As Sr. Director and Leadership Coach at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, Tracey Cammock has revolutionized leadership development through her innovative coaching approach. With a 25-year career in HR and a passion for fostering people-centric cultures, Tracey has seamlessly integrated her expertise into Southern Glazer's Coaching Center of Excellence, empowering leaders at all levels. Under her guidance, the organization has embraced a coaching culture that combines strategic thinking with emotional intelligence, enhancing individual growth and team collaboration. Recognized as a leader in her field, Tracey's work exemplifies the transformative impact of coaching on modern organizations.
Having previously served as a Senior HR Director at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer's), what motivated you to make the leap into executive coaching, and how did your HR background influence your coaching philosophy?
My 25-year career in Human Resources (HR) encompasses two main areas: serving as a strategic business partner to executive leaders and operating within an enterprise talent center of excellence aimed at unlocking the potential of individuals and teams. During my tenure as a strategic HR partner, I discovered that my empathy, curiosity, deep listening, and desire to empower others were superpowers. This realization led me to pursue International Coaching Federation (ICF) coach training in 2009 with the goal of becoming a more effective leader. Acquiring new coaching skills enhanced my ability to foster better relationships and deliver improved results, inspiring me to embrace executive and professional coaching as a career path. I am committed to the belief that every client is creative, resourceful, and capable. Individuals are more inclined to take responsibility and accountability for their choices when provided a safe space to define their true aspirations, reflect on their motivations, identify the necessary mindset and skillset to achieve their goals, and determine what actions they will start, stop, or continue to support their objectives.
What is your role in shaping the coaching culture at Southern Glazer's?
I oversee establishing the vision and strategy for fostering a coaching culture and leading the Southern Glazer's Coaching Center of Excellence (COE) alongside James Garcia, ACC. The Coaching COE operates within the Talent Strategy & Culture team led by Greg Boots. Since 2021, Southern Glazer's has deliberately incorporated coaching into talent practices, understanding that coaching is key to unlocking our leaders' potential.
To help our leaders embrace a coaching methodology, we have integrated coaching into leadership development programs at all levels. We offer foundational coaching training to every leader. Additionally, we have developed an internal ICF-level coach education program for employees, with more than 55 leaders completing this thorough training. Several leaders are also sent for external ICF-level coach training.
Having internal coaches means all employees now have access to coaches in one-on-one, peer, team, or group coaching sessions. To sustain a coaching mindset, we provide quarterly coaching skill enhancement to our coaching community. Our internal coaches significantly contribute to leadership development by facilitating coaching circles following leadership programs.
What is the impact that coaching has had on the workforce and the organization?
Coaching has led to more self-aware leaders, empowered employees, and a stronger organizational culture. By integrating various coaching methods into all leadership development programs, coaching is becoming an integral part of our operations. Leaders gain more opportunities for strategic thinking, while team members use critical thinking skills, feel valued by their peers and leaders, and build self-confidence thanks to our coaching culture.
Our data highlights that 89% of direct reports found coach-trained leaders helped them develop their own solutions, 95% felt these leaders were more curious, and 93% felt they were listened to more.
Importantly, coaching aligns with our focus on teamwork and living a collaborative, diverse culture of respect, learning and belonging. One where everyone feels valued, seen, and heard. When leaders demonstrate a coaching mindset, they foster an environment of learning and inclusion. With the support of Amy Kickham, Chief Human Resources Officer, we have developed values that complement coaching behaviors.
More on the Impact of Coaching:
Empowering Individuals: Coaching encourages our leaders and employees to take ownership of their growth and development.
Enhancing Engagement: Employees are more engaged, leading to improved performance and stronger connections within teams.
Supporting Individual Performance: Coaching helps individuals enhance their skills, apply critical thinking, and build self-confidence.
Identifying High Potentials: We identify and nurture high-potential employees through coaching.
Highlighting Strengths and Opportunities: Coaching reveals both organizational and individual strengths and development areas. Through our team coaching, we uncover team strengths and development areas.
Driving Motivation and Excellence: Our coaching culture motivates individuals to excel and demonstrates our commitment to development. As a result, our workforce is more open to feedback, curious, and adept at problem-solving.
Why was coaching implemented in the organization? What was the main goal identified, before starting the Coaching Program in the organization?
In January 2021, our organization embarked on a deliberate coaching initiative. The goals were multifaceted:
Upskilling Internal Employees: We invested in ICF-accredited coaching education for our internal team members.
Expanding Enterprise-Wide: Our aim was to expand coaching across the entire organization. We understood that it would be a journey since we were starting with only a few executive leaders who had access to external coaches.
Embedding In-House Coaching Talent: Coaching became part of Leadership Development Programs using our internal coaching talent pool.
Embracing Leadership Adoption and Training: We encouraged leaders to embrace a coach-like approach. This began with foundational training available to everyone across the enterprise.
Strategic Positioning: HR took on the role of expert coaches and strategic advisors who role-modelled coaching for their teams and client groups.
Scaling Coaching: We wanted coaching to reach more leaders and receive coaching from those with targeted industry/business experience. We also piloted an external coaching organization within a specific division to have leaders experience the ease of scalable coaching engagements.
Encouraging Inclusivity: By involving leaders, internal coaches, and external coaches, we created a more inclusive coaching program. This comprehensive approach has transformed our culture and empowered both leaders and employees.
What metrics support the impact of coaching on the organization?
Measuring is essential, so we use metrics in our coaching. For internal coaching, we track NPS (66.7%), recipients' confidence in applying skills (77.8% strongly agree), and whether they gained valuable insights from coaching (89% strongly agree). To assess leaders using coaching, we measure employees, noting their leader listens more (77%) and shows curiosity (76%).
We integrate peer coaching evaluations to foster a culture of openness and feedback, where peer coaches and reports provide input on these behaviors:
- Ask open-ended questions.
- Seek client/coachee input.
- Show genuine curiosity.
- Help client/coachee come up with their own solutions.
- Listen more than talk.
- Summarize to clarify understanding.
- Give full attention, avoiding distractions.
- Use eye contact and body language to show
attentiveness.
What impact does team coaching have on the organization?
Our team coaches have significantly enhanced how teams build trust, collaborate, and manage conflict. This improvement has led to higher performing teams with a clear understanding of their roles and goals, thereby delivering superior service and results to both internal and external customers. Our team coaches are certified in the Five Behaviors of High Performing Teams model, and our customized coaching approach provides leaders with various intervention options tailored to the business's needs. This personalized method has increased the demand for team coaching services. After completing the program, teams report improvements in trust, productive conflict, commitment, accountability, and results. Enhanced open and direct communication and higher engagement levels are also observed.
What types of support does the organization offer to coaches?
Every coach needs a coach, so we offer mentor coaching, a coaching community of practice to share ideas, support to obtain coaching credentials/certificates, peer coaching, additional opportunities for coach-specific education/training, and membership in a coaching association or organization.
In addition to this feature, what accolades have your received for creating a coaching culture?
We are proud to announce that Southern Glazer's was named a runner-up in the Organizations category for the 2024 ICF Coaching Impact Awards. While we didn't secure the top spot, we came close to this recognition and are proud of our accomplishment. This acknowledgment places us as important contributors in the field, and we are honored to be internationally recognized as a runner-up in such a prestigious category. Our dedication to coaching excellence and impactful practices remains unwavering, and this recognition further motivates us to continue striving for greatness.
