By Julia Bubrin, Learning Services Consultant
Here’s what I really want to say about why coaching matters: I think coaching skills make us better humans.
Yes, I do think that coaching makes us better at our jobs. And yes, I do believe that coaching skills improve team performance, support innovative thinking and build confidence and independence. And I will go on in this article to explore that in more detail.
But for now, I want to avoid justifying the value of coaching using buzz-words like ‘efficiency’ or ‘high performance’ or ‘productivity’ or ‘accountability.’ Instead, I want to emphasize that the core of coaching is the essential skill of engaging in a human relationship with another person. And wouldn’t that be interesting – to just be able to experience a different type of kindness in our professional work?
A decade ago, I started to learn how to coach and it rewired my brain. When I first entered the workforce, I came in with the (naive) assumption that I was going to change everything, that I had great answers, and that my my combination of intelligence and people-skills would be all I needed. And while this attitude helped me achieve a moderate level of success in management positions, it only took me so far.
It was a humbling moment to come face to face with the fact that I actually didn’t have all the answers. When I learned how to take a coaching approach, I realized that I didn’t need to have all the answers. This was empowering!
It led to a few key shifts in my day-to-day work:
- A shared sense of ownership and responsibility over collective work.
- Exposure to ways of thinking that have sparked in me a new curiosity for how to get things done.
- Showing care to my colleagues, then feeling that care reflected back to me.
When individuals bring their coaching skills to their work, there is a ripple effect. The next level result? Building a coaching culture.
What Is a Coaching Culture?
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with colleagues at Laridae for a conversation exploring what coaching cultures look like in practice, how they show up in organizations, and what it takes to get started. If you’re curious to hear that discussion, you can watch the full conversation or read the transcript.
At its core, a coaching culture is an environment where curiosity, reflection, and growth are the ‘how’ of working together.
In organizations with a strong coaching culture, leaders share accountability and ownership, and answers emerge from all corners of the organization. The humans actually behind the ‘doing’ of the coaching culture are focused on clarifying underlying challenges and experimenting with solutions.
How does coaching culture show up?
A coaching culture shows up in simple but powerful shifts:
- Instead of jumping quickly to solutions, leaders ask better questions.
- Instead of solving problems for their teams, leaders support others in working through challenges.
- Instead of avoiding difficult conversations, teams approach them with curiosity and openness.
- Instead of leadership being concentrated at the top, it becomes something that develops throughout the organization.
Not Just a “Communication Skill”
One of the most common misconceptions about coaching is that it is simply a communication skill. In reality, coaching cultures reflect a deeper shift in leadership mindset. It requires leaders to move from being the person who directs work and solves problems to someone who surfaces new thinking and confidence within the team.
This shift can be challenging because it really does require a lot of thought, intention, and emotional self-regulation. Many leaders have been rewarded throughout their careers for being decisive and knowledgeable. This was certainly my own experience!
How does a coaching culture change an organization?
But organizations today face increasing complexity and a coaching culture helps organizations move from dependence on individual expertise toward collective leadership.
Organizations that intentionally build a coaching culture often see meaningful shifts in how their teams function. In a 2023 International Coaching Federation (ICF) report defining coaching cultures, they found:
- Teams see less turnover and burnout.
- Leaders experience a more thoughtful way to navigate conflict.
- Teams take greater ownership of their work.
- Difficult issues are surfaced earlier and addressed more constructively.
Got it….so how do I do it?
If there is one word to get behind as a team in building a coaching culture, it’s PRACTICE.
Here’s what could be involved in your own organizational practice that would contribute to building a coaching culture:
- Coaching language: Get your team speaking the same language about coaching. Maybe there’s a coaching approach, philosophy or type of coaching that is aligned with your organization’s mission.
- Coaching champions: Identify who the internal champions are that will be able to spearhead holding the organization to this shift in your core approach in how you show up for each other. Get these champions trained up in coaching skills so they can then build the coaching capacity of others.
- Iterate and get feedback: Your coaching culture will change, and that is the point. A coaching culture is ready to change, and meets the moment with curiosity. As an organization, identify the opportunities to take a coach approach and have a system of feedback where collectively, the team can contribute to the actual building of the team culture. Sometimes getting it wrong and making the mistakes can help articulate what will work and where you are getting it right.
- Celebrate success: Highlight where things need to change or be improved and clearly articulate what success might look like or feel like for the team. When this happens, be sure to recognize it and celebrate that!
If you find yourself thinking “A coaching culture…isn’t that interesting!” then we want to hear from you!
At Laridae, we support organizations in building coaching cultures, including through our ICF-accredited coach training program designed to develop internal coaching champions.
Book a time to connect and explore how you can build a coaching culture and start coaching your teams.