Building a Coaching Culture

At a stage in the development of inspiring leadership at Purina I was convinced that we needed to take things to the next stage and really develop a coaching culture. I remember having a discussion with the manufacturing director and the words he used really stuck with me. He agreed with me that we needed a coaching style of management, but said 'Don't do coaching for coaching sake, rather do it as part of something else much bigger'. Not long after that Nestlé embarked on their Continuous Excellence world wide change programme, and we had been gifted the giant wave that would take coaching right across the world.

So why bother with building a coaching culture?

What are the benefits to the organisation?

• Improve productivity, quality, customer service and shareholder value
• Can gain increased employee commitment and satisfaction, which can lead to increased retention
• Demonstrate to employees that an organisation is committed to developing its staff and helping them improve their skills
• Support employees who’ve been promoted to cope with new responsibilities
• Help employees to sort out personal issues that might otherwise affect performance at work
• Gain a satisfactory process for self-development
• Support other training and development initiatives e.g. reduce ‘leakage’ from training courses

ALSO what are the benefits to the individual?

• Learn to solve own problems
• Improve managerial and interpersonal skills
• Have better relationships with colleagues
• Learn how to identify and act on development needs
• Have greater confidence
• Become more effective, assertive in dealing with people
• Have a positive impact on people
• Have greater self-awareness and gain of new perspectives
• Acquire new skills and abilities
• Develop greater adaptability to change
• Improve work-life balance
• Reduce stress levels

That is why we bother!!! As you can see there are considerable benefits to both individual and organisation is real justification for building a coaching culture.

GREAT STUFF ... but first a word of warning.
We run a workshop designed for top teams to help them to get their heads around what is involved in building a coaching culture and to give these words of wisdom right from the start.

•  It HAS to start from the top – people follow what they see!
• Equally it has to be carried out by all the team.
• It is better not to start than to start and give up.
• It must be seen as integral and critical to the Company achieving it’s targets and numbers – not a bolt on that “we ought to be doing.”
• It is not just about the skill to do it!! Many have the skill but just don’t use it.
• Coaching is a range of roles and skills.
• It is not a soft option – coaching is definitely not about being soft – this myth needs to be shattered!!

If you have got this far and are still keen to build a coaching culture .. then we must talk!