The 2017 ICF/HCI Building a Coaching Culture with Managers and Leaders research by the International Coach Federation found that “organizations with strong coaching cultures indicate recent revenues above that of their industry peer group and report higher employee engagement (61% compared to 53% of other responding organizations)”. Employees had improved not only in their work performance but also in their ‘communication skills, productivity, well-being, and business management strategies’.
Corporate coaching helps to inspire and motivate employees in an organization to achieve targeted goals. This method focuses on employee development, allowing them to gain skills to make their organization successful.
At MentorCruise, here is how you can get started on creating your own coaching culture at your workplace.
How does corporate coaching work
Although most think “coaching” and “mentoring” are the same, methods used during coaching and mentoring sessions vary. While mentoring allows one to seek a more experienced employee or manager for advice, guidance, and support, coaching follows a more formal and structured process.
Organizations typically seek for a coach to help them, and ultimately the organization, grow. This coach will help to empower employees through various exercises and models of coaching during employee training sessions to help them progress to achieve their goals.
With platforms like MentorCruise, you will be able to have 1-to-1 sessions with a coach that will help guide you towards great opportunities and push you and your organization to achieve goals you never knew possible.
Models of Coaching
As mentioned above, there are different models of coaching which a corporate coach can use to help leaders, companies and organizations to attain their desired goals. Knowing various coaching-specific training models can help you select the ideal one that will work for your organization.
Some models of coaching include:
- G.R.O.W Model
Created by Sir John Whitmore and his colleagues in the late 1980s, the GROW model is one of the more popular coaching models to help one set goals and improve their performance.
This coaching model includes 4 key steps — Goal, Reality, Options, and Will. According to Whitmore, coaching is similar to planning a journey:
- Goal - Where do you want to be?
- Reality - Where are you currently?
- Options - What can you do to get there?
- Way Forward - What is the way forward from here?
These questions can help leaders create attainable goals to work towards if they fully commit to doing so.
- Peer Coaching Model
In 1997, psychologist Albert Bandura hypothesized that it is possible to successfully modify an individual’s behavior by observing others. By observing peers, family, and colleagues when they are performing various acts, a person can improve their self-efficacy, thus increasing their ability to execute the same behavior.
Using role models can help promote self-belief in leaders. Getting two or more colleagues to work together, presenting themselves as role models to one another, can help them reflect on current practices while building new skills.
Peer coaching highlights a development element — allowing leaders to share ideas, teach one another, and learning to solve workplace challenges together.
- OSCAR Model
This solution-oriented coaching method allows leaders to focus on the solution of a problem rather than the problem itself. OSCAR is an acronym for Outcome, Situation, Choices, Actions, and Reviews.
With this model, leaders can identify and address individual performance or behavioral problems and find ways to overcome them. Leaders can then focus on resolving these problems to move forward to achieve larger goals.
Finding a coaching model that works for your organization and individual employees is essential. Having a coaching culture can help leaders improve their performance in the organization. The right model will keep your leaders in check, ensuring that they are provided with the support they need.
How an Excellent Coaching Culture can Benefit Your Employees and Your Organization
Creating a coaching culture at the workplace has multiple benefits. While employees are able to have development opportunities, the organization can also reduce the risk of high employee turnover by encouraging progression and promoting from within.
A coaching culture can help employees and leaders at all levels improve employee engagement, further empowering them to excel at their tasks. Coaching emphasizes the importance of personal and professional development, helping employees take pride in the work they do.
Sometimes, an outsider may be beneficial to help an organization improve in communicating with each other. With corporate coaching, coaches can help improve listening and communication skills between employees to help them better understand each other and prevent conflicts based on misunderstandings.
Creating a Coaching Culture
There are many ways to create and promote a coaching culture. Ultimately, it is up to the employers and business owners to implement these principles and coaching models to develop themselves and the organization. Here are some tips you can follow to create an effective coaching culture in your organization.
It is essential to start with the upper management and senior leaders first. If you want to see these changes in your workplace culture, executives must first know the value of coaching.
Tip 1: Engaging senior leaders first will help employees follow suit. Leaders have a key role in nurturing a corporate coaching culture. As Bill Bennet, CEO of InsideOut Development, states, “as senior leadership takes the reins, employees will naturally follow.”
Instead of telling them how a coaching culture can benefit the organization, show them. Show them how coaching can engage their employees, increase team performance and achieve desired goals.
Remember that a little goes a long way — even for coaching. If targeted to the particular needs of your employees, a little coaching can help them in the long run. Prioritize areas that need to be changed and set goals for employees to achieve. Pick a model that works for your employees in that particular situation.
Tip 2: Keep coaching relatable and regular in the workplace. Weaving these elements into your employees’ daily work life can help facilitate a coaching culture.
Creating a coaching culture should not be a one-off attempt. This coaching experience should be done long-term to see its effects. Create coaching techniques that can continually help your employees and leaders learn and grow — adapt different styles and models to particular situations to make coaching relevant in your workplace.
Tip 3: To keep coaching relevant in your workplace, constantly provide effective feedback to your employees in a timely manner. This will help them to incorporate your feedback while they are learning. To get your employees to be more receptive to feedback, frame your advice positively and encouragingly.
Tip 4: Accountability for your employees’ performance is also necessary for an excellent coaching culture. Evaluate their performance through regular performance reviews to make sure they are supported.
Constructing Successful Corporate Coaching Programs
With these tips in mind, it’s time to create a successful coaching program! But how do you go about this! Well, here are some steps you can follow to construct a successful coaching program for your organization.
Step 1: Set goals and objectives
Without a goal, it will be impossible to know where your organization is headed and if you have achieved what you have set out to achieve. To have a precise outcome, you will need to create specific goals and defined objectives.
To ensure that your goals are in check with your organization, involve senior leaders in the early stage of planning a coaching program.
Step 2: Leadership support is foundational
While your targeted goals and objectives can provide a clear direction, the support of senior leaders and executives will help make these goals easier to achieve. As mentioned in the tips, get them involved by showing how a coaching culture can benefit the organization in the long run.
Having leadership support can also help provide your team with budget allocations for the coaching program.
Step 3: Find a coach that fits
When searching for coaches, find one with experience and skills that can work well with your employees. Consider your organization’s vision and values, and ensure that the coach you have in mind upholds these values.
With platforms like MentorCruise, you can explore a wide range of coaches and find one that fits perfectly to help your organization. A good coach will be able to align their coaching methods to your employees’ needs.
Step 4: Have a flexible program
When creating a coaching program, you will need to bear in mind your employees’ learning styles and career goals. As each individual has a unique way of receiving information, you may need different coaching styles to produce an ideal outcome. Adapt the program to suit different learning styles, schedules, and preferences.
Step 5: Effectively measure progress
You need to know whether the program is having a positive impact on your employees. Implementing surveys and feedback from your employees about the program is an excellent way to track progress. Measuring employees’ progress will allow you to make adjustments to the program and adapt to their needs.
You should continuously refine the coaching program in response to your employees’ feedback. This will help identify any problems or misalignments, which may significantly impact the program’s success.
Create a Coaching Culture with MentorCruise
Creating a coaching culture for your workplace will take time and effort. Each individual organization has its own coaching approach, depending on its needs and goals.
With platforms like MentorCruise, leaders can have regular ongoing sessions with a coach on how to reach their potential and achieve their desired goals. This platform allows leaders and employees to get expert advice on how to develop themselves and improve their leadership skills.
Implementing a coaching culture can allow organizations to reap its benefits in the long run.