Coaching is the principle by which people learn what makes their organizations tick, what it stands for, and how they can contribute to it over time. Remember behavioral strengths and motivational forces vary from employee to employee. You have to become a leader.
As a leader, you are a coach who is willing to empower and coach employees and promote accountability. It is top management’s responsibility to be a coaching role model for the other leaders to follow.
Coaching involves asking questions. The intention is to help them learn a problem-solving process.
Leadership is one of the most important qualities of a successful coach.
Effective coaches ask open-ended questions such as:
- What are the biggest challenges you currently face?
- What alternative solutions have you identified?
- What are your goals? Specific action plans for working toward each one?
- What went well this week?
Start with active listening: when your employee brings a problem, reflect back on what they’re staying (“What I hear you saying is… “). Sometimes, simply hearing a problem helps the person to find the answer.
Discuss potential solutions to the problem. Ask the employee for ideas on how to solve the problem, or prevent it from happening again.
The characteristics of a good coach are:
- confident in the abilities of individuals
- enthusiastic
- supportive
- goal-oriented
- knowledgeable
- good communicator
- patient
- responsive
- excellent listener
Coaching employees emphasizes individual and team achievement to a common organizational goal. Leading and coaching employees facilitates effective communication from all levels and provides better feedback and dialogue.
Employees can learn in a positive way how they can make efforts to support the organization.
The coach has to:
- set clear expectations
- set performance standards
- measure performance
- correct deviations from performance standards
- make it clear that you are on the same side as the employee
- provide guidance while preserving the employee’s self-esteem
Remember, effective coaching can have a positive impact on everyone in your organization. Engage employees for the long haul by coaching them into leaders, not followers.