Often, when people think about culture change in the workplace, they are thinking of changing behaviors. We all know there is no quick fix to changing a person’s behavior and oftentimes we need to change their beliefs or perceptions first before we can affect any substantial changes. However, what if you want to focus on the positive? What if your goal is not just to make things better but make them amazing? In this blog post I want to share with you some ideas for how you might create a coaching culture that will help foster performance and growth. After reading this blog post, we hope that you’re ready and excited for the journey ahead!
Where Do You Start?
To begin, you should take some time out to really assess your current culture. This will provide you with a benchmark for which you can measure future growth. Here are some questions that will help get the process started:
Are people getting along?
Is there open communication or are ideas often rejected?
Do employees feel safe raising concerns or offering suggestions without fear of retaliation?
Does the leadership team create an environment where everyone is heard and valued?
Does leadership hold themselves accountable to living the code of conduct (e.g., integrity, respect)?
Does leadership model their desired behavior through action?
After asking yourself these questions, answer them honestly because it will allow other leaders in your organization to do the same when they ask themselves the same questions. It’s important to be cognizant of the fact that we all bring our own filters and biases to our experiences (i.e., how we perceive things as they happen). People view their organization, their work and themselves differently than others might see them. The best way I’ve heard it described is that you are wearing rose colored glasses; therefore, everything looks rosy! When you take those glasses off and look at the same organization through the lens of someone else who has not been emotionally invested in your organization, you can get a very clear picture of what needs to change and where opportunities for coaching exist within your culture.
Let’s say after taking some time to reflect on these questions you realize there are some areas where changes need to happen.
Where do you go from here?
Well, for starters, it’s important to share your thoughts with the leadership team and get their buy in on what changes need to be made. If there isn’t commitment from leadership or if they are not willing to make the necessary changes then any attempts at coercing change will lead to further resentment and distrust within the organization. No one wins in that scenario! Now that we’ve determined where we need to go and what tools and resources we’ll need along the way, let’s talk about how we’re going to get there!
As I mentioned above, communication is essential when it comes to change management. It’s important for everyone involved in managing the culture change process (whether you’re a manager or not) to be aware of what the desired outcomes are and to know how they can contribute in their own way toward reaching those outcomes. The following questions will help you think through how you might go about introducing this process to your organization:
What is your personal motivation? Is it for yourself or to better serve your employees?
Who needs to be involved in managing the change process (e.g., leadership team, managers, employees, etc.)?
What benchmarks will we use to measure our success? How many coaching conversations do we need within the first two weeks/months/etc.? What types of behaviors do we want to see from people when they receive coaching?
As you start thinking through these questions, it may help to think about what types of behavior you want to see from people as a result of the change process. For example, do you want people behaving differently at work? Do you want employees feeling inspired by their leadership or feeling more valued and appreciated for their contributions? Do you want employees taking accountability for their own growth and development? Once you have a clear picture of what success looks like, those around you will be able to hold themselves accountable for their behaviors because they will be guided by the same end goal.
Now that we’ve got some clarity on where we’re going and how we’ll get there, let’s discuss how coaching can help us achieve those goals!
Coaching has been shown to positively affect engagement, accountability, teamwork, employee turnover and performance metrics. Think about it like this – do you want your employees to feel accountable for their own behavior or would you rather they blame someone else? If an employee isn’t held accountable for their behaviors then there is little motivation to change how they are reacting in the moment. Coaching allows managers to provide feedback that leads directly into coaching conversations which strengthens engagement while strengthening leadership skills.
So, what sorts of coaching conversations might you have with an individual within your organization who needs some guidance around a specific work issue? That really depends on the type of conversation. For example, let’s imagine I’m working with an employee who feels disengaged, frustrated, and overwhelmed by his workload. When I ask him if he’s spoken with his manager about this, he says no because he’s afraid of what they might think or how they might respond. At the onset of our coaching conversation, I may ask him some questions like…
“What do you think your manager would say if you brought up all the work you have on your plate? How would he/she react?”
“How long have you been feeling overwhelmed by your workload?”
“What are some deadlines that are coming up in the next few weeks that are causing you stress?”
Once we’ve established a little bit of rapport and had some time to reflect on these questions together, it may be an appropriate time to talk over whether or not there is capacity within the organization to redistribute tasks so that he can feel less overwhelmed. If the answer is yes, we may set some goals to discuss within upcoming meetings.
If the answer is no, we may focus on helping him adapt and adjust his own behavior (e.g., setting more realistic expectations with stakeholders; delegating more effectively; learning how to prioritize tasks; etc.). We may also choose to explore what emotions he’s feeling that are causing him stress and provide him with strategies for coping in the moment if he needs them.
It’s important to note that coaching doesn’t aim to fix all of an individual’s problems or behaviors – it helps people move forward by better understanding themselves and their surroundings so they can think more critically about how they want to respond in different situations. It also provides people with the opportunity to give and receive feedback.
When you’re coaching your employees, it’s important that you act as a facilitator instead of an authority figure. This means fostering learning by asking questions rather than telling people what they should do (remember that tone of voice I mentioned earlier?) It also means avoiding judgmental statements like “I don’t know why you did/said that” or “That was stupid!” That type of language doesn’t provide any insight into how someone can make different choices next time around.
Coaching provides employees an opportunity to feel heard which helps strengthen relationships between managers and their reports. When feelings of trust are created, people become more willing to take risks, ask for help when they need it and put in more effort overall.
When coaching is done well, it gives people the ability to look objectively at themselves and their behaviors as they pertain to work conversations and/or relationships. That self-awareness provides individuals with a unique opportunity to learn how to respond in future situations so that both parties feel satisfied with the outcome.
As we’ve seen, coaching can help your employees develop critical leadership skills, increase their engagement, and become better teammates. Instead of jumping on someone and telling them what they’re doing wrong, coaching allows you to provide feedback that’s targeted toward helping people grow within the organization. It also helps you build stronger relationships with those who report directly to you.
When managers know how to effectively employ employees, it strengthens an organization from top to bottom. It’s not easy but if you make it a priority, coaching can be an incredibly rewarding experience for both parties.
Conclusion
Rounding things up, coaching is an incredibly valuable way to develop talent within your company. If you want to improve employee engagement, it’s important that you focus on coaching rather than directing. This ensures people feel heard and validated instead of criticized when they make mistakes or missteps. This type of environment is what allows people to act autonomously without fear of repercussion and become more self-aware about the work they’re producing (both strengths and weaknesses). These are the types of employees that can take your organization to the next level because they’re not just doing what’s asked of them, they’re providing actionable feedback that helps you move forward.
If you want to build a scalable workforce that acts autonomously while providing valuable insight into future improvements, coach people instead of trying to tell them how to do their jobs. It takes practice but if done right, it can be one of the best things for morale and performance in your company. If you’d like more information on this topic or would like help implementing coaching strategies within your company, feel free to reach out! I’m happy to provide additional guidance where needed.