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Many people associate the term “coaching” with sports, but the benefits of implementing a coaching culture into a business can go a long way towards organization, productivity, appropriate delegation and overall training of skills. As noted in an article by leadership expert Suzi McAlpine, effective coaching extends past employee morale and has a positive effect on profits and customer satisfaction as well. 

In her experiences talking with business managers, however, she found herself coming across the same three misconceptions about coaching in the business realm. By identifying what these misconceptions are from the start, businesses can implement a coaching culture capable of reaping the aforementioned benefits. 

1. Coaching is primarily done to help others, not the coach themself. While the value might not be as transparent as the advice being given or lesson taught, effective coaching can give employees the confidence to take initiative on new and more challenging projects. As a result, the coaching manager can worry less about employees getting tasks done, and revamp their own work schedule to take on other more important tasks.

2. Coaching is strictly the act of teaching or giving advice. It often involves that, but an employee won’t take a coach’s words to heart if they feel the communication is a one-way street. A coach’s ability to listen and pick up on body language can go a long way towards establishing trust and getting through to employees. 

3. Coaching always requires a lot of time to do. Not every opportunity to coach needs to be a formal meeting lasting multiple hours. It can be as simple as a few-minute conversation stopping by an employee’s workspace and integrating a bit of coaching into the general conversation. Additionally, coaching opportunities don’t always need to be initiated by the coach. If an employee consults the coach with a problem, a good exercise is to ask questions that require the employee to be introspective and find a solution themselves. Doing so can encourage self growth and not a reliance on the coach. 

Examples include:

  • “What is currently getting in the way of X happening?”
  • “If any actions are possible, what would they be?”
  • “What is the worst case scenario?”

 

In related news, check out this article on four steps managers can expect when major changes happen in a business.