Quantified value proposition of tech success coaching: Part II

This article covers quantified benefits of tech success coaching from stress & anxiety reductions related to more harmonious conflict resolution in the workplace. Two specific use cases are summarized for this blog’s target audience of tech engineering, design, and product management leaders. Use case 1 estimates productivity benefits of tech success coaching for a User Research Director. Use case 2 estimates total productivity benefits of tech success coaching for a Product Designer.  #techleadership, #techcareer, #leadershipcoaching, #executivecoaching, #careercoaching, #professionaldevelopment, #worklifebalance, #techindustry, #leadershipdevelopment, #personalgrowth

This article continues last week’s topic of quantified benefits of tech success coaching for our primary target audience of engineering, design, and product management leaders. Table 1 summarizes typical benefits of tech success coaching. This week’s article focuses on ways to motivate and champion positive activities that reduce stress and anxiety resulting from workplace conflicts between colleagues (i.e., “Resolve Conflicts with Work Colleagues” in Table 1).  

How might an engineering, design, or product management leader justify paying for improvements to their well-being and the well-being of their colleagues? Presumably, associating a financial return on investment is needed for qualitative and fuzzy workplace enhancements such as improved communication harmony among colleagues. Because benefits are likely large, focusing on a minimum likely return might be easier for workplace stakeholders to align and kickstart some positive enhancements. Total benefits will likely be even higher if fuzzier attributes are included, such as better emotional well-being and indirect productivity improvements. However, just focusing on the easiest to measure attributes can typically be sufficient to show a net positive return on investment.

Table 1: Quantified benefits of tech success coaching

Topic & benefit examples	Success measure examples
Transition to a New Role or Organization	Accelerated Onboarding: Reduce time to productivity by [percentage, e.g., 25%] through effective onboarding strategies. Improved Job Satisfaction: Increase job satisfaction by [percentage, e.g., 20%] through a smoother transition and better role fit.
Resolve Conflicts with Work Colleagues	Reduce stress and anxiety by [percentage, e.g., 30%] through improved conflict resolution skills. Enhance team collaboration and productivity by [percentage, e.g., 15%].
Align Tech & Business Value of Your Products	Increase product adoption and user satisfaction by [percentage, e.g., 10%]. Improve product profitability by [percentage, e.g., 5%] through better alignment with business objectives.
Frame Sensitive Health, Family & Personal Constraints for Your Work	Improve work-life balance and reduce burnout by [percentage, e.g., 20%]. Increase job satisfaction and productivity by [percentage, e.g., 15%] through effective boundary setting and time management.
Define and Champion Your Professional Value	Increase confidence and self-awareness leading to improved negotiation skills by [percentage, e.g., 10-30%]. Secure a [percentage, e.g., 10-20%] salary increase for promotion within [timeframe, e.g., 12 months].

Focusing on the opportunity to reduce stress and anxiety through improved conflict resolution, percentages of stress and anxiety reduction can be estimated from journaling activities, self-reported ratings and even biometrics such as heart rate variability. Just the easier to measure, more concrete benefits to productivity and efficiency will typically (i) increase work output, (ii) reduce errors & mistakes, and (iii) improve resource allocation (from improved self-awareness). 

Suppose a lower bound of a 4% or 8% net improvement in productivity and efficiency is easy to quantify from a 20% improvement in a leader’s ability to resolve conflicts. Figures 1 and 2 show the resulting financial lower bounds for our same UXR Director and Product Designer personas from last week’s article.

Figure 1 estimates a financial Return On Investment (ROI) outcome use case for a User Research Director’s participation in a typical tech success coaching program. These values are based on improvements in the coachee’s ability to “Resolve Conflicts with Work Colleagues” (see Table 1). Only considering easier to measure productivity and efficiency benefits, results are shown for a total compensation of $442 k (Base + Bonus + Equity). This results in $35 k - $71 k productivity improvements after Year 1, assuming a value:compensation multiplier at a conservative 2x (it’s typically 3x - 4x). Assuming the Director stays in their current role for 2-5 years at an annual inflation rate of 3-5%, total benefits of $38 k - $90 k are estimated at their final year. Figure 2 estimates a similar financial Return On Investment (ROI) outcome use case for a more junior Product Designer’s participation in a typical tech success coaching program.

Figure 1:  Quantified value use case 1 – User Research Director productivity improvement from stress & anxiety reductions related to more harmonious conflict resolution

Figure 2:  Quantified value use case 2 – Product Designer productivity improvement from stress & anxiety reductions related to more harmonious conflict resolution