Authors Katie Wright & Trevor Timbeck are trained professional Co-Active coaches through the Coaches Training Institute. Katie coaches leaders and professionals through her private practice; Trevor does so through the company he works for, Info-Tech Research Group. Katie & Trevor joined forces to compose an article on a topic that has great meaning to both.
Why Coaching in the Workplace?
1. Be a Leader who Knows what (s)he Wants.
Do you know what you want?
Coaching helps define your vision, and design your ideals and expectations so firstly it is clear to you what you want, and secondly, so you can communicate this to your team.
This clarity and straight-forwardness results in employees who feel: aware, needed, valued, and confident in their work.
Design what you want the dynamic to look like, and ask for what you need.
Leaders set the tone. Coaching helps you to set the right tone.
2. Be Different. Be Innovative.
Move with the times! Our world is changing rapidly. Demographics are shifting. New equations are being implemented on how business is carried out. Let’s take care of our people in new, innovative ways too.
You want to recruit the best-of-the-best, cream-of-the-crop talent – then offer something unique, as an enhanced perk, to joining your company.
Career is just one spoke on our wheel of life, however it’s one that for most of us steers the direction of our bike. How are the other spokes on your wheel (i.e. romance, family, friends, health, fun, etc..)? If the other spokes are compromised, then likely it’s impacting the quality of work, performance, and atmosphere.
Let’s face it, life is busy. There are no shortages of demands, expectations, wants, desires in all areas of life. Coaching provides the space to design what you want in all areas of your life.
“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.” (Simon Sinek, author, motivational speaker.)
3. Unleash Edge.
What is each person’s unique trait or edge, boss included? Has it been extracted?
Coaching is expansion in our thinking. That starts with thinking beyond the ordinary. Coaching is a playground. Play in the sandbox, get messy, think outside the box. You will see that colouring outside the lines isn’t all that unrealistic. Play in the not-so-ordinary, then dial it back.
Dare for that potential to be expressed. Watch the energy change as an individual’s unique strength comes alive each day. A person living aligned with their true self brings their best. A person fully expressed brings their best.
4. Become a Next-Generation Leader & Help Build the Next Generation of Leaders.
Remember the boss who you felt intimidated by? How good did it feel when they exercised their power over you? Uncomfortable. De-valued. Shook up. Shitty. Likely not getting the best work out of you.
A real, genuine leader doesn’t hold intimidating power over their team members, or leave them questioning their worth and value. A real leader sees the potential in her employees and helps to guide them to their place of magnificence where they can shine. Think, “extracting their edge” as mentioned in #3.
Think: Less suit and tie (it’s been done over and over – y’all are looking the same!); more dress professional as an expression of you. Haircut, clothes, accessories ... cool, suave.. dress as Y.O.U.
5. Law of Reciprocity. Give Back and See What Boomerangs Back.
Bring some love into the workplace. Not the ‘romantic, in-love’ type (too weird, HR red flags!) – instead it’s about respect of one another. Love for thy work, love for thy ethic as a human being. This is gratitude for one another. Kindness. Praise. Acknowledgment.
We’ve heard it all; “I don’t want to empower my team too much, they might leave.” Yes, they might, but it’s likely they were going to leave anyway.
Take the self-less route, and feel good about providing the opportunity to evolve, and lean into what they truly want. The law of reciprocity will honour you. What you put out you will receive back – likely grander in return. Put out that you want ‘good employees, that to do good work, that results in good things for the company’; receive ‘good employees, that do good work, that bring in good things for the company’.
6. You Don’t Have All the Answers. (What a Relief!)
Being a leader can be filled with stress, anxiety and overwhelm when you believe you need to have all the answers. As a leader, it isn’t your job to have all the answers - your job is to ask the right questions.
The answers exist already, and often with the people closest to the situation.
Building a coaching culture will help to relieve your anxiety, empower your employees, and result in better answers.
As a leader you need less Superman and more Yoda.
Adding coaching to the workplace – leader included – is a large reflection of how much you value your human talent and company as a whole. Yes, the company will gain, but all of the individuals who make it up will be a step closer to living on-point, aligned, expressed, and confident.
Experience resonance. Expect gains all around.
Katie Wright, CPCC,
Certified Professional Coach
Katie Wright Professional Coaching
Trevor Timbeck
Chief Talent Officer
Info-Tech Research Group
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