Without a highly effective and productive workforce, your organization can never be truly successful. Today’s leading companies understand that the old management practices like annual reviews and forced rankings no longer work for motivating or engaging top performers. Instead, companies should focus on providing workplace coaching to equip employees with the knowledge, tools, and opportunities necessary to be productive. Below are five effective coaching tips and action items for how to coach your employees.
1. Coaching starts with mutual trust
Trust is a critical component of any relationship, including those built between managers and employees. We all know that a bad manager can result in a bad experience for everyone – not just direct reports. As a result, companies must focus on training leaders and managers, emphasizing leadership qualities and skills that directly influence leading others. Leadership coaching must focus on building foundational skills such as crisis management, communication skills, strategy, trust, empathy, transparency, and, of course, leadership itself.
2. Identity leaders and development needs
Before you begin coaching and mentoring programs, establish the kind of coaching required in the workplace. Everyone brings unique skill sets, education, and experience to the workplace. Managers need to assess each team member to determine the type of coaching that will work best for them. One common way to do so is by categorizing employees as rookies, contributors, and captains, depending on their experiences and interpersonal skills. This is where talent assessments can be extremely helpful. Each category should be provided with different types of coaching. For example, leadership coaching and mentoring to those identified as captains can help your company create future leaders who will play a vital role in the company’s success.
3. Use coaching to increase happiness at the workplace
Companies today understand that creating a happy work environment and engaging culture can profoundly impact the company’s bottom line. Good leadership motivates and energizes employees and creates a level of happiness that makes employees go the extra mile for the workplace and the customers. On the other hand, bad managers spread frustration and increase stress. Give managers the knowledge and tools they need to create a happy workplace both in-person and online to drive positive culture change. Coach them on how to work respectfully with and around people from various backgrounds. Through such coaching, your company can create a safe and happy workplace environment.
4. External coaching in the workplace
If a business has sufficient resources, investing in an external coach who can provide an outside perspective and objective advice may be worthwhile. Managers and employees can feel free to articulate problems without concerns about damaging relationships with colleagues. External coaches offer perspective and guidance leveraging tools and experience often not found within your organization.
5. Be open to feedback
Make sure you monitor the progress of your coaching in the workplace and encourage feedback regularly. Be sure to follow up on feedback and address any issues raised. Celebrate your employees’ accomplishments and remind them that each achievement represents a step forward. This will help your employees build their self-confidence and motivate them to develop their skills further.
Conclusion
Coaching in the workplace is an effective way to set up employees for success. The right coaching program can motivate your employees to improve, make them aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and encourage them to be more autonomous, taking ownership of their work. It also helps develop a more confident workforce equipped to take on challenges. Lastly, coaching has a positive effect on team productivity and fosters a culture of learning and development that can elevate the entire organization.
