Page 74 - JSOM Winter 2019

interpersonal skills, social intelligence, time management OPC had time to discuss ways to mitigate deficiencies and
skills, and written abilities—all of which are covered in the adapt more effectively in future situations. Given the strong
PEAC Program. All six Soldiers who completed the PEAC Pro- evidence that a person’s perceived self-efficacy is related to job
gram passed the course. While the data are very limited, this satisfaction and job performance, 24,25 it is likely that the PEAC
small sample of coached Soldiers had a higher than usual pass Program translated into improved job performance. This find-
rate. ing is supported by the better-than-expected pass rates on dif-
ficult courses.
Conclusion
Coaching as a practice can take on numerous forms depend-
This initial evaluation of the PEAC Program’s effectiveness ing on the coach, the coachee, and the environment. How-
in an ARSOF unit provides strong preliminary evidence that ever, despite the doctrinal emphasis on coaching as a leader
targeted, tailored feedback from an OPC provides significant development tool, no Department of Defense (DoD)-funded
3
value to ARSOF Operators and enablers. Qualitative and coaching programs existed before the SOCOM Coach Train-
quantitative feedback from ARSOF Soldiers were overwhelm- ing Program (SOCOM-CTP). The PEAC Program represents
ingly positive, with Soldiers’ comments consistently praising just one initiative stemming from high-quality coach training,
enhanced self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses along and it is likely that additional initiatives will follow if coach
with increased confidence in their ability to complete tasks training programs continue to receive funding and support
and reach their goals. Nearly all Soldiers strongly agreed that throughout DoD units. By increasing the number of certified
the PEAC Program was worth their time and that it would and credentialed coaches supporting ARSOF units, coaching
help them reach their goals; every Soldier in this sample would and assessment feedback programs like the PEAC will con-
recommend the PEAC Program to his or her teammates. Al- tinue to add value to individuals and organizations. Leverag-
though the sample size was small, results suggest precourse ing operational psychologists as coaches enriches the coaching
coaching may enhance pass rates for interpersonally demand- experience by incorporating objective measures of cognitive
ing Special Operations courses and save ARSOF units tens of ability, personality, and interpersonal skills. An OPC’s ability
thousands of dollars each year. It is notable that PEAC results to interpret psychological testing and connect assessment re-
were achieved in less than 90 minutes for 94% of the Sol- sults with a Soldier’s goals catalyzes the coaching relationship
diers in this study, confirming the hypothesis that the PEAC and leads to significant performance enhancement outcomes
Program—facilitated by an OPC—can rapidly enhance Soldier in as little as 90 minutes.
performance.
It should be noted that performance coaching is a relation-
These positive results can be attributed to several factors. ship-based process, and if time permits there should be fol-
First, customizing assessment feedback to the uniqueness of a low-on coaching sessions to maintain focus on goals and
given ARSOF Soldier likely magnified the perceived value of enhance accountability. Subsequent coaching sessions allow
the experience. Soldiers knew that the feedback they received Operators to monitor their own progress, problem solve their
was based on their assessment results and geared toward their challenges, and follow through on their commitments. In this
goals. Additionally, Soldiers typically received feedback within framework, the PEAC Program’s initial feedback session can
1 week of completing their assessment. Given that research be viewed as a catalyst for change, while subsequent coaching
indicates perceived value of feedback increases when feedback sessions serve as the vehicle for lasting occupational and inter-
is timely and aligned with learning outcomes, it is likely that personal improvement.
19
the personalized approach increased positive perceptions of
the program. While the preliminary results of this program are promising,
additional research is needed to replicate these findings, pro-
Soldiers consistently identified enhanced self-awareness of vide more tangible outcomes, and enhance the generalizability
strengths and weaknesses as a primary benefit from their of the PEAC Program to units throughout the SOF community.
coaching experience. This finding is consistent with the fact More concrete examples of “performance enhancement”—an-
that ARSOF Soldiers consistently strive for improvement and nual performance evaluations, peer/subordinate feedback of a
pay close attention to their areas of perceived weakness or de- Soldier’s performance, and additional course outcome data—
ficiency. Self-awareness is a critical component of situational would bolster these early findings, as would outcome data
awareness—something Army doctrine prioritizes in nearly all collected by OPCs across multiple SOF units. A sufficiently
aspects of conducting military operations. Additionally, re- powered, prospective study comparing course pass rates be-
20
search has shown that enhanced self-awareness is associated tween randomly assigned groups of “coached” individuals to
with improvements in social intelligence and leadership ef- “uncoached” individuals could provide powerful evidence of
21
fectiveness. 22,23 Knowledge of one’s strengths and weaknesses tailored, targeted coaching.
as they relate to their superiors, peers, subordinates, and oth-
ers with whom they regularly interact likely enhanced Soldiers’ In conclusion, this evaluation of the PEAC Program in an
perceived satisfaction with the PEAC Program. ARSOF unit strongly demonstrates the potential value for
performance coaching in the Special Operations community.
Using a strengths-based approach, coaching enhanced Sol- The PEAC Program’s customized approach appears to en-
diers’ self-efficacy—beliefs in their ability to accomplish their hance Soldiers’ self-awareness, self-efficacy, and job perfor-
goals. The PEAC feedback sessions provided assessment re- mance. While the preliminary evidence is limited, the focus on
sults to Soldiers and performance enhancement strategies self-awareness and interpersonal skills suggests that this type
based on those results. Even if a Soldier learned something of performance enhancement coaching may improve pass rates
disappointing during the feedback session (e.g., their verbal on interpersonally demanding Special Operations courses.
abilities were significantly lower than peers), the Soldier and Participant feedback and other metrics strongly indicate that

72 | JSOM Volume 19, Edition 4 / Winter 2019