Your Organization Needs a Results-Driven Coaching Approach

Being a great coach is a great way to make history. (It’s also a great way to become blog inspiration for me, if that’s a goal of yours.) We remember great leaders in times of success, and we remember great leaders perhaps even better in times of duress. We know what effective coaching can achieve at the bottom of the 9th, or at 4th and goal with barely a minute left in the game. Good coaches drive results, both on and off the field. At HCI, we’ve spent several years studying the effects of coaching in the workplace, and a results-driven coaching approach has more in common with the sports we love than you might expect.

“On a team, it’s not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how they all function together.”

Bill Belichick, Head Coach New England Patriots (2000-Present), New York Jets (1999), Cleveland Browns (1991-95)

According to International Coach Federation (ICF), coaching in the workplace is defined as a partnership between coach and coachee in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize personal and professional potential. Some organizations do employ external and internal coach practitioners, but the most common modality is managers/leaders using coaching knowledge, approaches and skills to create awareness and support behavior change. Rather than just delegating, managers explore, ask questions, facilitate and partner with team members.

Good coaching makes for strong teams that function together effectively, as Belichick says. Business leaders agree--HCI research has shown that 92% of HR leaders view teams as critical to organizational success. Unfortunately, only 23% of HR leaders consider their own teams to be very effective. In organizations where managers and leaders believe that coaching is a strategic business tool and they make a concerted effort to build coaching into management processes effectively, 57% report improved team functioning.

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”

Lou Holtz, Head coach, New York Jets (1976)

One of the ways to improve how a team works together is to improve the engagement of the team.  HCI defines engagement as a heightened emotional and intellectual connection to the job, organization, manager, or colleagues that results in increased discretionary effort toward organizational goals. An employee can be engaged in their job, or they can be disengaged--either passively or actively. Year over year, Gallup polls have revealed rather dismal statistics on employee engagement. Despite concerted efforts to measure and improve engagement, the number of engaged employees remains low.

Disengaged employees cost organizations nationwide billions every year in lost productivity, turnover, and customer satisfaction. Disengaged employees possess the ability to fulfill their job duties, but they are lacking the two other crucial motivators--motivation and attitude. At best, they show up, do what is required, and go home. At worst, disengaged employees outwardly express negativity and put engaged employees at risk for becoming disengaged. When used effectively, coaching in the workplace has the power to prevent disengagement. HCI has conducted research on the effects of coaching on engagement levels annually since 2014, and over half of organizations using coaching report increased employee engagement.

What’s the endgame here?

In football, the ultimate goal year after year is a Super Bowl victory. Relentless commitment to this victory yields more than a big fancy ring for the winning team. According to research by Robert Boland, director of the sports administration master’s degree program at Ohio University and a former agent, there is a correlation between Super Bowl victories and financial success long after football careers end. He says, “Whether you're earning a living as a sports hero or have spun off your football success into a separate career, being a champion tends to keep you in demand.”

Business success is no different. The impact of coaching in building effective teams and increasing engagement translates to revenue growth, as shown by HCI research. Studies conducted in 2014, 2015, and 2016 show that organizations that have an enterprise wide coaching program  experience higher revenue growth than peer companies that aren’t using coaching.

Coaching works, both on and off the field. Managers are expected to coach, but aren’t given the tools and knowledge necessary to coach effectively and aren’t held accountable for the impact coaching has on teams and the business. HCI wants to help you change that in your organization.

Our certification course,Coaching for Engagement & Performance (CEP), will help you to build a scalable, actionable framework that will make coaching an integral part of your organization.  You will  leave with a strategy and tools  for developing coaching skills and abilities in your managers, which will  positively impact engagement, productivity, and your organization’s bottom line. Click here to enroll today!