How to Coach and Mentor Employees in the Workplace
By Lucia Baldelli
Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the pleasure of helping many organisations grow, and I’ve seen first-hand just how powerful coaching in the workplace can be. It creates an environment where people can really thrive—building stronger relationships, deeper trust, healthier team dynamics, better leadership skills, and driving overall business growth. On the flip side, organisations that don’t invest in their people often end up with stagnant performance, disengaged teams, and high turnover. In this article, I’ll dive into why coaching at work is so important and how it can be used to transform organisations.
What is Coaching in the Workplace?
Workplace coaching—also called employee, organisational, or enterprise coaching—is a developmental process where a professional coach works with employees, either one-on-one, in groups, or as a team, to help them improve their performance. It’s a key part of a company’s growth strategy and is often built into individual development plans.
The main goal of one-to-one coaching in the workplace is to form a trust-based partnership between the coach and the employee, focusing on areas of development, building on strengths, improving leadership skills, and hitting specific performance targets. By focusing on these areas, coaching empowers employees to reach their full potential and contribute to the organisation’s overall success. If you’re curious to learn more about what coaching involves, check out our article for more insights.
Many of the organisations I’ve worked with rely heavily on team coaching, which is all about strengthening relationships, increasing trust, boosting collaboration, and ultimately achieving better results. It’s not just about improving how the team functions internally, but also about helping them clarify stakeholder expectations and engage better to deliver on those promises.
Sometimes, I’ve also run group coaching sessions—working with individuals from different departments who want to develop a new skill or explore a topic, like managing change or becoming a better leader for instance, through lively group discussions.
If you’re wondering about the difference between team and group coaching, we’ve got that covered in more detail in another article.
Benefits of Coaching in the Workplace
INow, picture a workplace where you experience…
- Increased employee engagement, leading to higher job satisfaction, lower turnover, and ultimately a healthier organisational culture.
- Personal and professional growth, where you’re supported in recognising your strengths and weaknesses, and encouraged to work on your development.
- Enhanced leadership skills, giving you a stronger ability to lead and support others.
- Stronger team relationships, resulting in better collaboration and trust.
- Alignment across divisions and functions (no more silos!), helping you achieve strategic goals and adapt to change more easily.
- Increased productivity, thanks to clear goals and ongoing feedback and support to help you perform at your best.
What would it feel like to work in that kind of environment?
How successful could that organisation become?
Organisations that invest in developing their people are much more likely to achieve these positive outcomes, leading to greater overall performance.
I like to say that “organisational coaching is about nurturing individuals to transform workplaces”!
Unsure about the right next step for your organisation? Book a chat with Lucia!
Why is Coaching in the Workplace Important?
Coaching in the workplace is essential for fostering adynamic organisational environmentwhile nurturing a healthy culture where people can thrive. It provides the tools and support needed for both personal and professional development.
As Bill Gates shared, “Everyone needs a coach. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast or a bridge player. We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”
Coaching is paramount to drive improvement and growth within organisations!
For employees, coaching leads to better performance, career development, and increased job satisfaction. It creates an atmosphere where individuals feel valued and motivated to contribute their best efforts.
For organisations, it means lower turnover rates, higher productivity, and the cultivation of invested leaders who are committed to achieving organisational goals. By bridging the gap between education and workplace experience, coaching fosters innovation, creativity, and collaboration — all key elements for maintaining a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced business world.
When to Use It?
Coaching in the workplace is particularly beneficial in specific situations where employees need guidance and support.
Ever gone through any of these scenarios?
- Onboarding New Employees: Helping new hires acclimate to the company culture and understand their roles.
- Role Transitions: Assisting employees who are moving into new positions or taking on new responsibilities. People who are new to a role can find if challenging to step up, become more strategic, and empower others to be successful.
- Motivation challenges: Addressing issues related to lack of focus, motivation, or confidence.
- Performance Improvement: Supporting employees who need to enhance their skills or performance.
- Career Development: Guiding employees in their professional growth and career advancement.
- Team bonding: Helping teams strengthen their relationship bonds and improve their collective emotional intelligence to improve communication, collaboration and trust.
- Setting strategic direction: Guiding teams who have lost their compass and need to align to strategic organisational goals.
- Siloed-culture: Removing organisational barriers that hinder collaboration and alignment.
Workplace Coaching Process: How does it Work?
Workplace coaching involves a structured process to ensure effectiveness and alignment with organisational goals.
- It begins with assessing the current situation and identifying your unique needs, followed by setting clear objectives
- The next step is selecting the right approach for your organisation and determining which employees will benefit from coaching. Various methods can be employed, such as 1-1 coaching, team or group coaching.
- Implementing these processes requires monitoring and measuring results to ensure progress. It’s crucial to foster a culture that supports coaching, aligning employees with the organisation’s vision and values.
- Providing the right development opportunities, tools, and resources is essential for empowering employees.
Discover more in our Organisational Coaching page.
Coaching Activities in the Workplace
Coaching in the workplace involves a variety of activities designed to support employee development and enhance organisational performance.
Here are some common coaching activities you might find in a business setting:
- One-on-One Coaching Sessions: Personalized sessions where coaches work directly with employees to address specific goals and challenges.
- Group Workshops: Interactive sessions that focus on developing skills such as communication, leadership, and teamwork.
- Team sessions: Interactive session to help a team achieve an agreed upon outcome, through facilitated discussions, activities, games and reflection.
- Goal Setting and Action Planning: Helping employees set achievable goals and create actionable plans to reach them.
- Leadership Development Programs: Pairing less experienced employees with seasoned mentors for guidance and support.
- Skills Training: Focused training sessions to develop specific skills relevant to the employee’s role.
- Feedback Loops: Establishing systems for continuous feedback between employees and coaches to foster ongoing improvement.
- Team Building Activities: Exercises designed to improve team cohesion and collaboration.
- Offsite Design and Facilitation: Longer events to help a leadership team connect and align.
Coaching in the Workplace: Tips and Advice
Have you ever experienced the dark side of coaching?
Coaching can be very powerful but there are circumstances when it is executed poorly or irresponsibly, can have detrimental effects on people.
If you are looking for a coach, here are some things to watch out for.
- Unqualified Professionals: coaches who are not qualified to help people with specific challenges (autism, mental issues, etc.) or not even trained. They can do more harm than good…
- Financial Exploitation: some coaches charge exorbitant fees, preying on vulnerable clients who are desperate for guidance! Really???
- Overpromising and Underdelivering: promising quick fixes or guaranteed results is not only unrealistic but also unethical. No one should set unattainable expectations because coaches are not the ones doing the work!
- Ethical Challenges: inadequate ethical standards can result in breaches of confidentiality and trust. Make sure what you share is safe!
- Cookie-Cutter Approaches: Coaching should be tailored to an individual’s unique needs and circumstances. A one-size-fits-all approach can be ineffective and, in some cases, even harmful…
My advice? Work with ICF certified coaches who know what they are doing and invest in your people with the support of a qualified coach!
You are invited to join our FREE ‘Coaching Dojo’ to experience what coaching is.
What is the Role of a Workplace Coach?
The role of a workplace coach is to support employees in solving problems, setting and achieving goals, and unlocking their full potential. Rather than providing direct answers, a coach empowers employees to find solutions themselves, fostering independence and growth. A good coach helps employees leverage their strengths to enhance their effectiveness and prepares them for future roles.
Here is how coaching differs from other forms of personal and professional development:
- Coaching vs. Training: While training is an event focused on teaching specific skills, coaching is an ongoing process that helps employees apply those skills in their job and encourages continuous learning.
- Coaching vs. Counseling: Counseling addresses personal issues and emotional well-being, whereas coaching focuses on professional development and performance improvement.
- Coaching vs. Mentoring: Mentoring involves career guidance and advice, while coaching is a structured process with specific, measurable goals aimed at improving performance and achieving objectives.
In essence, workplace coaching is about assisting, challenging, and encouraging employees rather than directing or advising them. If you are curious to discover more about the difference between coaching vs other helping professions, you can read our article.
What Are the Types of Coaching in the Workplace?
There are several types of workplace coaching, each designed to address different needs and achieve specific goals.
Leaders as Coaches
Managers or executives can be trained to provide guidance and support to their team members to help them develop their skills and improve performance. This type of coaching focuses on fostering a collaborative environment where leaders offer valuable insights and assist employees in changing ineffective behaviors.
The key is for leaders to coach rather than manage, avoiding directive approaches that might frustrate employees.
Peer Coaching
Peer coaching pairs employees of the same level to provide mutual support and guidance. This approach allows team members to discuss their concerns candidly without the pressure of sharing difficulties with managers. Peers are often paired based on differing strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to offer unique perspectives and assistance. For example, one employee might excel in interpersonal relationships while another is adept at accepting feedback. Through peer coaching, employees can learn from each other’s experiences and insights, leading to improved communication, enhanced teamwork, and a more supportive work environment.
We support organisations who want to develop coaching capabilities internally, so that leaders can coach their teams and communities of peers can be leveraged for personal development.
Reach out if you want to discover more about how we can help!
External Coaching or Intervention
External coaching involves hiring a professional coach from outside the organisation to provide objective advice and fresh perspectives. This type of intervention allows managers and employees to discuss issues openly without the fear of damaging internal relationships. External coaches bring specialised expertise and a neutral viewpoint, which can be particularly valuable for addressing complex challenges and fostering a coaching mindset within the management team. The benefits include enhanced problem-solving, unbiased feedback, and the ability to navigate organisational dynamics more effectively.
Read more about the differences between internal vs external coaching in our article.
Team Coaching
Team coaching focuses on improving the dynamics and performance of a group working together towards common goals. It involves a coach facilitating sessions where team members can openly discuss challenges, set collective objectives, and develop strategies for collaboration. The process helps to build trust, enhance communication, and align individual efforts with the team’s overall mission. Benefits of team coaching include increased cohesion, improved problem-solving abilities, and a more engaged and productive team environment.
We offer coaching services to organisations who want to grow with the help of an external coach.
Reach out if you want to discover more about how we can help!
Related articles
- The coaching relationship: definition and key elements, by Lucia Baldelli MCC
- What coaching is and isn’t, by Lucia Baldelli MCC
- ICF Credential Paths: Requirements for ACC, PCC, MCC
- The five components of coaching, by Lucia Baldelli MCC
- What does partnership mean in coaching, by Lucia Baldelli MCC
- Building trust in a coaching relationship, by Lucia Baldelli MCC
- Direct Communication in Coaching: An Essential Core Competency, by Karen Bruns PCC
- Emotional Intelligence and Coaching: the importance for effective practice, by Raquel Silva PCC
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