Creating a Coaching Culture
We often hear nowadays that organisations want to create a coaching culture. Indeed, a surprising number already claim to have one, which in our observation is an over-estimation based on lack of clarity as to what it actually means.
So what is a coaching culture?
Coaching is about driving performance. So a coaching culture is one where individual, team and organisational performance enhancement is prioritised at both strategic and operational levels. This will mean something different for different environments, and part of growing an effective coaching culture within an organisation is to get clear exactly what it is that you want to achieve, i.e. what outcomes you want coaching to support.
When we work with client organisations to develop a coaching culture, we start with a 'current reality check' using our Coaching Road Map. This helps to identify where you are on the spectrum and where the optimal leverage lies for progressing towards a more robust coaching culture.
How to build and embed a coaching culture
The most effective way to develop a coaching culture is through partnership between HR/L&D and business, where coaching is presented as an essential element of a high performing culture, aligned with organisational and leadership priorities.
A coaching culture is built on trust. This can take time, especially in an environment where there has been a history of command and control or breakdown in communication among different elements of the organisation. In our experience, however, introducing a coaching style of communication can be a very effective and surprisingly fast way to rebuild trust and engagement, creating a strong platform from which to drive massive performance shifts.
What are the essentials for a coaching culture?
1. Sponsorship from the top
It is essential to walk the talk, with senior people demonstrating a coaching style of leadership and communication.
2. Alignment of coaching with strategy
Coaching needs to be embedded as an intrinsic aspect of the organisational strategy and performance culture
3. Link coaching with talent development
Coaching is an ideal way to develop people's potential, for example to support personal development plans, appraisal action plans and talent development. Typically, the most talented people will seek out coaching as a way to drive their own performance and career progression.
4. Provide coaching skills workshops and learning opportunities
We find that even offering 'bite sized' two hour workshops can make a tremendous difference in opening people's eyes as to the benefits of coaching. Raising awareness as to what coaching means and sharing some basic skills can make a huge difference in creating a 'tipping point' within the culture towards coaching becoming 'business as usual'.
5. Share and harvest the learnings
Coaching conversations will stimulate fresh thinking and innovative ways of doing things. In a mature coaching culture, these learnings and themes are shared and implemented across functional boundaries, so that the whole organisation is stimulated to higher levels of performance and knowledge sharing.