Coaching employees can produce higher productivity levels, enhanced skills, increased engagement, and improved performance. While coaching is one of the leadership styles that some employ, coaching does not come naturally for others. If you need to work on your coaching skills, rest assured that it is a skill worth cultivating.
Let’s take a look at seven of the top benefits of coaching employees in the workplace.
The Benefits of Coaching in Organizations
- Empowers individuals and encourages them to take responsibility.
- Increases employee and staff engagement.
- Improves individual performance.
- Helps identify and develop high potential employees.
- Helps identify both organizational and individual strengths and development opportunities.
- Helps to motivate and empower individuals to excel.
- Demonstrates organizational commitment to human resource development
Today’s leaders are being asked to serve as a coach instead of mere authority figures. Engaging employees in productive coaching discussions and professional-development activities is the key to influencing, motivating, and recognizing those who will contribute and collaborate with leadership to benefit the entire organization. While a focus on bottom-line targets and results is critical, leaders cannot overlook the fact that results are best achieved through developing people.
Leaders must capitalize on any chance they get to engage the hearts and minds of team members and help them reach their full potential, which will position the organization for sustained growth, prosperity, and achievement. This commitment to coaching can have a remarkably, positive influence on team-member productivity and organizational effectiveness. However, for organizations to establish a coaching culture, everyone has to be willing to coach and be coached—leadership and team members alike. In addition, team members can be instrumental in sharing feedback and expertise and improving workplace performance.
Why Coaching is Important for Leaders
Coaching is a powerful communication technique for leaders. A leader-coach is someone who unleashes the performance of others and builds on the talents of people who will take on the future. They engage in formal coaching discussions and use coaching skills in spontaneous, everyday coaching conversations. Coaching embodies a set of abilities, personal values, and inner characteristics that can be learned and developed.
Building authentic relationships and collaborating with employees—the essence of coaching—is an investment in the long-term health of an organization. Just as important as capital technology and marketing strategies, coaching will benefit the organization in countless ways as employees increase their productivity and the quality of their efforts. People are important assets for organizations, and it is each organization’s responsibility to maintain and fully leverage those assets. Five actions for creating a coaching environment are provided below.
1. Banish Your Inner Bossiness
Ditch the habit of telling people what to do. Instead, as a coach, you should ask questions and work with your team to identify solutions. Once a course of action is identified, step back and watch from the sidelines, providing guidance when asked. Don’t micromanage!
2. Develop Work Relationships
You don’t have to hang out outside of work hours or go for drinks after work every day, although this could definitely improve camaraderie. Simply taking an interest and listening when colleagues want to talk about themselves or just vent goes a long way in building trust and strong relationships. People who feel valued perform better. Stop focusing on colleague shortcomings!
3. Accept and Tolerate Failure
Recognize that you may be unable to coach 24/7 and that there will be times when things do not go according to plan. Mistakes will be made and dealt with. This is part of life. Accepting and dealing with mistakes is what really matters. As a coach, you are often required to walk a tightrope where you do not want to crush the person you’re coaching, but you also want to make sure the mistake is identified and discussed. Use mistakes as learning lessons to coach the correct behavior.
4. Optimize Time with Employees
There’s a lot of work to be done in the office: deadlines need to be met, projects finished, reports written…the list goes on. So how can you squeeze in time for coaching? By working smarter, not harder. Try out new apps, tools, or processes that promote more efficient communication and increased productivity. Choose tools that work best for your company culture and employees’ needs.
5. Incorporate Coaching for You Too
You can’t effectively coach others if you’re not working on yourself, too. Take some time to reflect on what’s working well in your life and what might need some attention. You may not realize it, but everyone needs help with something. Try out new ways of thinking, habits, or actions that push you toward self-growth. Your team will appreciate someone who not only talks the talk but walks the walk.
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