If you are a Leader thinking about building a “Coaching Culture” then get your feet wet!

Building a?coaching?culture in the workplace better positions companies to grow and nurture talent. But what?exactly is?a "coaching?culture," and how can leaders make this part of their everyday environment?

A?coaching?culture simply means supporting your employees so that they learn new skills and become greater assets to the company. A corporate culture that emphasizes?open communication, regular feedback and feedforward, and opportunities for growth creates a more engaged and energized workforce.

• Lead By Example?

If you think your team could benefit from?coaching, engage a?coach?for yourself. Find someone who delivers exactly what you are hoping to provide for your team. If?you achieve the desired results, then share your experiences with your team. Leading by example will change the paradigm of "you need assistance, but I'm just fine," to "I have benefited, and now I want you to experience this."

• Ask Your Employees the Right Questions?

A?coaching?culture encourages employees to learn from their experience by exploring the right questions rather than telling them what to do and how to do it. Next time an employee has a challenge ask them open-ended questions that begin with "how" or "what." For instance, "What would you have done differently? and "How can I support you?" This way you empower employees to come up with meaningful solutions.

• Start At the Top?

Start by teaching senior leaders a few?coaching?basics — listening, asking questions, encouraging others to reflect and develop insights before taking action. Then guide them to?coach?their most respected team members. As these “influencers” gain traction from being coached, they will be open?to learning and modeling the same?coaching?behaviors. Over time,?a?coaching?culture will emerge.

• Bring In Training?

If you are going to successfully integrate?coaching?into your workplace culture, you must engage expert?coaches?to train individuals at all levels of the organization in?coaching?practice. Too often, companies try to bring what they call "coaching" in, which is not actual coaching, but more like mentoring or advising. You need to ensure there is alignment at all levels and evaluate effectiveness

• Just Do It?

Coaching?is a way of being, and as such, you can't simply integrate it. You just have to understand what it is and do it. It's not the same as adding carrots to your stew. So, the key is to educate teams about what?coaching?is and then have them do it —?coach?each other. Have a weekly group?coaching?session with a?coach?to help answer questions and demonstrate.

• Build A?Coaching?Routine?

You can’t be a runner without putting in weekly miles, and you can’t have a?coaching?culture without a?coaching?routine. One?high-performing sales manager at a top notch global organization creates a?coaching?culture by allocating an entire day each week to?coaching. On Tuesdays her 10+ direct reports get 50 minutes of one-on-one?coaching?— time completely dedicated to their developmental needs.

• Make Managers Accountable for Developing Employees?

Create a?coaching?culture by tying this activity to the company's mission, and hold every manager accountable for?coaching?employees to help them master their jobs and learn new skills. Create a structured process with clear goals for?coaching?employees. Be sure to make time and resources available to guarantee success. Reward managers who meet or exceed these goals and reevaluate those who don't.

• Ask More Questions Than You Answer?

When someone asks you what to do, ask them what they think will work. Ask how they came to that conclusion.?Ask what alternatives they've considered.?Show them that you value their input, and empower?them to make decisions and be ready to defend them. Over time, you’ll find that people will begin to bring you solutions instead of problems, and they’ll encourage their teams to do the same.

• Be Clear and Strategic?

If you don't already have a clear definition of what?coaching?is, you need to have one so everyone in the organization is in sync with what it means, especially compared to mentoring, training, consulting, etc. Then, ensure?coaching?is not an "ad hoc" activity, but is truly integrated into your overall talent management strategy.

We at MySkillsLab would be more than happy to discuss and share the benefits of Leadership Coaching and how Coaching can elevate your people to the next level. You can reach me at [email protected]

Looking forward to hearing from you!