It’s interesting how changes in scientific theory are mirrored in the workplace. We’ve gone from Newtonian science—if it’s measurable we can plan and control it—to Einstein’s quantum physics, which teaches us we can only know things in relationship to others.
Our workplaces have been evolving in much the same way, from the commandand-and-control model initiated in the industrial revolution to a much more egalitarian workplace… with varying levels of success. A major shift in this worldview is seeing employees as assets not expenses and recognizing that investing in these assets and providing them with resources ultimately increases their value.
5 TIPS FOR A GOOD COACHING EXPERIENCE
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Old habits die hard, however, and much of the literature is about quantifying the impact of relationship behaviors. In their 2007 Global Workforce Study, Towers Perrin set out to measure employee “engagement,” which they defined as workers giving “full discretionary effort on the job—going well above and beyond what’s required because they’re caught up in the passion and purpose of creating a better product, service or customer experience.”
According to their study, only one in every five workers today is engaged, with 38% disenchanted or disengaged, meaning they are not performing anywhere near their true capability. This “engagement gap” is a major red flag for employers, because there is a strong connection between employee engagement and the fi nancial performance of the company. Therefore, companies that fail to engage their employees may be behind in the talent market and in the broader market for customers, revenue, investors and capital.
There is good news in the survey. Organizational attributes like leadership, career and professional development and work culture/reputation play a significant role in shaping employees’ level of engagement and behavior. In other words, engaged employees are not born, but made. The question becomes: How do we most effectively create engaged employees and, more particularly, engaged leaders?
We know that concentrated trainings
help increase your knowledge base, so the
key question is: How do you put this new
information into action? This is where
coaching comes in.
What exactly is executive coaching?
Executive coaching is a one-on-one
confidential business relationship that
is customized to the individual’s specific
business needs to help people learn more
about themselves so they can change their
behavior to benefit their workplace.
Coaches probe beyond the surface to understand the beliefs driving behaviors to provide sustainable solutions for several results:
- more easily and powerfully influence staff, colleagues and clients;
- better able to leverage assets, resources, connections and talents;
- improved communication skills so they are better heard and understood;
- better able to deal constructively with difficult people;
- better prioritize goals, responsibilities, roles and projects;
- more receptive to new ideas, approaches and views;
- update their personal paradigm by examining their assumptions; and
- broader perspective about their work.
Executive coaching was first coined
in the mid-1980s by the Division of
Consulting Psychology of the American
Psychological Association. It is now a $1
billion dollar industry. Today, busy executives
have few other assisted means of
continued development making coaching
an especially useful tool.
In a survey by the Hay Group, nearly half of the 247 senior executives surveyed reported they didn’t feel adequately prepared for their new leadership roles.
With executive coaching, the time is focused on the executive’s specific situation and needs. It can help the executive become someone who gets out of his or her own way to become someone who communicates effectively and efficiently while avoiding energy drains so they can do what they want with their job performance. Much, however, depends on the coach and the rapport established.
Coaching is in its infancy and is currently
unregulated. Anyone can call herself
a coach, with little or no training in the
discipline. However, this is gradually beginning
to change with the International Coach
Federation (ICF) accrediting coach training
programs and overseeing certification. Given
the nature of the investment, it is particularly
important to understand the training and
philosophy a coach espouses in order to find
a successful and productive partnership.
Amanda Mitchell is an Executive Coach at The O’Keefe Group, which specializes in working with high performers in the healthcare communication arena.
