Why your organisation needs coaching right now

Image: Christina Morillo

The global crisis has forced companies to adapt to what’s happening, fast. It means individuals having to change their ways of doing things and ways of thinking – not easy at the best of times.

Coaching is probably the most effective way to help people navigate change. By introducing coaching within the workplace, you’ll help your people cope and adapt to changes and still achieve the company’s objectives.

This is an unprecedented time where the amount of stress and anxiety cannot be underestimated. It means that team members and leaders need more connection and support than before. Coaching will prepare teams and leaders in acting more effectively during and after this storm – and the next.

What is coaching?

As per the ICF (International Coach Federation) definition,

“Coaching is a thought-provoking and creative partnership that inspires clients to maximize their personal and professional potential, often unlocking previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.”

In other words, through the coaching process, the coach helps another person develop and maximize their full potential, talents, strengths and abilities. The coach invites his/her client to reflect and introspect themselves, to clarify and define what the client really wants to achieve. The coach stimulates his/her self-discovery, promoting and accelerating transformation through awareness, responsibility and action.

Why your employees need coaching

Keeping employees engaged is more important than ever. 

Regardless of the industry and sector, leaders need to educate employees on resilience, empathy, and creativity as the current crisis will lead to permanent changes.

I believe organisations should use this time to coach employees on developing a flexible and adaptable attitude, grow professionally and personally and further their personal development. 

You’re future-proofing your organisation

To invest in coaching is to invest in your leaders of tomorrow. This not only helps to retain staff but is an opportunity to develop those top talents you’re going to need to make tough decisions going forward. This is about developing the skills your organisation needs to cope with uncertainty.

Surviving and thriving tough times requires a growth mindset. Coaching will help your employees move towards a more positive approach to meeting challenges head-on. Support from the top down will help employees and organisations navigate the changes, reflect on what they learned, and move forward with new ways of doing things, ie. take actions.

Organisations who invest in coaching will be seen as an employer of choice that promotes the wellbeing of their people by investing in them so they can build their own resilience.

Why leaders or senior managers need coaching

Leadership requires leaders to be present to the needs, abilities, and potential of others and to respond quickly and strategically to change.

According to research from Blessing White Consulting, the top 3 leadership skills leaders need for the future are Communication, Coaching and Collaboration.

Senior Managers face many challenges and wear a variety of hats on a daily basis. Not only do they have to be visionary, they need to have excellent communication and decision-making skills that impact the whole organisation.

The current crisis has led many organisations to adapt and change the way they operate. During times of crisis and change, we need inspiration and be able to reinvent ourselves to discover new ways of doing things. This is where the coaching process comes in.

Coaching is particularly powerful and effective in uncovering new perspectives, new leadership styles and instilling new patterns of behaviour with which to act.

Not only that, coaching reinforces the self-confidence necessary for leaders to face uncertainty as a source of new possibilities from which to obtain extraordinary results.

As Dan Schulman said, CEO of Paypal,

“The next generation of business leaders has an obligation to take action and do more, and prioritizing and investing in their employees. If enough leaders and companies can make this difference for their own people, they can start to fix what has been broken.”

As the business environment has become more complex, I believe more and more companies will have coaches and coaching as a constant feature of the organisation.

Coaching is becoming a more essential part of a leader’s learning process, providing fresh and new perspectives, and helping them believe that tomorrow will be better than today.

If you’re interested in trying coaching for your leaders or team members, book a free discovery call with me here to find out more.