Coaching has become one of the most critical yet value-adding competencies for a leader in any organization. If you want to improve overall performance as an organization or department, you won't accomplish it by adding new and expensive hardware. You won't achieve it by introducing new technology or processes. It’s a matter of getting out from behind your desk and coaching someone. I think this is something that Cassling does exceptionally well. Their leaders consistently provide effective coaching opportunities to improve overall performance.
But I don’t think a lot of organizations understand the impact that coaching can have on performance, not just from an individual standpoint, but from an organizational, high-level perspective. Coaching can help with just about any aspect of performance. It can help improve accuracy, develop skills, and expand on individual employee expertise. It can also help reduce errors and minimize risks to patients. There isn’t a single area related to performance that effective coaching can’t improve.
So why don’t organizations coach more often? The main reason is simply time. Too many other things get in the way. We are too busy. We don’t have time to coach and develop our staff. The reality is, there’s nothing much more important than taking the time to develop our employees. But I don’t think that a lot of leaders understand why this is so important, nor how to effectively coach.
We must create a culture of coaching in our organizations. We must take the approach that the most important thing that we can do for followers’ performance is to coach them through difficult times and provide continuous encouragement when our employees are doing great work. Do you and your organization's culture view mistakes as opportunities to reprimand and punish employees, or do you see mistakes as opportunities to develop and learn?
In our November workshop, we'll talk about what it takes to have a culture of coaching, how coaching can impact your business results and lead to improved team interactions and performance. We’ll talk about what effective coaching leaders and coaching organizations look like. Together, we’ll have a conversation about how coaching can positively impact our organizations.