Take A Collaborative Approach

Coaching works best when employees assume ownership over their own professional development and improvement. It's a collaborative approach, not a top-down one. The coach is there to support, guide, encourage, and empower employees, not provide them with solutions. 

Coaches achieve this by asking employees questions. For example, instead of telling an employee how they should be more efficient with their time, a coach can ask the employee to come up with ways to be more efficient. By formulating the issue as a question, the coach puts the responsibility for finding a solution on the employee. The questions continue when it's time to evaluate the solutions the employee wanted to try. Together employee and coach discuss what worked and what didn't.

Coach Everyone, Not Just Poor Performers

If you only coach the poor performers, you create the impression that coaching is something to be avoided. Employees won't want to be coached because they'll associate it with discipline or performance management instead of professional development.

Everyone can improve, so everyone should be coached. The coaching of top performers might focus more on developing strengths than overcoming weaknesses, but even the best performers can benefit from professional development - just ask star athletes!

When everyone receives coaching, people don't look down on it or assume they're in trouble if they're coached. Rather, when you invest in the development and success of all your employees, your coaching becomes a sign of your commitment to them and the trust you've placed in them. The best way to receive commitment and trust from others is to give them your commitment and trust. Coaching can be a great way to do just that!

Coach With Future Goals In Mind

Coaching can also be a way to prepare your workforce for the future needs of the company. As your company grows, you may need employees to have new or different knowledge, skills, and abilities to meet your goals. While you may be able to hire for those future needs, you can engage your current employees (and ultimately save money!) by preparing them to take on future roles in the company. In other words, you can align your company goals with the professional goals of your employees. You could do this by asking your employees to formulate their professional goals and explaining how those goals could contribute to the success of the company.

While you can't prevent employees from going elsewhere with the knowledge, skills, and abilities they gain at your company, you can give them reasons to stay. People like to feel that they belong and are important. When your employees can see that their individual professional goals will contribute to the company's success, when they have a voice in how those goals are pursued and achieved, and when they're supported throughout, they're much more likely to commit to the company.