"Coaching is a mind opening experience (for both of you). The basic attitude should be “what can WE learn from this situation” and you should be continuously looking for opportunities to use this skill."

What is Coaching?

In the 1990s, coaching has become increasingly important as a way of developing the skills of employees. It is a two-way process, through direct discussion and guided activity. It builds skills and relationships in order to maintain or improve performance.

Think of any successful sports personality. They may be at the top of their profession but they all have one thing in common; they all still need to be coached. A sports coach sees the performance clearly and discusses ways of improving or sustaining that performance so that full potential is realised.

You are in a position to pass on comments, which are based on probably (but not necessarily) greater expertise with a view to securing or improving performance. Your job is to help staff develop to their full potential using work situations as they arise. You may need to make staff aware of how they are performing, make them think about this and use situations as training opportunities.

Because the most effective learning is informal and incidental, coaching provides an ideal opportunity to learn on the job, at the very point at which the need for a new skill or piece of knowledge becomes apparent. In its ideal form coaching is non-threatening, because it focuses on behaviour rather than results, and because the coach manages to process in such a way that the employee has the experience of developing skills for him or herself, rather than simply ‘being told what to do’.

Coaching is not a question of passing on advice, telling a member of staff what to do, closely supervising their every move and throwing in a quick lecture for good measure. It is all about spending some time and planned effort on helping staff to develop. It is a mind opening experience (for both of you). The basic attitude should be “what can WE learn from this situation” and you should be continuously looking for opportunities to use this skill.

Coaching occurs whenever the coach:

* • Provides positive feedback reinforcing effective behaviour, and thus helps to cement in the employee’s mind the behaviour that needs to be used in the future
* • Listens to others concerns and this promotes a sense of trust and accessibility.
* • Provides corrective feedback indicating concerns about ineffective behaviour and this reduces the likelihood of inefficiency or counterproductive working
* • Clears the air by tackling issues of concern before they become serious - and by confirming whether or not there really is an issue for concern. A lack of communication increases the likelihood that unfounded concerns are not dealt with.
* • Helps a colleague to perform a new task, develop a skill, solve a problem or build confidence. The word “colleague” here is deliberately chosen: whether the coaching relationship is between peers, or manager and subordinate, the concept of mutual respect and teamworking is fundamental; the person in a coaching role is always ‘helping’, never ‘telling’.

Benefits of Coaching

Coaching helps to achieve both performance improvement and employee development. The organisation is getting better standards of performance from its employees, while maintaining a level of investment in their future potential.

That investment is short term - because it is specific and episodic, replying on manager/employee contact - but the gains to the organisation are long term with regard to performance standards and quality of staff.

Delegation becomes more effective because:

Those whom the work is delegated have the competence necessary to carry out that work;

* They also have confidence in their ability to perform the work, and that they will be supported by their manager;
* Trust between manager and employee is increased; the manager trusts the employee’s capabilities; the employee trusts the manager’s intentions and support.
* By increasing the competence of those within his or her team, the manager frees up time to concentrate on the managerial role.
* Decision-making and responsiveness are speeded up as employees at lower levels have the competence to take on more responsibility and accountability.
* Work becomes more challenging and meaningful for both the coach and the employee. Retention is improved and better quality staff can be recruited.