Why Coaching Is the Best Form of Corporate Training
by Arina Smith Management 26 November 2020
If you want to get the most out of your employees, you need to nurture them and invest a lot of time and energy in their progress. The best way to help them grow so that the organization can thrive together with them is through coaching.
Coaching is the supreme form of training. It’s much better than traditional, autocratic training styles, which discourage active participation and often demotivate and even scare the trainees.
Unlike insistent lecturing, coaching is the process of gently guiding the person in the right direction. Here’s why it’s amazing in the corporate environment.
It’s More Efficient Than the Traditional, Instructor-Fronted Training Approach
We all remember that one professor who went on and on and made everyone count the minutes until the end of class. That model of formal instruction should be left in the past.
It has been proven that students learn much more through active participation in the learning process. The same can be said for everyone, even employees in a corporate setting. Coaching is great in that sense since it allows trainees to take active control of their learning process, while the coach simply guides them and helps when they’re stuck.
Another reason why coaching is better than traditional training is the fact that it is usually done one-on-one. In a room full of people, a trainee will often not ask for clarification if they believe the question is “stupid.”
On the other hand, one-on-one coaching allows for more freedom to ask questions without the fear of seeming unintelligent.
It Can Empower Senior Employees
Who best to help your employees grow and improve their skill set than your senior employees? They do not have to be senior in rank — the important thing is that they are better at something than others, so they can help.
Your coaches can be people who have been with the company for a while now and have a lot to share with others. People usually enjoy mentorship and coaching positions, and it can make them feel appreciated.
Asking your best employees to coach others will show them how much you value them and that you trust them. This new role will empower them to be more independent and consequently, take some burden off the managers.
Of course, this appreciation should also be reflected in their paycheck. Still, it will cost you less to pay more to some of your employees than to hire a coach.
It Makes Training More Tailored
Traditional training programs involve carefully structured learning materials designed to help trainees soak up the knowledge in the best way possible. However, people learn in different ways, and the same material cannot suit everyone’s preferences and learning styles.
This is where coaching is triumphant too. A great coach doesn’t force their knowledge on the coachee — they let them learn at their own pace and their own style. Instead of imposing their idea of how learning should unfold, the coach adapts and accommodates their guidance style to the learner’s needs.
So a coach is not obliged to stick to one coaching model. They get to know their trainees, and together, they build a learning approach that can yield the best results in the shortest possible time frame.
It Improves Overall Performance
It doesn’t matter whether you’re training new employees or you’re trying to upskill your existing workforce, coaching can greatly improve their overall performance. Maybe there are people in your company who you feel are unmotivated or not using their talents. Coaching can help you unlock your full potential.
Using data to scale training operations is also a great idea. Business intelligence can tell you a lot about where you’re lacking and what you can do to fix that. There’s nothing more reliable than quantifiable and measurable data, and everything is measurable with sophisticated software systems.
So once you identify your business’ pain points, either through observation or by measuring results, you can use coaching to work on them. With some employees tasked with helping others improve, you’ll have everyone working toward the same goal in no time. This collaborative spirit alone will improve the performance of your workforce.
It Builds Rapport Within Your Team
Coaching builds an environment of trust and togetherness. Unlike formal training, it allows people to be more honest with each other, voice their concerns, and have fun in the process of learning. It is more personal and therefore, much more comfortable for everyone involved.
When the personal improvement of one employee becomes a priority to their more experienced colleague, they build a strong professional bond and mutual liking. So coaching can bring your team closer and make it more cohesive.
As the people in the team start helping each other out, they become more reliant on other team members, which means the whole unit becomes more independent and harmonious.
Coaching, a term taken from sports lingo, is not accidental. It encourages the spirit of sportsmanship in the business environment, i.e., it inspires generosity and openness in relation to others, as well as the desire to thrive as a unit.
It Boosts Employee Retention
As many as 66% of employees consider leaving the company if they feel undervalued. That’s why the single most important thing you can do is support your people. Even if you’re a struggling startup that can’t provide the best work conditions, making your employees feel appreciated will mean a lot to them.
Providing mentorship programs to your employees sends a message that you want to see them flourish. They feel supported and know that you want them to win. To many people, this kind of company culture is much more important than a high salary.
In the long run, if you provide coaching to your employees, they’re much more likely to stay with you longer. It gives them the opportunity to grow, ensures they feel a stronger bond with the rest of the team, and motivates them to work together for the common goal, i.e., the success of your business.
Read Also:
Tags:
Related
