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The benefits of one-to-one coaching have been widely publicised but usually only refer to the benefits for the individual being coached.
That’s great if you are an individual investing in your own development. However, most forward-looking organisations, particularly those who pride themselves on their employee experience, seek to pay for coaching for individuals within their organisation. Often these people are high-potential employees, seen as future leaders, or maybe going through or about to undergo some kind of transition - either due to promotion or because their role will significantly change in some other way. “What got them here won’t get them there”, to misquote renowned coach Marshall Goldsmith.
I’ve heard some concerns about coaching in the organisations I've worked with, particularly with workplaces new to the concept. Most concerns are financial - will it be worth the money (yes, this research would suggest), while other concerns centre around the individual leaving as a result of the coaching - either because they may realise that they are in the wrong job or that they get so good at their job they get poached by someone else! There are also worries about how the change in the individual will impact the rest of the team.
The benefits to organisations of coaching are varied and, in some cases, surprising. Here are just a few:
Coaching is tailored precisely to the individual, so they can work on what they think will make the most significant difference in their performance. When the organisation pays for coaching, I get their line manager or other sponsor involved in that discussion so there is an agreement on the coaching goals. Coaching focused on behaviours and mindset rather than skills - this gives it a better success rate and return on investment than training, which often seems cheaper but fails to deliver lasting results. All my coaching clients report feeling more confident in their role after coaching - this unlocks performance even further.
The people I coach are leaders in their organisation, whether of a team or an entire department. Investing in the development of leaders leverages that investment, as the research shows that better leaders lead to more engaged, happier, and, importantly, higher-performing teams. Improved performance leads to more productivity, fewer mistakes and less rework, so work is carried out more efficiently and with fewer complaints.
Often coaching is around a particular topic (e.g., difficult conversations) that significantly impacts the coachee's client-facing role. Whether it's building better relationships, a more effective networking strategy, collaboration across teams or having the confidence to close the deal, there can be a direct impact on pipeline and sales.
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Retention is a real issue for some sectors, particularly in professional services. When leaders feel confident and empowered, they tend to stay longer, even if they can earn more elsewhere. There’s also improved team retention due to their better leadership skills. All this helps the organisation become an employer of choice in a difficult recruitment market.
Diversity is high on the agenda of most organisations. One root cause of underconfident performance is that the employee feels like they don’t belong due to perceived differences from the rest of the team. This can be due to personality as much as any protected characteristic. Coaching helps people identify and feel confident in their own way of leading and to develop tactics and strategies for working more effectively with those with different operating styles.
If this has convinced you that coaching would benefit some of your organisation's leaders, then I’d love to hear from you. And if you’re still on the fence, I’d love to hear from you too! Get in touch to see how coaching can give your organisation the leaders it deserves.