Applying coaching in an organisation

For one thing, he is consciously asking more questions rather than telling his people what to do. He is listening more, which makes his people feel more comfortable and important, as well. There is therefore greater space for expression of ideas and feedback, too. This is how a coaching culture is slowly taking root in the organisation. 

In this, Part 8 and the last part of the Coaching Culture series, we shall look into the various ways coaching is being carried out by the executive committee team, which has recently undergone an intensive coaching programme. After the intensive programme, these leaders have many opportunities for coaching application. There are both formal and informal ways of doing it. 

In formal ways, these leaders can initiate various activities. One such activity is to identify certain staff, where these leaders can devote a certain period of time to grow them through coaching. It can be a talent development initiative of sort, either to support these people to grow in their current capacity or preparing them for their future growth.

Other formal ways of coaching application can be in the form of high-level facilitation that can be used now in meetings, problem solving, counselling sessions – and even in performance dialogues that leaders often use as part of their work. 

In informal ways, which I regard as ‘corridor’ coaching, these can take place anytime without the need to create special occasions for them, as they can happen along the corridors of organisations, such as when they bump into a staff member or when they come to your room for a few minutes of advice or consultation. 

Coaching can be used here by listening and asking them questions on how they could find their own answers, rather than jumping in very quickly and telling them what they should do. There are many outcomes to achieve when coaching is prevailingly active in the organisation. Here are some of them. People in the organisation will soon realise that there is now a new way of doing things in the organisation. Not only will they realise that they now will not get instant answers so easily from their bosses, but that they have to think hard for the answers themselves. This will turn them into thinking people and, soon thereafter, a thinking culture will start to take shape.

In the same vein, these leaders will soon discover that the non-directive way of growing people is more effective than the traditional ‘command and control’ ways that they have been used to all these years.

Doing it the non-directive way often will accelerate their growth even faster – they will become more independent, confident and courageous to take risks, which will augur well for real solid talents to grow at a far quicker rate. Another indirect outcome that usually happens is a closer engagement between leaders and their people, which will lead to higher productivity and morale in the workplace. Doing all this will also result in these leaders becoming more and more confident as coach leaders as they continue on to enhance their coaching skills, while at the same time picking up more coaching hours along the way. 

Certainly when this goes on and on, these leaders will become true coach leaders, who can coach other line managers to be coaches, as well. They will become competent internal coaches without having to rely on external ones to help them and others anymore.

 

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