When were you given your first team? When did you get given or seek out a coach/ mentor? Was it a mandatory part of your role? Are coaching and professional development well structured or more ad-hoc in your firm?
To my mind, coaching should be a fundamental part of the learning and development tool kit and a necessary facet of leadership. The impact good coaching can have on not just productivity, but on the quality of outcomes and the wider employee value proposition should not be underestimated.
Today, we will look into why you should be a coach, what you are helping clients/ direct reports achieve, and people who should be wary of taking coaching responsibility. We will look at the purpose of coaching i.e. helping others unlock their potential but less on the mechanics of how to be a good coach.
Limited learning and development
Research.com approximately 80% of workplace learning occurs informally through on-the-job experiences, feedback, and interactions with colleagues and mentors. Clearly, knowledge work is becoming more and more specialised with longer and harder on-the-job training requirements to be effective.
There is a widening gap between how to become an expert via on-the-job immersion vs formal training sessions/ qualifications. We are seeing a rise in German-style apprenticeships in professional services, where the firm invests in people for their long-term capabilities, not just the capability to pass an interview. This gap is compounded by a reduction in training budgets and a drive for higher effectiveness of spend.
To stay relevant individuals need guidance, support, and accountability to help them overcome obstacles and succeed. Given how many positions are consumed with urgency, there is little breathing room for long-term development – especially given development may only be addressed in the yearly appraisal cycle. Coaching helps to fill that gap to help individuals find their focus areas to work on and define clear goals and steps to resolve in the short and medium term.
Start coaching not just managing
While managing and coaching share some common elements, such as providing feedback and setting goals, the focus and scope of each are different. Managing is typically more task-focused and directed at achieving organizational objectives, while coaching is more individual-focused and geared toward personal and professional growth.
Managing typically involves the responsibility of overseeing a group of people to ensure that tasks and goals are completed effectively and efficiently. Managers are responsible for making decisions, delegating tasks, setting goals, and monitoring progress. The role of a manager is about determining the most efficient allocation of resources to milestones and deliverables. However, this “time-allocator” is not sufficient in more senior positions.
Coaching, on the other hand, involves working one-on-one with an individual to help them improve their skills and achieve their goals. Coaches help individuals identify areas for improvement, develop action plans, and provide guidance and support along the way.
You are stepping up to deliver an exercise that develops a type of emotional intimacy not usually seen in the workplace. Trust is crucial and can be undermined much more quickly than it can be generated.
Build up the muscle early
I find coaching incredibly rewarding both in the long term regards personal growth, but also in the immediate term, focusing the brain to move away from solutions and into listening mode. The sooner you get experience, the better a coach and leader you will become.
There are several reasons why you should consider starting to coach early in your career:
- Personal growth: coaches can gain insights into their own strengths and weaknesses, develop new skills and perspectives, and find greater fulfillment and meaning in their work.
- Helping others: One of the primary motivations for becoming a coach is the desire to help others achieve their goals and reach their full potential, which can provide a real sense of purpose.
- Networking: As a coach, you never know who your coachees/ clients will introduce you to. Equally, coaches can connect individuals with other professionals in their field who have similar stories to share.
From here you have two options to develop your coaching capability and style. Seek to get the role as quickly as you can, seek reverse mentorship as another option. Otherwise, if there is no formalised process to use, work with your manager or coach to build it in with peers or more junior reports.
A material caveat is that not everyone should be forced into the role, not everyone is a great coach and may never be, they have strengths and excel in other areas. Acknowledge that and let your team or peers seek other individuals who excel at coaching and have the capacity and willingness. I have seen structures requiring managers to also coach a separate set of reports and they just are not willing to put in the time and effort required. This is helpful to no one but it is rarely called out.
Ultimately, deciding whether or not to become a coach depends on your individual interests, skills, and goals. Acting as a coach can provide a long-term platform for success.
Coaching not therapy
What you aim to do as a coach has clear overlaps with talk therapy. As you coach, you will see a lot of symptoms but not necessarily the root cause. Treating symptoms is fine and providing that air time for your coachee/ protege is crucial. As a coach your most valuable asset is your time. Providing a non-judgemental space to give your client/ direct report your undivided attention.
Your remit as a coach is to ask powerful questions to provide support and guidance to set objectives, develop strategies, and create action plans. There are some areas of similarity where it is good to understand the difference between the two:
- Focus: Coaching is typically focused on helping clients achieve specific goals or outcomes, such as improving their performance in a particular area or developing new skills. Therapy, on the other hand, is typically focused on addressing mental health concerns or emotional issues, such as depression, anxiety, or trauma.
- Timeframe: Coaching is generally a shorter-term process, often with a time horizon of 3 – 9 months, while therapy may be a longer-term process, spanning 12-18 months at the lower end.
- Approach: Coaching tends to be more action-oriented and focused on developing practical strategies and skills (your mileage may vary), while therapy often involves exploring emotions and thoughts more deeply and working to understand the underlying causes of emotional or behavioral issues.
Enable flourishing
Coaching is a powerful tool for helping others reach their full potential. By actively listening, asking powerful questions, providing support and guidance, and celebrating successes, you can create positive change and make a real difference in people’s lives. Finally, coaching can help you to reach your full potential as a leader and make a real difference in the lives of others.
Reference materials and recommendations:
- Coaching for Performance – John Whitmore
- The Coaching Habit – Michael Bungay Stainer
- Time to Think – Nancy Kline