now, no signup required!
The top-down approach to leadership has fallen more and more out of favor in recent years. Managers are expected to create stable and confident teams that can work well together to deliver results. When an employee doesn’t fulfill their potential, it is the manager’s responsibility to address the situation. Employee coaching is one way managers can help their team members overcome obstacles and rise to the next level.
So what is employee coaching? Organizations that focus on individual development often see coaching as a way to provide employees with advice that can help them reach their full potential. The coaching mindset can increase employee satisfaction and growth at the same time as increasing profitability for organizations.
The Power Of Coaching
Coaching is an attitude to leadership as much as it is a scheduled activity. If leaders work with their team continuously with a coaching mindset, it can unleash powerful results. This requires a fresh outlook toward leadership—one that promotes transparency, communication and trust.
Coaching can help managers identify which employees are ready to take on a new challenge. It can also help address the root causes of an employee’s problems. For example, if an employee isn’t a great communicator, coaching will teach them how to be more effective. Here are a few ways in which employee coaching can help:
-
Improve the quality of an employee’s work—and therefore that of the entire team
-
Make sure employees are engaged in the tasks assigned them and that they find them fulfilling
-
Get employees to adopt novel approaches and processes
-
Improve overall motivation and satisfaction
-
Groom talent for growth within the organization
Now that we know how powerful coaching can be, read on for tips for coaching employees.
Coaching For Managers
Leaders who use coaching skills are engaged in a proactive approach to teamwork. Typically, managers work with their team to help them identify and resolve problems, improve communication and enhance their emotional intelligence.
Organizations can use coaching skills to improve employee performance and satisfaction and attract top talent. But to lead employees properly, managers themselves need to master these skills as well as learn how to coach others. Coaching for managers is important before managers can coach teams.
Some skills manager-coaches need are:
-
Active Listening
Employee coaching is giving employees the support they need to become confident and productive employees. Listening to them is a big part of that, so you respond to their real problems and aspirations and not your own preconceived notions of what they might be.
-
Communicating Clearly
Often, managers are unable to articulate what’s wrong with an employee’s performance. This leaves the recipient of their feedback frustrated and confused. To coach a team member, a manager needs to think through a problem and identify what’s wrong and then share in a way that actually helps the receiver of the feedback improve. Coaching for managers creates a more constructive environment for growth.
-
Connecting Authentically
Empathy is the core life skill upon which all others rest. If you can connect with your team members on a human level, coaching becomes so much easier. Are they facing bottlenecks because of a personal problem, an uncooperative colleague, or being assigned a task that’s not right for them? We need empathy to understand all this.
Coaching doesn’t have to be a formal process where you sit people down and direct them. Instead, coaching for managers and employees is about being non-threatening, honest, patient, empathetic and clear in your communication at all times.
Examples Of Coaching In The Workplace
Now that we’ve covered some general coaching tips for managers, let’s look at a few specific tips on how to coach your employees with examples of coaching in the workplace.
Priyanka is running a food startup. The work is hard—there are long hours, with several chefs on their feet the entire day. Being a bootstrapped venture, Priyanka isn’t able to pay as much as the competition. Instead, she starts an employee growth program. Here are some steps she put in place:
-
Talk to your employees like you would talk to your friend
When you want to help your team member reach their potential, make them part of the journey. What are their hopes for the job? Being involved from the get-go means the employee has a voice.
-
Create a training plan
Set goals and help your employees achieve them. These meetings can also provide a chance to have an open discussion about their roles, strengths and future aspirations.
-
Involve outside help if needed
Coaching is usually conducted by managers with knowledge of the company and the employee, but freelancers or mentors can also contribute in a similar capacity.
When should you consider coaching your employees? From day one—start early and listen to what your team members have to say. Create trust.
Like coaching, the Harappa 10 on 10 program can be one of the tools in your organization’s employee development arsenal. A multi-disciplinary faculty has designed the self-paced curriculum that helps raise the bar in the workplace, inculcating the spirit of growth and achievement across all levels of employees. Help your teams reach for the stars with the Harappa 10 on 10!
Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics such as What Is Outcome-Based Learning, The Complete Guide To Distance Learning, What Is The Kirkpatrick Model & Skills Of A General Manager that will help organizations tap into their employee's potential
