Top executive coaching management software tips from Canva

Why Fingerprint for Success is the best executive coaching software for Canva

Canva is known for its intuitive, user-friendly software that can easily replace other design, image editing, and marketing tools. So, unsurprisingly, they were looking for the same simplicity when it came to coaching solutions.

Fingerprint for Success (F4S) is the only tool Sarah uses to run Canva's internal coaching program. Having a powerful all-in-one solution eliminates the need to have a long repertoire of other online coaching tools. "I like that Fingerprint for Success is light," says Sarah. "It's not complex and cumbersome, which is something I don't enjoy about other tools."

Sarah used F4S in her previous work in the coaching industry, to predict compatibility in relationships. Now, she applies F4S' "great, valuable insights" to achieve better alignment at Canva. "It gives an accurate understanding of how a person is motivated, and drivers and drainers to their energy at work," she says.

Canva uses F4S as the core of its people strategy, including recruitment, people development, and team dynamics. In terms of their daily activities, this typically looks like:

Onboarding

As part of their onboarding, new starters are invited to take F4S' highly accurate work style assessment. Not only does this give them unparalleled insight into their personal motivations, strengths, and blindspots, but it also helps leaders understand who is on their team.

"Recently, we had a new People Partner start, who inherited 11 direct reports," recounts Sarah. "So, I was able to walk her through the platform and say "Let me show you the team you've walked into." By understanding the dynamics that make up their teams, leaders can maximize collaboration and make more informed decisions.

Interpersonal troubleshooting

"The best way to use F4S is to help someone solve a problem," says Sarah. With many cross-functional teams working on projects at Canva, simple misunderstandings can significantly impact workflow. The F4S platform helps Canva employees better understand the people they're collaborating with, so they can quickly get back on track.

"I work with people in company-critical departments, such as engineering, design, and product, when they can't see eye to eye," says Sarah. Rather than bombarding them with long explanations that aren't relevant, the coaching team can show them F4S' data and help them understand the team dynamics at play.

"That's when I bring them in together, and F4S helps people and teams rise above the emotional aspect of the situation, and into "understanding land," says Sarah. "We're moving away from 'right and wrong' which allows us to have much more constructive conversations about behavior."

Not only can F4S help Canva's people better understand what drives their colleagues' behavior, but it can also help them find common ground so they can move forward more effectively.

Understanding cultural differences

With the Canva team located in Australia, China, and The Philippines, F4S helps Canva 'get work done' across multiple regions. The Culture Map feature in particular proves valuable for identifying key similarities, and potential areas of friction.

"We find that some regions are very 'steady as she goes' in their productivity, whereas other locations are used to speed and pressure," says Sarah.  "So, if we're experiencing a struggle, F4S helps us understand what's going on there."

It also helps to find unexpected synergies in cross-cultural teams. "I had one person say I'm so similar to the China team, but I'm different from my team'," says Sarah. "We were able to say, 'Yes, you might be different from the Australian team, but how can we embrace those differences?'"

People development

As well as resolving active situations, Canva uses F4S in a more proactive way. One-on-one meetings are the 'bread and butter' of their internal coaching initiative — and F4S' virtual coach Marlee helps to supplement the amazing work done by their human coaches. With on-demand coaching programs available, coaching to more than 1,000 different personal and work goals, Canva leaders and employees can actively work on key areas of improvement.

Whether it's increasing EQ or improving reflection and patience, these core skills help build happier, more harmonious teams. Better yet, the sessions take just 5-10 minutes, twice a week, and are available, anywhere. This makes it easy for Canva's people to fit it into their schedule.

F4S' people development tools also help Canva understand if they have the resources to reach their company goals. "It helps us ask, 'these are our company's drivers and drainers' — is that what we need to get to our tomorrows?" Sarah says. "Is it in alignment with the goals that we've got set for the business to get us where we need to go?" By having these frank, candid conversations, Canva's leadership team can be more strategic about addressing these gaps.

Talent acquisition

F4S also helps Canva make hiring decisions, both inside and outside the coaching team. With popular tech companies such as Canva typically attracting hundreds of applications for new roles, it can be challenging to spot the A-players. F4S' talent acquisition features such as benchmarking and culture fit help Canva leaders make more data-driven decisions, free from bias and blindspots.

"I personally use F4S when hiring in my team, and I help other leaders in the organization make those decisions, too," says Sarah. "Everyone has to take the F4S assessment before [the interview], and I use it very intentionally to understand how this future person would fit into the team." She adds: "It works really well, and it always has."

How to increase adoption of your executive coaching program: Sarah's top tips

Sarah reports that Canva's F4S adoption levels are high. "I've had maybe two people in five years who didn't want to use the program," she says. With more than 4,000 employees, that's no small feat. Here, Sarah shares her top tips for encouraging your people to engage in the coaching journey:

• Make it interactive and relevant: By referencing F4S' visual dashboards during your coaching sessions, you can better tell the story of your people "We sit together and I put their report up, and walk them through their strengths and opportunities in a way that is highly relatable," says Sarah. "They always say 'Wow, okay I get it — what else can you tell me?'"

• Language matters: Due to the broad range of clients we serve, the language in the F4S platform may not always be hyper-specific to your industry. "Language is powerful, and if a certain term isn't in the mainstream, this can create misunderstandings," says Sarah. Where possible, try to provide examples of the motivational traits that make sense in the context of your business.
• Check-in regularly: You'll likely find that certain employees are more open to executive coaching software than others. It's important to be respectful of those people by not forcing the tools on them but also circling back to gain their opinions on it. "You can tell when certain people are on the fence about it," says Sarah. "But once we bring it to life for them and iron out any questions or wrinkles they might have, they love it."

How to choose the right executive coaching management software for your coaching and training team

Hopefully, Canva's success has inspired you to implement your own executive coaching program. But, with so many tools available, how do you choose the right software for your organization? Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:

• What key features do you need? There's no point paying for superfluous features that aren't going to move the needle for your business. Consider which tools will actually make a difference for your organization — whether it's intake forms or customizable branding for a white-label experience.
• How will you deliver your coaching sessions? Whether it's in-person, video conferencing, AI coaching or training programs, there are a multitude of different ways to facilitate coaching. Think about what makes the most sense for where the team is currently at — both figuratively and geographically.

• What is your budget?  Some executive coaching programs cost thousands per month. When you combine that with other software for the administrative tasks involved, it's easy to see how that can add up! It's best to go for an all-in-one coaching platform that is scalable, so it grows with your business.
• What type of coaching would your execs benefit from? If you are looking to help your C-suite become more effective leaders, executive coaching is probably the right fit. However, if your goal is to help them improve their well-being or work/life balance, a life coach may be more suitable. Startup founders also commonly work with business coaches, to work on key metrics such as revenue and profit.
• ‍Who requires access to the data? Some organizations only require their HR team or coaching managers to track client progress. However, if you'd prefer your clients to be more active participants in their own coaching process, a more transparent tool such as F4S can be a better option.