In the modern workplace, almost everything revolves around improving. You want to improve morale, to improve productivity, to improve your workplace culture — the list can easily go on. When it comes to exactly how to accomplish improvement across the board, you have quite a few tried-and-true avenues. But what about good old-fashioned coaching? Does that have a place in our work culture today? It absolutely does.

Employee Coaching Isn’t Only for Struggling Employees

Right off the bat, perish the thought that coaching is only for troublesome employees that need “a little nudge” or are due for performance improvement. Taken into the right context and done properly, employee coaching is for everyone. Coaching is an opportunity to equip your team with the tools, information, and motivation needed to stay on task and work their best.

If your current coaching methods are reserved for misbehaving team members, your coaching needs a revamp. It’s not a punishment, it’s an opportunity to connect with your employees and to delegate effectively.

Employee Coaching is About Collaboration

Whatever leadership role you fulfill within your business, it is your duty to lead. This means more than keeping the trains running on time — it means that the wellbeing, satisfaction, and overall performance of your employees is heavily dependent on your leadership, and your coaching skill.

Remember that regular coaching on a routine basis is a chance to put your finger on the pulse of your team as a whole. You can use coaching to handle minor performance issues, to encourage those that are performing well, or to learn more about your team so that you can suss-out individual strengths and weaknesses.

Don’t Make Coaching a Dreaded Event

If your coaching sessions begin with “I need to see you in my office,” you might want to rethink things. Coaching should be reasonably professional, but your employees should recognize it as an opportunity — just as you should. Instead of trying to coach on a case-by-case basis, consider implementing weekly sessions. Nothing long or interruptive, just a good 5-10 minutes with each team member.

During your coaching meetings or one-on-ones, keep these points in mind:

Use coaching to promote growth and to help focus your employees on what they are currently assigned to. Put simply, help them focus.
Take the time to make certain that your employees have all that they need to perform their work effectively. Adequate time, proper tools, enough information, and cooperative team members.
During coaching, be encouraging. Not so much that it comes across as disingenuous or false — focus more on encouraging good behaviors, appreciating the work that they do, and letting them know that you are confident in their ability to perform well.

If you are coaching an underperforming team member—and it does happen from time to time—use coaching time to figure out exactly what is causing the issue. It’s actually quite rare for an employee to be outright bad at their job. Most often, poor performance stems from an unhealthy workplace, dissatisfaction, friction between team members, or personal issues. Once you figure out exactly what their beef really is, you can move toward a solution.

Whether you’re looking to improve productivity or you want to see your workplace become more collaborative, everything ties back to morale. Coach your team well, guide them to making the right moves, and engage their ability to grow and learn. You’ll soon see everything you wanted from your team — and more!

When Would Our Employees Benefit from Coaching?