Developing a great workforce is integral to the success of any organization. While most organizations try to hire the best talent for all positions, a top-notch workforce requires much more than talent. Some such factors are motivation levels of employees, alignment with the goals of the organization, an open, two-way communication between the employees and the senior management, etc. This is where employee coaching steps in. In many organizations, employee coaching is a culture and a practice followed by the managerial team. In this article, we will look at five important ways of making employee coaching effective.
# 1. Establish Employee Coaching Objectives
Most organizations fail to have a great workforce because the management is not clear about what they want from the employees. If you are trying to create a coaching culture in your organization or conduct an employee coaching program, establishing clear coaching objectives is critical. For example, if you want to improve the overall motivation levels of your workforce, then here are some factors that you can consider:
- What were the current employee motivation levels?
- How would we measure employee motivation post the program to see the change?
- How will it affect the organization’s overall objectives?
- Will it change the role of the workforce in the long run?
- Can we get the employees to believe that this will do them and the company good?
The result – a distinct improvement in the overall motivation levels of the workforce.
# 2. Discuss with the employees while setting goals
Goal setting is best done bilaterally, that is, including the employees in the discussion. Usually, defining goals without taking the views of your employees into consideration does not get the desired results.
Let’ say that your company has signed up with a new client resulting in a drastic increase in workload. Now, you can either unilaterally decide the best way to go about handling the additional load and send the dreaded email to your employees, or, create a skeletal framework of what you desire as the output and discuss with your team about the best way to handle it. Be clear about your expectations and let the employees determine their goals with your approval.
Even when you are planning an employee coaching program, talk to the team and take their inputs to create a program that benefits everyone involved.
Also read: Are you working in a group or a team? Find out! Your success depends on it!
# 3. Keep the organization’s values in perspective at all times
I believe that an effective employee coaching approach is the key to achieving an organization’s goals. Hence, ensure that you develop the coaching culture/programs on your company’s values. This has multiple benefits – gives your coaching approach a clear focus, reinforces the organization’s culture, and creates a cohesive workforce striving to achieve common goals.
Remember, successful organizations have employees who align their personal goals with the company’s goals.
# 4. Communication is an important key
Any coaching program succeeds only when the coach and the participants have a healthy, two-way communication. Ensure that the employee coaching program/culture offers an opportunity for discussion and mutual feedback. The employee must have the comfort to tell the manager if he feels that something is amiss. Also, the feedback should be constructive in nature. Further, it makes the employees accept responsibility for participating in the coaching as well.
# 5. Rewards and Recognition (R&R)
There is no better way to build a top-notch workforce than by recognizing their efforts and rewarding them whenever you can. Employees love being recognized for their hard work. Hence, it is important to include an R&R module in your employee coaching program. Ensure that your team knows that excellent work will be rewarded and laxity will be dealt with strictly.
Remember, an excellent employee coaching relationship makes management easier, improves output, and contributes to the growth of the company and the employees.
At Change Ur Story, we understand that most organizations struggle to find the bandwidth to create an implement an effective employee coaching culture. Hence, through our Corporate Coaching initiatives, we endeavour to help you create tailor-made employee coaching programs for your organization. Drop us a line and let’s start working towards creating a better workforce in your organization.
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