Building a Coaching Culture with Jo Wright

As AI takes over, we are all searching for the part that makes us truly human. For most managers and leaders, this search leads to coaching. One’s ability to coach and guide others becomes more important as the time intensive and repetitive tasks can be now outsourced to the machines. But coaching employees is not an easy game. In fact, many managers do not know where to start! Join Ashish and Jo as they uncover the ins and outs of building a coaching culture in your team.

• Why is it important for managers to coach their teams? We start by talking about the benefits of coaching for the team, the manager, and the organization. Ashish and Jo noted that coaching empowers the team, builds confidence, and improves performance. For managers, coaching saves time in the long run by developing the team to solve their own problems.
• What is the impact of coaching on organizational culture? As the discussion progressed, we defined a coaching culture as a place where leaders help people grow through effective conversations, feedback, and trust. Examples of companies that saw improved customer satisfaction, talent retention, and employee confidence were shared.
• What are the attributes of a coaching-ready culture, and what are the signs of a missing coaching culture? A coaching-ready culture is supported by senior leadership, expects and respects feedback, and fosters open conversations. Metrics such as well-being and talent retention improve, and the culture is not toxic or blameful. Conversely, a missing coaching culture is characterized by poor results, low morale, lack of growth, and a fear of speaking up. Ashish and Jo discuss this in detail in the episode.

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Coaching culture 101

“A coaching culture is a place where authentic leaders and managers help people to grow, thrive, and perform through effective conversations, honest feedback, underpinned by trust.”

• Coaching is a win-win for everyone involved. It benefits the team by empowering them, builds their confidence and helps them develop. It benefits the manager by saving time and developing team capabilities, and it benefits the organization through improved results and culture.
• Managers who don’t coach limit their teams. By answering all their team’s questions and solving all their problems, managers limit the growth of their team members and increase their own workload. A manager should ask, “What do you recommend?” and allow team members to come up with their own solutions.
• A lack of investment in people is a problem for organizations. Many organizations are afraid to invest time and resources in people. However, not investing in people can cost more in terms of morale, retention, and performance. Coaching is a process of growth and development that takes time and effort.
• Coaching should be accessible to all levels of an organization. It shouldn’t be limited to the top levels of an organization, because it has the potential to be life-changing

How can you build a coaching culture in your team?

• Adopting a coaching style requires a shift in mindset and skills. Managers need to believe in their team’s potential, be curious, ask questions, listen, care, and build trust. As Jo explained, it’s about being a good human being in a professional setting. Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness that you need to embrace as a manager.
• A coaching culture is built on trust and communication. Open conversations, honest feedback, and trust are essential elements of a coaching culture. It is important that people know that feedback is coming from a place of support rather than attack. The most important aspect of coaching is communication.
• As a manager, you can take charge of your own and your team’s development. Managers don’t have to wait for their organizations to invest in coaching; they can start by using available resources, asking coaching questions, and practicing with their teams.

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