The Power of Coaching

According to a survey published in Chief Learning Officer Magazine, coaching is the top leadership skill required for frontline managers. Although not quite obligatory, it is an effective tool that great leaders should always adopt in order to unlock the potential of employees and scale their team up for growth.

What is Coaching?

According to Dr. Peter Chee and Jack Canfield, coaching is the process of empowering people through effective listening, asking questions, giving feedback, appreciating, and supporting people to realize their goals – as well as to take ownership of their work and life.

Traditionally, management is about giving directions: here's what needs to be done, here's how I'd like you to do it, here's when it needs to be completed, and so on. Coaching takes on a different approach - by pointing other team members towards their own resourcefulness. Unlike mentoring that focuses on providing solutions, the idea behind coaching is to make the unconscious conscious - by helping people realize their own solutions themselves.

The coach's agenda is insight - the kind of knowledge that comes from the inside - and behavioral change - which involves adopting the right behaviors and abandoning harmful ones that hold you back from tapping into your full potential.

Why Coaching

At the heart of a great coach is a firm belief that each person is a uniquely valuable individual with distinct gifts and potential for greatness. A coach knows how to appreciate what is special in others and believes that every person is created to be magnificent in their own way.

“Belief lifts your talent. Your talent will not be lifted to the highest level unless you also have belief.”

John Maxwell

If done properly, coaching provides people with intrinsic motivation - the willingness to try new things and make new discoveries. A study conducted by McKinsey & Company shows that when employees find greater intrinsic motivation, they are 32% more committed to their work and 46% more satisfied with their jobs.

“Every $1.00 invested in coaching programs created $5.70 in improved results”

Thomas G. Crane

In recent years, organizations around the world have come to recognize the power of coaching. Findings derived from research and practice reveal that training can improve performance by an average of 22% whereas training applied with follow-on coaching produces 88% improvement in performance. This translates to a 400% improvement in results produced when comparing training to coaching being used as a follow-on after training.

Case Study: David's Story

David was a general manager of a multinational shipping company based in Long Beach, California, and formerly a captain in the armed forces. His father fought in World War II and while raising his kids had followed a strict military regimen. David was well known in his company as a very tough, no-nonsense boss. His employees feared him since he was good at finding people’s faults - though he also fixed them. His command-and-control style meant that employees were not expected to act proactively and creatively in the face of escalating environmental changes. Employee morale was low, and business was declining rapidly. David had to face this crisis on his own without the support of his employees. The prolonged high stress affected David to the point that he had to undergo heart surgery.

One of our professional coaches worked with David. It was very difficult initially, and for the most part, his staff believed that he could not and would not change. The coach had confidence in David’s greatness and believed that he was capable of notable achievements. When David knew that the coach was fully present for him and would champion his cause without being judgmental, he began to speak what was in his heart. When David fully articulated the tremendous pain in his life and his coach listened empathically, it was as if a massive weight was lifted from his shoulders. David became aware that his leadership approach was not bearing fruit. The awareness and acceptance of how his approach was limiting his achievements became the eureka moment that fueled his transformation. It gave David the motivation to invent his new approach to leadership, which he called “Participative-Appreciative Leadership.”

Old habits take time and discipline to change, so David’s coach encouraged him to create a way to remind himself to stay with his new approach until the new habit became locked in. One of the many self-created support structures that proved effective for David was this: He instructed all his employees that every time he reverted to his old style of leadership, they were to say to him, “Yes, Captain!” He knew—or suspected—that when they did this he would laugh out loud at himself, interrupting his old military pattern. As he constantly replaced his old pattern with the new one, he began to reap the rewards of what his coach believed he was capable of achieving. His belief in himself soared, and so did his performance.

Nine months into the coaching relationship, David had created a new work culture that increased staff satisfaction and performance. The change was so profound that he received the “Outstanding Leader of the Year” award from his head office. His wife expressed deep gratitude when she told the coach that David was now a changed man. In his acceptance speech, David said, “I am eternally grateful to my coach for believing in me when no one else did. You are the wind beneath my wings. You lifted me up and that changed my life.” When he paused to wipe away his tears, you could have heard a pin drop. The song “Wind Beneath My Wings” sung by Bette Midler played in the background, and David’s coach and staff were moved to tears.

How to become a better coach

Here are three ways to become a better coach to your team - and to yourself:

1. Become a better listener

Listening is the often-forgotten skill that managers lack. Employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to do their best work. On the other hand, listening to other viewpoints also help shape your own, which in turn may impact the entire organization's business.

2. Reject all limitations

"It seems impossible, until it's done"

Nelson Mandela

There are many things in life that seemed impossible: driving a car, getting married, tying my shoes... An effective coach realizes that we all have limiting beliefs. When those beliefs are seen and understood objectively, a new viewpoint emerges - and so does a new direction for the whole team.

3. Establish a sense of safety

Coaches understand that there's no such thing as constructive criticism - criticism always constructs defensiveness. For this reason, they aim to create a safe environment, in which all ideas are welcomed. All employees can share their insights without fear of correction or retribution. This provides a foundation for innovation and self-empowerment.

ITD World's coaching solutions

The world has irrevocably changed - we now have 4 generations working alongside one another in workplaces around the globe. We need communication and coaching skills that support our deep need to be part of the organization to which we give our life energies. 

ITD World is established to provide a solution to that need. Our coaching programs have been widely delivered for over 10 years to many Fortune 1,000 companies - and have made a strong impact in creating high-performance coaching cultures.

Currently, our 5 most significant coaching solutions are:

1. Certified Coaching and Mentoring Professional (CCMP) – World #8 coaching development program, recognized by the International Coach Federation (ICF).
2. Certificate in Performance Coaching (CPC) – A 2-module program focusing on the 7 key coaching skills and the Transformational Coaching Model for powerful workplace conversations.
3. Certified Chief Master Coach (CCMC) – The ultimate coaching certification, provided by 5 of the world’s top coaching gurus.
4. Certificate in Disruptive Coaching (CDC) – This program is aimed at Disruptive Coaching, which has the capability to accelerate creativity and innovation for a high-performing team.
5. Executive Coaching and Mentoring – A one-on-one training program for CEOs and Senior Management, with over 100 dedicated coaches, mentors, and consultants from around the world.

Check out ITD World's full brochure about our services - provided by the TOP GURUs in the world.

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