Coaching is the systematic technique of improving the thinking process of individuals so that they can achieve their goals and solve their dilemmas effectively. Organizations have sought the support of coaches time and again to improve the thinking process of their leaders. There has been enough research to show how leaders have been benefited by such interventions. 

In this age of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of general conditions and situations), organizations cannot be run just by effective thinking of leaders. In their day to day functioning, managers need to perform tasks which directly impact the reputation and profitability of the organization and motivation of the team. With the world being a more networked place, employee experience has started reaching the talent market through Glassdoors and Quora of the world. Customer Feedback is rampant on social networking sites and they talk not only about the conduct of the leaders but about many more kinds of dynamics of the organisations. 

In such a scenario, smart organizations have started giving coaching to their executives who have already worked for some time. As a trained executive, you could leverage your coaching skills to change the way you manage talent. Management skills development training makes the executives more effective and result oriented. 

Applying coaching during performance appraisals

As an HR Business Partner, my colleagues and I hear a lot from our employees about the lack of respect they have for the performance management process. How each year the process leaves them with a label/rating which is primarily determined by how well they get along with their managers. Although some organizations have got rid of the bell curves, manager’s biases continue playing a big role in this process.

If you are a manager and are skilled at coaching, you would find it easier to set effective goals and provide constructive feedback. 

To nip such issues in the bud, one needs to make the whole process as objective as possible.  If you are a manager and are skilled at coaching, you would find it easier to set effective goals and provide constructive feedback. 

Setting the right goals

Doing this well is half the job done. This should not just be treated as a tick mark activity but a lot of energy needs to be spent on setting this right. This is where you could sit with your team and facilitate them to think more clearly about their key objectives and help prioritize them too. 

Establishing a culture of regular feedback

This is the backbone of the entire performance management system. Coaching skills would help you monitor the progress of your team members about their goals regularly and more effectively. You would find it much easier to provide constructive feedback and observe an increase in transparency and trust amongst your team members. Your team members would also get the opportunity to work on the feedback instantaneously. Much has been talked about the millennial workers and their need for instant feedback

Applying coaching for developing high performance

High performers are the swords which coaching can sharpen and make more battle-ready. This is where you should invest your time as a manager-coach. Coaching is a time and energy intensive process and these are the right people on whom you should focus. Identifying and investing time with them is the key to it. 

Applying coaching in difficult conversations

It’s not easy to lead a team. Right from team conflicts to individual issues, a manager’s charter does include a lot of difficult conversations. You could use your coaching skills to keep people focused on their goals, be it in their personal or professional lives. While sharing personal experience, advising does help, but coaching is one of the most effective ways of dealing with such situations.The benefits of coaching are multi-fold. Coaching not only helps you to manage people more efficiently but also helps you to serve your clients better. 

For organizations, hiring a coach for meeting the continuous need of this scale could prove expensive and therefore, there is a need for developing managers as coaches to give life to our people’s processes.

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