3 Tips for Effective Employee Coaching

By Debbie Amaro
 
The performance of any company is directly tied to the performance of its employees, but business leaders often struggle to utilize this knowledge to maximize the success of their team and their organization.
 
“One of best ways to develop your company is to develop the people who work for you.”
 
Adopting an effective employee coaching program enables you to develop the success and performance of your team, without compromising their loyalty to the success and performance of your company.
 
When discussing employee development, many people use terms like training and coaching interchangeably, but these two methods actually have distinct purposes.
 

• Training is task-oriented, often teaching employees how to do something or in what circumstances to do something.

 

• Coaching is people-focused – encouraging employees to generate solutions and problem solve with the guidance of a mentor.

 
It’s important to remember these different focuses; while training can be standardized for your organization, coaching should be customized for each of your employees.
 
Although there is no standard process for coaching all employees, there are a few key concepts you can utilize to maximize the effectiveness of your coaching efforts.
 
Below we share our 3 Tips for Effective Employee Coaching to help you develop and implement a successful coaching program.
 
Be Collaborative
Coaching works best when employees assume ownership over their own professional development and improvement. Taking a collaborative approach to coaching, rather than a top-down approach, helps to create a more enriching coaching experience.
 
Collaborative employee coaching is rooted in asking strategic questions, rather than making declarative statements. For example, rather than telling an employee how they could be more efficient with their time, an effective coach would ask the employee to brainstorm ways to be more efficient.
 
Offer Coaching to All Employees
Coaching is a good tool for employees in need of a performance adjustment, but effective coaching isn’t confined to this group alone. If you only coach your poor performers, you reinforce the misconception that coaching is a disciplinary consequence and an indication that they’re “in trouble.”
 
In reality, anyone can improve their skills and learn new approaches, so all team members should have the opportunity to experience effective coaching. Coaching for top performers may focus more on developing strengths or building new skills needed for advancement in the organization. For less consistent performers, coaching may focus on identifying areas of weakness or fostering beneficial habits to increase success.
 
Incorporating coaching into the career paths of all your employees indicates your commitment to their success, which will hopefully encourage your team to be committed to your success in return.
 
Coach to Achieve Future Goals
Effective coaching is proactive coaching. Engaging all of your employees in a collaborative coaching experience enables you to prepare your workforce for the future needs of the company.
 
As your company grows, your employees will need to improve or refine their knowledge, skills, and abilities to meet your new business goals.
 
Start by asking your employees about their professional goals and how they imagine their goals contributing to the success of the company. Develop coaching plans based upon the professional goals of your team members and the strategic goals of your company.
 
Remember that coaching should be customized for each employee based upon their knowledge, skills, and abilities, but you can apply these key concepts to your unique coaching program in order to maximize its effectiveness.
 
If you need a partner to help you improve the performance of your employees or with any other HR matters please reach out to us at info@dsahrsolutions.com or (707) 361-5385

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