Corporate Coaching

Creating a Culture for Coaching

The idea of corporate coaching has received a lot of press over the past few years. Many of us have been trained in some corporate coaching skills, and may have even developed some proficiency in their use. Too often, though, when the pressure's on, we revert back to the "command and control" tactics that we know will get the job done, reassuring ourselves that we'll coach more often in the future.

It's true -- coaching does require time and patience. In the heat of the moment, it can be difficult to maintain your commitment to coaching as your preferred mode for communication and leadership. Here are a few tips to help you stay on track:

Stay in Touch

Research shows that 75-80% of corporate coaching opportunities come in casual, unplanned and random connections you have with your team each day. You might want to start your day with a casual "walk-around," checking in with people, finding out what they need to succeed, and taking advantage of those chances to connect.

Keep Coaching on Your Mind

Review your team's corporate coaching needs from time to time, identifying issues that need to be addressed, praise that ought to be given, and relationships you are looking to build. Provide reminders, to yourself and others, of the coaching skills and attitudes you are trying to foster.

Teach Coaching to Others

Do you and your team speak the same language? Even if you've been through training on effective corporate coaching, your team may not understand what you're trying to do, especially if you're changing your style in response to what you've learned. You might want to share information on a specific coaching skill at a team meeting, or provide some basic training for the whole team.

Build Corporate Coaching into the System

Do you have a working performance management system in place? Do your team members know what you expect of them, and are they comfortable sharing what they expect and need from you? Whatever the system looks like, it's important to give people an opportunity to "buy-in" to the team's plans, and identify what contributions they can commit to making.

Quick Tip

Proper corporate coaching involves exploring more, while attempting to correct and change less - especially in a forced way.

Click here if you would like more information on how to implement an effective Corporate Coaching Culture.

CMOE
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