Picture your favorite sports team without a coach—it has all the talent and experience in the world, but it’s still missing a key cog in the wheel. The coach is the one who sets the game plan, motivates the players, and makes the necessary adjustments to keep the team on track. Without a coach, the team would be lost and would likely end up losing more games than they would win.
Similarly, within an organization, coaching is a tool that can guide individuals and teams to excellence. Still, one may wonder why performance coaching is so important in the workplace. Doesn’t a manager do the same job?
While managers certainly play a crucial role in any office, coaching offers a wider range of support and tools to employees. Think of it this way — a manager is like the team captain, making sure day-to-day operations run smoothly, while a coach is more of a seasoned strategist who helps employees hone their skills and achieve their full potential.
We will dive further into reasons why coaching employees is important and ways to leverage coaching to accelerate business growth.
The Importance of Coaching in the Workplace
New technologies, fluctuating markets, and global competition are all creating a need for employees to be more adaptable and flexible. This is why coaching in the workplace is important—it’s a valuable tool for helping teams address challenges like these. By definition, a coach’s role is to support people in developing their skills and achieving their goals. In a work setting, this means helping employees learn new skills, identify and overcome the barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals, and successfully navigate their personal lives so that they are more in sync with their professional selves.
For example, Activate 180’s whole-person coaching takes into account the five pillars of well-being, which include life experiences, health and wellness, career and leadership development, relationships, and finances.
Why is coaching employees this way important? Our personal lives have a significant impact on our professional lives, and vice versa. When people truly show up to work feeling good, their performance and their potential skyrockets.
Benefits of Employee Coaching
There are many reasons why coaching in the workplace is important for the company as a whole.
1. Improved Performance
Setting and achieving goals is a fluid part of the coaching process, as employees need to remain agile and flexible with inevitable organizational change. Coaching also takes a personalized approach to properly address an individual’s strengths and growth areas. As a result, employees feel a sense of ownership and accountability for their goals. When people feel they are making genuine progress, they are more motivated and engaged at work, which directly translates into increased productivity and efficiency.
In short, when employees feel supported and valu