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Although
it’s a relatively new area in the field of performance
and leadership, coaching began in the fifties and was widely
adopted by the early 1990’s. Today, the demand for coaching
in the workplace has reached an all-time high (Kampa-Kokesch
& Anderson, 2001).
There
are a number of reasons for the increased interest in coaching,
largely because of its successes with other high-performers
such as athletes and entertainers (Witherspoon & White,
1997). In our own work with Olympic medalists, and players
and coaches in the NHL and NBA, we have seen the power of
a good coach – one who addresses both the physical and
even more importantly, the psychological elements of the sport.
And now
there is good evidence to suggest that coaching works very
well as a strategy to increase performance in the workplace
– not just as a remedial activity, but as a powerful
way to leverage the talents and skills that lie within an
organization.
If coaching
is a strategy that works, what then are the pay-offs of using
it within an organization – by giving managers and leaders
the skills they need to coach their people in the same way
that Phil Jackson coached Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls
to victory after victory? Or in the way that Jack Welch’s
renowned coaching resulted in many of his people becoming
CEO’s of other Fortune 500’s themselves?
The pay-offs
and opportunities of coaching within an organization are great
– coaching by a manager increases an employee’s
sense of feeling valued, builds trust and connection and is
an effective way to increase performance and retention. Our
new program, Increasing
Coaching Effectiveness, helps leaders and managers
develop critical skills in all of these areas, enabling them
to become better coaches by leveraging their own emotional
intelligence and the EI of the people around them.
Training
managers and leaders to be the best coaches they can be provides
a chance to build a coaching culture within organizations.
It also paves the way for future coaching opportunities since
the manager-as-coach has new skills that are portable and
powerful to other situations and other people.
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Good
coaches are able to build trust, listen, and inspire.
They are those who have high self-awareness, are able
to connect with others and have the skills to recognize
and manage their own emotions effectively. They are
people who understand the drivers of human behavior,
who learn how to use this information to effectively
engage people and, most importantly, they are
individuals who look for every opportunity to engage
others and use their coaching skills.
Technically
speaking, good coaching usually includes some element
of ‘data’ or feedback. Based on research,
it appears that 360 feedback works best. People need
to know, from the important ‘others’ in their
lives, where they are at - what is or isn’t
working - if the coaching process is going to be successful
(Kiel et al., 1996). The 360 can be a positive forum
for one’s nearest (direct reports, peers and supervisors
at work) and dearest (friends and family) to share their
unique "take" on areas of both strength and
improvement for that particular individual. Adding coaching
into the mix amplifies the chances for improved performance
in that person’s life.
Setting
& Reaching Goals
In
a study of a 1000 individuals, employees who were
coached were more likely to set specific rather than
vague goals; they were more likely to solicit feedback
from others; and showed greater improvement based
on ratings from direct reports and supervisors (Smither
et al, 2003).
Retention
In
another study examining the effectiveness of coaching,
authors Elsdon & Iyer (1999) found that employees
from Sun Microsystems who were coached were less likely
to leave the organization.
Not
only does coaching build trust and increase the ‘coachee’s’
sense of value, it can also help with retention and
performance. It will create organizations full of trust
and teamwork, and environments rich in optimism, connection
and appreciation. For these reasons – either as
a company or as an individual – we need
to think seriously about how we can leverage coaching
in our organizations in order to mine these rich resources.
So
then, what are you waiting for? Why not encourage and
support coaching in your organization today? It’s
an opportunity for everyone to win!
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