Coaching in the Office

Coaching your peers while you’re running your everyday business agenda can be challenging. What approach and set of mind do you follow in order to simultaneously perform your business tasks and successfully Coach your people?

One must always be aware of some common practices of Coaching. As a leader, one must “idealize influence, inspirationally motivate, individually consider and intellectually stimulate” (Robert F. Hicks). Therefore, as a Coach and Leader, one must act as a role model. Lead by example! Be admired by your peers, be trusted and respected! You want your people to emulate you and believe in you.

During your everyday tasks, your coworkers and subordinates will look and analyze the way you perform your work, the way you behave, the way you try to solve problems. They will look to see how you talk to the individuals around you. They will observe every move you make. That’s why Leaders and Coaches need to “act” in a way that will motivate and inspire their protégées and subordinates. Successful Leaders achieve this by “getting followers involved in envisioning attractive future states, and providing meaning and challenge to their work.”(Robert F. Hicks). As a leader, you must be optimistic and confident. You must envision a positive environment and build the ability to communicate that to your people.

Moreover, Leaders and Coaches must stimulate his/her team in trying new approaches, giving their own opinion, their own solutions to problems. Risk and make changes. Create better, different paths to overcome obstacles or make things work more smoothly. Many times our team has broader knowledge and experience in tasks than the leaders themselves. Trust them! As a leader, you need to trust them and show it! No criticism should be allowed in order to invite creative ideas and visions.
Finally, individuals must be respected as individuals by any entity and of course, by you, the Leader! Individual needs, concerns, and goals must be carefully considered. People need to feel that their personalities and individual needs are considered and are an important aspect of the teams and ultimately the companies concern. The company should have the ability to “see” each person as a single entity and then as an integral part of the team. Therefore, individual educational and other supportive opportunities will have a positive influence on the productivity of each individual and will boost their self-esteem and of course their efficiency.