13 Ways Leaders Can Build A 'Coaching Culture' At Work

Building a coaching culture in the workplace better positions organizations and companies to grow talent which will help grow the organization. But what exactly is a "coaching culture," and how can leaders make this part of their everyday environment?

A coaching culture simply means supporting your employees so that they learn new skills and are able to make greater contributions to the company, the community and all the people they impact. A coaching culture is a collaborative environment where leaders have regularly scheduled interactions with employees to develop and retain top talent through well thought out coaching practices. 

A company that emphasizes coaching, training, regular feedback, and opportunities for growth creates a more engaged and energized workforce.

Below, are 13 things leaders can do to get started: 

1. Be Clear And Strategic 

If you don't already have a clear definition of what coaching is, you need to have one so everyone in the company is in sync with what it means, especially compared to mentoring, training, consulting, etc. If your company doesn't have a definition here's one you can adapt: Coaching is a deliberate process using focused conversations to create an environment for individual growth, purposeful action and sustained improvement.

Then, ensure coaching is not just an "ad hoc" activity but is truly integrated into your overall talent management strategy. Ask yourself how coaching fits with all other aspects of your employee lifecycle?

2. Lead By Example 

If you think your team could benefit from coaching, engage a coach for yourself. Find someone who delivers what you are hoping to provide for your team. If you achieve the desired results, then share your experiences with your team. Leading by example will change the paradigm of "you need assistance, but I'm just fine," to "I have benefited, and now I want you to experience this." 

Start by teaching senior leaders the skills of coaching including listening, asking questions, encouraging others to reflect and develop insights before taking action. Then guide them to coach their most respected team members. As these “influencers” gain traction from being coached, they will be open to learning and modeling the same coaching behaviors. Over time, a coaching culture will emerge.

3. Ask Your Employees The Right Questions 

A coaching culture encourages employees to learn from their experience by exploring the right questions rather than telling them what to do and how to do it. Next time an employee has a challenge ask them open-ended questions that begin with "how" or "what." For instance, "What would you have done differently? and "How can I support you?" This way you empower employees to come up with meaningful solutions.

4. Ask More Questions Than You Answer 

When someone asks you what to do, ask them what they think will work. Ask how they came to that conclusion. Ask what alternatives they've considered. Show them that you value their input, and empower them to make decisions and be ready to defend them. Over time, you’ll find that people will begin to bring you solutions instead of problems, and they’ll encourage their teams to do the same

5. Establish A Coaching Routine 

You can’t be a runner without putting in weekly miles, and you can’t have a coaching culture without a coaching routine. One high-performing sales manager at Salesforce creates a coaching culture by allocating an entire day each week to coaching. On Tuesdays her 10+ direct reports get 30 minutes of one-on-one coaching — time completely dedicated to their developmental needs.

6. Just Do It 

Coaching is a way of being, and as such, you can't simply integrate it. You just have to understand what it is and do it. It's not the same as adding carrots to your stew. So the key is to educate teams about what coaching is and then have them do it — coach each other. Have a weekly group coaching session with a coach to help answer questions and demonstrate.

7. Bring in Training and Coaching

If you are going to successfully integrate coaching into your workplace culture, you must engage expert coaches to train individuals at all levels of the organization in coaching practice. Too often, companies try to bring what they call "coaching" in, which is not actual coaching, but more like mentoring, advising or training. 

Training is teaching someone what to do, why or how to do it and perhaps when and where to do it. Coaching is helping a person with that knowledge attain a higher level of quality and performance. Training and coaching each do something fundamentally different and each work best when complimented by the other. 

You also need to ensure there is alignment at all levels and evaluate effectiveness. 

8. Hold Managers Accountable For Developing Employees 

Create a coaching culture by tying this activity to the organization's mission, and hold every manager accountable for coaching employees to help them master their jobs and learn new skills. Create a structured process with clear goals for coaching employees. Be sure to make time and resources available to guarantee success. Reward managers who meet or exceed these goals and coach those who don't.

9. Develop A Learn/Do Culture Where Teams Learn to Self-Coach 

The days of sitting in five-day courses designed to "fix" skill deficiencies are done. The new model for high performance is to implement hands-on, learn/do programs related to specific business outcomes, where teams receive on the job training and coaching from an expert, and hold themselves accountable to perform at a high level.

10. Live What You Claim 

Ever joined an organization that claimed they had an open-door policy but that door was always closed? To cultivate a coaching culture you need to create a workplace that walks the walk. Coaching, training, regular feedback and evaluation schedules, valuing different voices, rotating team leadership opportunities, and mentorship programs will create an interdependent and energized workplace. 

11. Have Lunch Bite Drop-In Sessions 

Teach people how to be with one another and listen through short introductory coaching lunch drop-in sessions. Many people say they listen when in fact they just wait their turn to speak. Coaching skills teach people how to deeply listen, stay curious, and locate the root of an issue fast. 

12. Gain Buy-In And Practice 

Coaching is real-time development by all team members to all team members. It's about practice, not perfection. Start asking questions to help individuals gain more insight on what happened and how they can handle it next time versus just telling them what to do. This gains buy-in and puts them in the driver seat. They will take on more ownership and know they have you for support and resources.  

13. Measure Employee Engagement Before and After The Implementation of Your Talent Development Programs

The primary reason for issuing engagement surveys is to measure the engagement level of your employees. Measuring the key drivers of engagement within your organization will allow you to assess whether your employees are engaged or disengaged. While there are no standard drivers of engagement, some commonly assessed factors are:   Training and development opportunities, recognition, pay & benefits, job role, leadership, work environment, etc. Engagement surveys are crucial because they give employees a venue for open feedback. 

Surveys are an opportunity to establish two-way communication and involve employees in the development process by giving them a direct voice to the management team. Being actively involved in the planning process makes employees realize that they have a stake in the company and that their opinions are valued.

Conducting an employee engagement before and after the implementation of coaching program will help gauge its effectiveness. Designing and implementing an employee engagement survey is far easier and less expensive and time consuming than most leaders think.

To your greater success,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, trainer and Culture Consultant

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step... 

Interested in learning how coaching can benefit your organization? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please contact: 

Email: petercmclees@gmail.com    or    Mobile: 323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, branches, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. 

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.