It is well documented that Coaching is a highly effective method of managing and leading people to greater and greater levels of personal performance. Whether on the sports field or in business, the increase of the use of coaches has grown exponentially over the last few years.
This is not without good reason; numerous studies – most notably one called the Manchester Review, demonstrated that coaching increased the ROI and effectiveness of Managers and Executives by over 500%. Coaching as a methodology is used throughout the world, and it’s definitely of use to anyone who has responsibility for people management or leadership.

Its use in business has grown massively in recent years, as it has proven to be one of the most effective tools for gaining increases in efficiency and effectiveness. Coaching is also something that is generally viewed positively by the “Coachees”, who usually see it as a beneficial interaction with their managers or superiors as compared to the more traditional methods that were used in the past.

Often, coaching is mistakenly viewed as something only for salespeople – this is a completely false misconception, as all functions can benefit from managers and senior staff being trained in the tools and techniques used by coaches.

Coaching is the practice of providing support and advice to an individual or group in order to help them recognize ways in which they can improve the effectiveness of their business. Coaches work to improve leadership, establish employee accountability, inspire teamwork, generate sales, expand communication, motivate goal setting, implement strategic planning and much more. This can be provided in a number of ways, including one-on-one or group coaching sessions. Mistakenly, coaching is often seen to be only needed when things are not going well, however successful businesses recognize the benefits of coaching even when their organisation is at its best.

Coaching is not the same as mentoring, and the two should not be confused. Mentoring involves a developmental relationship between a more experienced “mentor” and a less experienced partner, typically involving the sharing of advice. A coach can act as a mentor – given that he or she has adequate expertise and experience. However, mentoring is not a form of coaching. A good coach need not have specific business expertise and experience in the same field as the person receiving the coaching in order to provide quality coaching services.

Coaching is also NOT training. Often, companies I have worked with have said to me that they want their managers to be coaches or that they want to improve the organisations coaching capabilities, but in reality they want people to become on-the-job trainers.

An effective coach can add value far beyond the cost of the sessions or the cost of an employee brought in as a coach. In the Pharmaceutical Industry for example, Sales Managers will generally spend in excess of 120 days per year in the field with their team – working on a 1:1 basis; this is a huge investment of time and money. If these managers can become excellent coaches, the value gained here will be exponential, and if they can’t, then that’s a lot of money wasted on heating the passenger seat of a car.

Many organisations expect their senior leaders and middle managers to coach their team members toward higher levels of performance, increased job satisfaction, personal growth, and career development. Those that do, usually back up their expectations with training in coaching skills, access to feedback tools, and/or specific coaching behaviours described in their leadership competency models. However, few organisations link coaching activities to compensation, and until there is a prominent culture that links effective coaching to reward, there will continue to be minimal coaching by managers. In order to embed this culture into an organisation it is necessary to provide proper training and support to those that are expected to coach, and also link their compensation and reward to the benefits that they deliver within this role.

Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of the L2L Group, specialising in providing Executive Coaching, Training and Consultancy Services to Businesses across the Globe. Want to learn more about these business success strategies? Get Alan’s popular FREE Business Pack today!

Photo: Zsuzsanna Kilián