Build Manager Alignment Meetings into Your Coaching Program

Updated on 20 Aug 2024
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Review this article for best practices and guidance on integrating manager alignment meetings into your Torch coaching program. On the platform, the functionality is simple: coaching participants can invite someone who isn't on the platform (like their manager) to a meeting, generating a unique link that the invitee can use to access the scheduled coaching session. Beyond the technology, there are other things you'll want to consider to ensure these sessions are as effective as possible.

Make manager alignment meetings optional for participants. Allowing participants to choose whether or not they want to have a meeting is crucial, especially if they feel uncomfortable including their manager.

TORCH TIP: If you and your organization have decided that manager alignment meetings are required for all participants, you can give participants a greater sense of agency by letting them choose when they want to have the meeting. To help keep them on track, participants will receive an in-platform action item to schedule a manager alignment meeting after the first meeting with their coach is completed.

Guide participants in scheduling meetings at the right time. If you’re setting timing guidelines for manager alignment meetings, it’s important to give participants enough time to build trust with their coach and create potential development goals before jumping in.

Whether participants are interested in using the manager alignment meeting to discuss career development and get specific feedback from their leader, or to share their intended area of development for coaching and discuss manager support throughout the coaching experience, we recommend participants focus on completing the manager alignment meeting in month two of their coaching engagement.

Clarify expectations with outside stakeholders (like managers). The participant and their coach will own and shape the meeting agenda. Additionally, coaching is confidential and the participant will determine what they are comfortable sharing.

It’s crucial to make the purpose of manager alignment meetings – both what they are, and what they aren’t – clear to managers and coaching participants prior to the session.

Manager alignment meetings are:

To explore how the participant would like to be held accountable, and what their coaching engagement means to them.
An opportunity for a participant and their manager to align on goals and objectives.
For the manager to build trust with the coaching participant and their coach.

Manager alignment meetings are not:

For the manager to set the goals for the coaching engagement.
For the coach to help coach the manager.
A performance review.

TORCH TIP: Use our “Manager Check-In” email template to give leaders a heads up about what to expect and a direct link to our guide on preparing for and attending a manager alignment meeting.

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