Chevron builds community and connection with Coaching Circles

Chevron, founded in 1879, calls itself the human energy company because the well-being of people everywhere depends on energy. A commitment to meeting the world’s growing energy demands in a lower carbon future requires empowering Chevron employees to innovate with technology-driven solutions.

A business transformation initiative that began in 2019 sought to activate a coaching culture across the global organization. By 2020, the stressors of the pandemic left leaders feeling disconnected and uncertain. Matt Dodson, Manager of Organizational Development, knew Chevron needed to support individuals with personalized opportunities for connection and growth to keep the company agile and moving toward a cleaner energy future. Plus, as the company was revamping its performance management process, leadership knew that providing coaching for frontline supervisors and managers who were facing pressure to deliver results would be imperative to their ongoing success.

To bolster a sense of community and camaraderie, Chevron deployed Coaching Circles to connect team leads in group learning sessions. In a Coaching Circle, a certified coach guides a group of 6-8 employees on a learning journey by meeting weekly for six weeks (see experience below). This intimate setting encourages participants to tap into a community with similar aspirations, exchange ideas, and find practical ways to apply their learnings.

A combination of Coaching Circles and 1:1 individualized coaching has allowed Chevron to deploy precision development at scale to their workforce to grow in exactly the skills they need to build a more connected, agile organization. 

A key goal was to increase social connection between leaders, and for good reason. Those high in social connection  have 25% higher life satisfaction, 18% higher job satisfaction, and feel 17% more meaning and purpose in their work.

Building a coaching culture is something that doesn’t happen overnight – but it can happen quickly when a thousand managers receive coaching. After several cohorts of BetterUp Coaching Circles, Chevron experienced a significant increase in the Whole Person™ measure of Coaching, with nearly all coaching participants saying it was a valuable use of their time.

Managers who participate in Coaching Circles gain strength from knowing they are not alone with the difficulties of leadership. By being coached, they experience firsthand the coaching skills like active listening, context setting, and asking powerful questions. Additionally, they observe how to create psychological safety from the certified Coach who facilitates the Coaching Circle. Not surprisingly, Chevron’s coached employees experienced an increase in psychological safety. 

On average, employees who worked with BetterUp experienced the following growth: 

BetterUp coaching helped unlock a key to culture change: Recognition. The BetterUp Whole Person assessment revealed that Chevron ranked below the benchmark for Recognition in its industry. Growing the skill of Recognition — an essential human need — will help Chevron create a culture of positivity.

Chevron is excited about its coached managers’ growth and their ability to form new connections around the world. With more connected, resilient, self-aware leaders who celebrate their teams’ accomplishments, Chevron is empowering the human energy required to develop a transformed energy future.