To coach or not to coach? How to know when it’s time for coaching in the workplace.
It’s often assumed that coaching is only required when major problems arise in the workplace. But coaching is actually best utilised before things get really rocky. In fact, coaching is a tool that can both provide great support and challenge thinking to identify possible solutions, and bolster good performance in order to lift potential and reach a higher level of success. A coach can help individuals develop the skills necessary to solve complex workplace problems, communicate effectively with their teams, and improve personal performance.
It’s easy for employees to develop blind spots in the workplace. Even a company’s best employees can fall prey to this. Here’s where an external coach can help. A coach can support the development of individuals, teams and groups and boost their ability to deliver outstanding results. By providing an external objective perspective, a coach can help raise awareness of limiting assumptions, hold a mirror up so they can see the role they play, and hold them to account. In essence, a great coach is an individuals or teams unreasonable friend!
When is coaching best utilised?
When there is a communication breakdown within teams
Communication can break down for a number of reasons. Often managers will tell their teams what to do instead of asking the right questions to help them reach resolutions independently. This is a sure-fire way to hurt employee accountability, engagement and productivity. Feedback is another area of difficulty for many managers. When managers fail to give feedback on a frequent basis, or if they give feedback in a manner that is negative or discouraging, they can harm the confidence levels of employees and as a result hinder individual performance.
An executive coach can help leaders facilitate better communication within teams. A coach will show leaders how to ask the right questions to make individuals more engaged and more productive. By gaining effective communication skills, managers can build relationships of trust between employees, they can help employees develop stronger problem-solving skills, and help them to feel more accountable for their work.
When there are performance issues
When performance issues arise in the workplace, many managers are at a loss as how to properly address the issue without affecting the employee’s confidence or damaging the relationship. There is a risk that the process will breakdown the trust in the relationship and make employees feel less engaged, less productive and less secure in their job. A coach is able to provide an outsider’s perspective and take some of the emotion out of the process. They will support the employee to find solutions to specific problems so that they can independently reach their own goals. A coach can be used to work directly with the employee when issues arise and they are also an invaluable resource in the complexity that dynamic groups and teams operate in today.
When you feel an employee is ready for a promotion
When you’re preparing an employee for a leadership role, it’s important that they develop the skills necessary to truly lead their team. A coach can support individuals to gain insight and understanding about leadership, management and how to identify and develop their authentic self.
A study conducted at Wharton found that external hires get paid 18% more than internal recruits yet are 61% more likely to be fired. Companies don’t always recognise that they have an untapped pool of talent which they can develop for promotion. By developing internal talent, you are often more likely to access the best person for the job. Coaching can be used to develop an individual who you think is ready for a promotion and can help to ensure the individual has the skills needed to take on the new role.
Succession planning
All organisations lose key leaders. Whether it is planned or unplanned, losing your key leaders can be very disruptive to your company’s performance and your company budget. This is why it’s important to develop employees at every level within your organisation and have a succession plan in place.
Often referred to as ‘bench strength’, the employees in line for leadership roles within an organisation can benefit greatly from coaching. Preparing employees to fill key leadership roles within your organisation is important for safeguarding your organisation for when you lose high performing employees.
At Directions Unlimited, we understand the importance of identifying areas of improvement within the workplace before problems arise.
To find out more about one to one coaching, team coaching, or group coaching, contact us for an obligation free discussion.