What is coaching in the workplace?

The multifaceted use of the word coaching continues to bring some misconception on the topic: what is coaching in the workplace? We could start by thinking about what coaching is not.  Coaching is not mentoring, it is not consulting and it is not therapy.  In the workplace, coaching is about partnering with a colleague or colleagues with the aim of supporting each other to find one’s own way forward and the action plan to get there.  In a coaching situation, not one person holds the “correct answer”.  Rather, the aim is to help the coachee unleash her/his potential through powerful open questions.  Coaching is a “thought-provoking, creative and action driven process that inspires us to maximise personal and professional potential¹”.  Excellent coaching requires, at least, deep listening and powerful questioning. 

Participants in our leadership development programs often borrow what they perceive about coaching from the sports world.  Coaching in sports is probably familiar to most people.  Ideally, great sport coaches inspire their athletes and enable them to reach their peak performance. Here there is a good parallel with what a great leader does in the workplace: inspire their colleagues and enable them to reach their peak performance.  The great leader serves their colleagues and coaching is one tool they can use in the service of leadership. 

While there is great variability depending on the sport and the competence of the coach, in general, sport coaches give advice, constructive and positive feedback, and technical guidance.  Sport coaches are experts in their field and they share the wisdom of their expertise to get their athletes to perform at their best.  Here is where we can get in trouble borrowing from sports coaching.  Good leaders have a responsibility to give constructive and positive feedback.  While good leaders may be experts in their field, good leaders know that they do not know all the answers.  Good leaders can use coaching to uncover solutions, ideas, and answers with their colleagues and focus on unleashing the potential of those around instead of just sharing their perceived (correct!) view of the world.  This is probably the most basic difference between sports coaching and coaching in the workplace.  Sometimes, the best coach is one whose expertise is far away from their coachees’ expertise. This enables the coach to create real insight through powerful questions and also helps the coach to stir away from leading questions.  In the complex modern global organization, not one leader holds all the knowledge or expertise. This is why coaching in the workplace can be so beneficial.

Coaching in complex modern global organizations delivers many business benefits. While recognizing that coaching is not a “one size fits all” leadership tool, when done well, coaching is indeed a very effective tool.  First, it enables leaders to build the capacity to learn, problem solve and to be creative in their teams.  It is a great tool to harness the potential in people while keeping ownership and responsibility where it should be.  In a nutshell, this translates to delivering better products/better service faster and also helps in partnering with clients to find best market driven solutions. Second, when using coaching as a leadership tool, the leader assumes that individuals are packed with potential and the responsibility of leaders and colleagues is to pull out that potential. This assumption creates a vibrant culture: an empowered workforce in a positive work environment. Third, coaching supports leaders to involve, inspire and innovate in the organizational context. This is the essence of the type of leadership required to succeed now and in the future.  Finally, coaching is results focused.  So while coaching sets off from a positive assumption (individuals are packed with potential), the end result of coaching is a clear action plan with a timeline or at the very least, a more clear definition of the opportunity.  Therefore, coaching enables a leader to support their team members to reach peak performance and crystalize the actions required to get there.  To realize these benefits, organizations need a critical mass of coaching competent leaders.   

How are you reaping the benefits of coaching in your organization?

¹International Coaching Federation ICF

Laura Vargas

laura.vargas@pertec.fi

+ 358 45 319 2330

Senior Partner at Pertec Consulting