Part I: Why there is a need for coaching: modern workplace challenges
Retention, talent acquisition, and employee development
After the pandemic, organizations across the country in all different industries are struggling to retain and attract employees, which is incredibly expensive and taxing for the organization and its employees. Many of the drivers of this are listed below:
Understaffing puts more strain on the existing employees
As we know too well, the more people an organization loses, the more strain put on the existing employees. Further, the best employees tend to be the most strained as they take on more than their fair share of the work and responsibilities the departed employees left behind.
Move to remote work = increased competition in hiring
With an increase in remote work, organizations that previously competed for talent solely with local competitors now must compete against competitors across the country. This is especially difficult for those organizations that do not offer remote positions, putting them at a disadvantage to national competitors that do.
If you’re an employee that’s unfulfilled where you’re currently working, it’s easy to see why you might leave for a job that’s 100% remote and pays comparably (maybe a bit more if it’s based out of a higher cost of living area). The remote aspect is more convenient, and you’re already unfulfilled, so there’s not much risk.
Lack of inherent boundaries with constant connectivity due to cell phones and laptops
“Out of sight, out of mind” no longer applies to work for the majority of professionals. You’re reachable at any time, and after-hours work is often required or expected. Setting and abiding by work/life boundaries take intention, effort, and discipline. Things can get out of hand quickly, and burnout is a very real consequence.
The challenges and complications of raising a family with two working parents where more communication and flexibility are required
One parent working, while the other takes care of the kids and home is becoming less and less common. Roles are less clearly defined making it more complicated and requiring more energy to navigate. Further, couples are having kids later in life, so it’s more common for employees with high-level positions to have children under the age of 5 at home than was previously the case, requiring more time and attention.
Disengagement and disconnectedness from your organization and co-workers, driven by hybrid or remote work
How many organizations’ go-to answer, when asked what makes them different from their competitors, is “the people?” There’s a good chance that aspect has undergone a significant change since the pandemic. With the change in how people are working, is that answer as strong as it was pre-pandemic?
Why coaching is the solution
The unique aspects of coaching catch what would otherwise “fall through the cracks” in the workplace.
Trust
The coaching relationship provides a space where an employee can be completely open and honest without fear of judgment or that what they say may be held against them. I’m talking about someone’s deepest insecurities and vulnerabilities—things that someone would avoid talking about unless they were totally comfortable with the other party. The type of things that, if not addressed, could hold someone back for their entire life or career.
This allows you to get at the root of the issue and effect real, lasting change, as opposed to surface-level solutions that you might get when this level of trust is not present.
Customized to each employee
Because the employee (the client) determines the topics and the direction of the discussions, and there is no preconceived agenda, it is as tailored to the specific employee as anything can be. You can focus on exactly what offers the biggest opportunity, or what might be the biggest pain point for the employee, which only they know.
It’s about listening, validating, and normalizing, asking open-ended questions, sharing observations and insights, and letting the employee decide what actions to take, what accountability looks like, and what might get in the way. What approach can better support an employee’s development and navigation of the workplace than one that’s customized to the unique needs of each employee?
A meaningful differentiator
Providing outside coaching for your employees can be the differentiator your organization needs—the differentiator that attracts a potential employee, retains a current employee or leader, and/or helps them develop into the leader they have the potential to be.
If I know, as an employee of an organization, I will be provided with coaching that’s tailored exactly to me and my unique needs so I can work through internal and external blocks, better navigate the challenges of the workplace, and have the necessary support to develop personally and professionally, it would likely be enough to attract me to or keep me with an organization.
Walk the talk
Organizations often mention how much they care about their employees; that they are all a family. What better way to show they care about their employees than to provide them with the support and tools they need to be successful by providing them with an outside coach?
Part II: Why there is a need for coaching: the “classic” challenges
Leadership and management skills are oftentimes lacking
Promotions are typically based on technical expertise, experience, what made them good at their previous position (not the one they’re promoted to), and the needs of the company. Ideally, leadership and management skills would be a prerequisite to being promoted to managerial or leadership positions, but that’s not practical in most cases. Because of this, it makes sense that an employee’s leadership and managerial skills may be lacking.
Again, this is no fault of the employee or the employer. The chosen employee is usually the best option the organization has. However, this means you have people leading and managing people who are not adequately prepared or equipped to do so, putting additional strain on themselves and those working under them. Further, those working under them are learning how to lead and manage people from them, picking up bad habits and attitudes, which can become the unwanted culture of the company if it goes unaddressed.
Coaching solution: Outside coaching helps provide relief for both the manager and those employees working under them. Coaches listen to what they have to say and bring awareness to opportunities for growth and improvement and provide them with a partner throughout the process to work with and support them to address this area.
Shortfalls of internal mentors
- Based on title, not skills, time, and desire - People in these roles are typically assigned based on their position within the company, not based on whether they have the skills, time, and/or desire.
o Coaching solution: coaches have all three—the skills, time, and desire.
- Giving advice - Instead of listening to the unique needs of the mentee, the natural tendency is to focus more on giving advice based on their experiences and what they believe is the “right way.” Not only is this less effective, because it doesn’t consider what works best for the mentee (as only he/she knows) and the action they feel is best, but it can lead to further frustration when they take the recommended action and it doesn’t solve the problem.
o Coaching solution: coaches provide insights and observations, not advice.
- Trust – To get to the root of the issue, it’s imperative that the mentee feels comfortable being completely honest and vulnerable, without fear that what they say will be judged, shared with others, or taken advantage of. It’s almost impossible for this to be accomplished when the mentor works for the same organization, much less in the same department, which is often the case. It almost guarantees that the relationship will only address issues at a superficial level. This is no slight to internal mentors, it’s just inherent.
o Coaching solution: as previously noted, outside coaches provide a space that’s free of judgment and understand it’s imperative that the client feels and believes that to be true, so they can feel comfortable being completely open and honest.
- Not top priority - The mentorship role will always take a back seat to whatever the mentor’s top responsibilities are at work, like client service for example, as it should.
o Coaching solution: with an outside coach, the employee is the client, and therefore, always the top priority. Something crucial if you want to have a real, lasting impact.
Conclusion
If coaching is something you're interested in bringing to your organization or learning more about, please visit www.jordantepfer.com for more information and how to contact me.
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