THE coaching industry has matured to become an integral part of learning and development programmes for workforces either big or small, and in nearly every sector. Through coaching, businesses benefit a lot and this article will examine how businesses can implement coaching in 2023 and beyond and how the growing popularity of coaching will mould and benefit the modern-day work experience.
As the coaching industry continues to evolve under the influence of a “new world of work”, which is increasingly digital, agile and transformed for the post-pandemic world. To lead this new world of workplaces and massive transformation organisations and leaders need coaches who are specialised — not just in a particular industry, but in components of businesses. These specialised coaches must be familiar with relevant research and industry trends, and they must have the ability to analyse data to help leaders solve unprecedented challenges. The future will see corporate coaching that’s focused on an organisation’s overall strategy, ultimately helping the organisation to achieve its mission by nurturing senior leaders who are able to meet targets through maximum performance.
What is coaching in the workplace?
Workplace coaching is the process of equipping employees with the knowledge, tools and opportunities necessary for them to be effective. It involves a professional helping relationship that focuses on the needs of the employees and the goals of an organisation. In actual fact it is a leadership strategy that aims at addressing workplace objectives. It also empowers employees to meet the same goals. Workplace coaching ensures employees gain career or professional development and satisfaction they need and in return, it helps to retain the most valued employees who are dedicated to the achievement of organisational goals.
Coaching enables corporate change efforts
The business world is engaged in rapid transformation driven by world events ranging from economic pressures to technological revolution, and from changing employee expectations about the nature of work to an aging workforce. Organisations are still struggling with creating successful, flexible work models and navigating changes at workplaces. The panacea to that is a personalised and holistic coaching experience that enables employees to work one-on-one with a coach that can help them address critical skills gaps or areas for professional growth, navigate their workplaces and the world’s uncertainties and develop resilience to keep going when things get tough.
Coaching enhances personalised, hands-on learning
I normally refer to experiential learning as hands-on learning, which is learning by doing, and even better, learning by reflecting on that doing. This type of active learning has proven to be highly effective. In fact, hands-on, integrative and collaborative active learning experiences lead to high levels of achievement and personal development in organisations. Rather than subjecting employees to traditional learning formats like one-size-fits-all training, companies are modernising traditional professional training. Continuous professional development can now be delivered via seamless digital tools that provide personalised and engaging mentoring and coaching. These highly experiential and ultra-personalised learning and delvelopment solutions maximise the transfer and application of new skills and are beneficial to the organisation.
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Coaching will usher in Gen Z values to the workforce
For the first time, there are five generations in the workforce. This generation of digital natives is deeply purpose-driven, wanting to contribute to a workplace that aligns with its values. Consequently, Gen Z will push for workplace change with inclusion and equity leading the way. Corporate coaching will usher in the new generation and blend all generations together so that organisations can benefit from that. Professional development is important to a Gen Z employee. Forward-thinking organisations lean on coaching to help support their core values and build a culture of equity. Personalised coaches can help employees embrace their colleagues’ uniqueness, instilling empathy and understanding while increasing self-efficacy and openness.
Better engagement and higher productivity
It is a fact that coaching leads to better engagement, higher productivity and enhanced customer service. It also helps an employee to improve performance, overcome challenges, reach aspirational goals and build self-confidence. Responsible managers who are coaches help their team members to be more self-aware. In that process, the manager embarks on a journey to discover themselves in a better way. Everytime the manager asks their team member a question, it triggers several thoughts and feelings in their own mind.
Building stronger relationships
Coaching, as a prerequisite, needs rapport between a coach and a team member, and at the heart of rapport lies trust. The coaching relationship solidifies that trust by reinforcing the connection between the two individuals, which happens at several stages. When a manager listens to a team member without any judgement, the team member’s self-esteem increases as they feel valued, respected and empowered and at the end of the day it is beneficial to the organisation.
Increased level of engagement
Coaching engages participants with its unique one-on-one feedback and lots of encouragement. When employees become engaged with their workplace, they can contribute more effectively to the team and the organisation. This engagement also helps to increase retention rates and productivity, benefiting employees’ careers as well as the organisation. Most managers need to be developed in order to get better at coaching. Coaching will be most effective when the coach understands that his or her role is to help people to learn at the same time maximising the performance and productivity of the organisation.
Improves communication
Communication is the art of expressing (or transmitting) ideas, information, knowledge, thoughts, and feelings, as well as understanding what is expressed by others.
The communication process involves both sending and receiving messages and can take many forms. Coaching enables leaders to realise that their communication isn’t always as clear as they think. Coaches will highlight areas of communication that need improvement and practise those areas with the leader.
More so coaches can also teach leaders how to communicate with individuals of different personalities, cultures or ages using past experiences as examples.
Workplace coaching helps create strong bonds within teams in an organisation. Coaching makes employees more comfortable with their leaders and thus feel free to seek help in case of problems.
As companies struggle to stay agile and change rapidly, they will increasingly turn to coaching as an essential lever in driving continuous transformation among their workforces.
