be 100% present. That means carving out a time and a place to hold your conversation. A crowded street on your walk home from a coffee shop is not the right environment. 

How do you measure the success of a SPOT engagement?

Approximately 72 hours after a SPOT engagement, Colleague Consulting sends a “one-tap” survey to the client and coach to gauge the effectiveness of the conversation. The survey is simple: “On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the effectiveness of your SPOT engagement?”

Importantly, we wait 72 hours to give you and the coach time to process, reflect, and implement. If it takes a client a week to respond, that is just fine – we want thoughtful responses. 

How many SPOT engagements do you recommend?

We have yet to find a generalizable number. Many of our clients will utilize one or two SPOT coaching sessions per year, while others will use three in one month and head off into the sunset. Either approach is just fine.

There is one situation, however, that catches our attention. If we find a client is using SPOT coaching on a regular basis, perhaps once a month, we usually recommend that they transition to a traditional coaching relationship where a consistent coach-client pair can elevate from real-time challenges to long-term development opportunities.