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Employee coaching is an important activity. The purpose of employee coaching is to improve performance. While corrective coaching does exist, so does performance coaching. Organizations could be missing out on a valuable performance activity if they’re only “coaching” when an employee does something wrong.
According to a report from the International Coaching Federation, 72% of respondents acknowledged that employee coaching leads to increased engagement. And even better news is that coaching has a return on investment (ROI) of 7 to 8 times the cost.
So, the question becomes, how can organizations create a coaching culture? Here are 5 steps to consider.
- Coaching should align with organizational strategies and goals. Since the purpose of coaching is to improve employee performance, we want that performance to align with the organization’s goals. This is also important because we want senior management to support a coaching culture. The best way to do that is by making the connection between coaching, employee performance, and organizational results.
- Train managers to be coaches. While there are coaching consultants that the organization can engage with, managers will have the majority of the responsibility for employee coaching. They should be trained and given opportunities to practice in a safe environment. They should also have someone they can talk to when they want some guidance on how to handle a situation.
- Encourage coaches to share their stories. Real stories can have a huge impact. Sometimes employees struggle because they don’t realize that the challenge they’re facing is not unique to them. Managers have an opportunity to share how they’ve overcome challenges. They can offer tips and resources they’ve used in the past. Having challenges doesn’t mean someone is a bad manager.
- Measure results. Like other organizational initiatives, the impact of coaching should be measured. Organizations with a coaching culture might see an increase in employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Think about those organizational goals (see #1) that coaching aligns with and reach consensus internally on how to measure results.
- Celebrate coaching successes. One of the great aspects to creating a coaching culture is how it can spread throughout the organization. Get feedback from managers about their successes. Encourage them to share their stories with each other. Not only does it recognize the manager’s good work, but it could serve as inspiration for another manager.
One obstacle that organizations might need to overcome is the perception that coaching is punishment. Employee coaching is about helping people achieve greater performance. Make sure employees know this. If employees need to be disciplined, the organization probably already has a process in place. Use it when necessary.
Employee coaching is a great opportunity to improve employee performance and achieve organizational goals. It involves senior management commitment, manager training, and reporting results. But the payoff for creating a coaching culture can be huge.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby at the Association for Talent Development (ATD) conference in Orlando, FL
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