Improve performance – Helping others to help themselves

Mentoring and Coaching

Mentoring and coaching are increasingly recognised as one of the most effective ways to enhance the skills and behaviours of others. Coaching is about helping others to help themselves, following the well-known proverb:

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

The skills involved in coaching can be used when supporting direct reports and working with colleagues.

Coaching is about supporting and encouraging people to manage their own learning so that they can maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance, and become the person they want to be.

Research suggests there are benefits for the coachee (the person being coached), the coach, and the organisation as a result of a coaching intervention.

For example, for a manager, coaching and empowering team members to undertake key tasks provides more time to focus on added-value activities—“working on the business, not in the business.” As a manager, consider which activities you are currently doing that could be delegated. Why are you not coaching your team to do these tasks—because it is faster, easier, or better to do them yourself? The challenge is that if you do not teach others, you will always have to do it yourself. What could you do with the extra time created?

For employees being coached, there are also significant benefits. Based on Frederick Herzberg’s research, key motivators at work include a sense of achievement, recognition, relationships with colleagues, and status. Coaching sessions provide an excellent opportunity to explore these motivators, discuss challenges and opportunities, and agree actions to support development.

What motivates your colleagues? How often do you discuss these motivators with them? What impact would a more motivated and engaged workforce have on your organisation?

So is Coaching right for you and your organisation?

Answer the following 10 questions:

1. Would you benefit from employees learning how to solve their own problems and not always come to you for the solution ?
2. Are you repeatedly helping the same people with the same problems and so need them to break this cycle ?
3. Would it be helpful for people to have a safe environment where they can share how they are feeling, try out new ideas and get feedback ?
4. Do employees sometimes need help to sort out personal issues that might otherwise affect performance at work ?
5. Are you in a rapidly evolving business environment and would you benefit to learn and adapt is quickly becoming an essential skill ?
6. Do you need to support employees who’ve been promoted to cope with new responsibilities and skills ?
7. Could decision-making of senior employees be improved so they feel confident and competent make those difficult everyday decisions ?
8. Are you looking for an alternative to Training as research suggests that some people learn best when they can specifically talk about issues relevant to them and their role ?
9. Do you think someone has lots of potential and could perform even better ?
10. Has someone develop a ‘bad attitude’ or has become demotivated or you want to change how they are feeling ?

If you answered YES to any of the above you may be interested in developing a Coaching programme for your organisation. You might want to explore who might need a coach and who in your organisation has the potential to be a great coach