“Coaching is helping another person reach higher levels of effectiveness by creating a dialogue that leads to awareness and action.” -Brian Emerson and Anne Loehr
“When an employee has the skills and ability to complete the task at hand, but for some reason is struggling with the confidence, focus, motivation, drive, or bandwidth to be at their best, coaching can help.” -Brian Emerson and Anne Loehr
In the classic coaching book, Coaching for Performance (2009), the late John Whitmore described numerous benefits of coaching. Included in the list are benefits to the recipient (i.e., the client/coachee) as well as benefits to the team and the larger organization (pp. 156-158):
Improved performance and productivity
Staff development
Improved learning
Improved relationships
Improved quality of life for individuals
More time for the manager
More creative ideas
Better use of people, skills, and resources
Faster and more effective emergency response
Greater flexibility and adaptability to change
More motivated staff
Culture change
A life skill
In the book, Coaching People (McManus, 2006), benefits to the person being coached are (pp. 5-6):
maximizing their individual strengths
overcoming personal challenges/obstacles
achieving new skills & competencies to become more effective
preparing for new work/job roles or responsibilities
improvement in managing themselves (e.g., better time management)
clarifying and working toward goals (e.g., learning about and setting SMART goals)
increasing their job satisfaction and motivation
Benefits to the team and organization include (McManus, 2006, p. 6):
improving the working relationships between manager & direct reports (i.e., employees)
developing & fostering more productive teams
using organizational resources more effectively
Written By: Steve Nguyen, Ph.D. Organizational & Leadership Development Leader
References
Emerson, B., & Loehr, A. (2008). A Manager’s Guide to Coaching: Simple and Effective Ways to Get the Best Out of Your Employees. New York: AMACOM.
McManus, P. (2006). Coaching People: Expert Solutions to Everyday Challenges. Boston: Harvard Business Press.
Whitmore, J. (2009). Coaching for Performance (4th ed.). London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
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