Originally published on LinkedIn.
This month I asked everyone whether you have someone who supports, pushes, and motivates you. Out of 208 votes, just over 50% said that they do, which is good news. However, almost a third said somewhat and nearly 20% replied with no. This means managers have more work to do to help set up a workplace that mentors and coaches their employees.
If you’ve ever attended any of my live corporate trainings on Multigenerational Competencies, then you already know my thoughts on Manager-Coaches.
A Manager-Coach will encourage an employee to step up to responsibility and continued achievement, treating them as full-scale partners/contributors. They are optimistic and have a strong sense of moral values, honesty, humility, warmth, self-confidence, & trustworthiness. Their role entails gathering data, providing feedback, recruiting, motivating, ensuring results, and working with individuals/teams.
In fact, 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, and over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills. 86% of companies report that they returned their investment on coaching and more!
Why do we love coaches so much? Before we get into that, let’s explore how coaching shows up in the workplace.
What is Coaching in Corporate America?
It’s A Leadership Skill: Manager-Coaching
In corporate America, it is important for managers to take on the role of coaches to help their teams thrive. Coaches are consultative, employee focused, and supportive of an employee’s work. Unlike a manager who oversees an employee and determines the problem and plan, a Manager-Coach will work alongside the employee to help them determine the problem and plan.
This skill calls for the use of Emotional Intelligence/EI. There are 4 main components: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management.
Self-Awareness describes your ability to not only understand your strengths and weaknesses, but to recognize your emotions and their effect on you and your team’s performance. 95% of people think they’re self-aware, but only 10 to 15% actually are! This means we all have some work to do.
Self-Management refers to the ability to manage your emotions, particularly in stressful situations, and maintain a positive outlook despite setbacks. Leaders who lack self-management tend to react and have a harder time keeping their impulses in check.
Social Awareness describes your ability to recognize others’ emotions and the dynamics in play within your organization – the key tenet of empathy. To be a successful leader, you must practice empathy for your team members.
Relationship Management refers to your ability to influence, coach, and mentor others, and resolve conflict effectively. This is key if managers want to learn how to be coaches for their employees!
Coaching is empowering!
Gen Z Respond Well To Coaches
Based on Glassdoor's research, Gen Z is on track to take over Boomers for 2024. Below shows that Millennials + Gen Z already make up over 50% of the US workforce. Both respond well to manager-coaches, which is why it is vital to build upon these skills to be able to engage this emerging workforce.
Despite employers’ reluctance to hire Gen Z, they are highly coachable! They want to learn and want to be treated as equals.
Coaching is adaptive!
Mentorship In Career Development
Although coaching and mentorship have their differences, they share the same primary goal: to support an employee and help them grow. Mentors offer guidance and advice to employees, much in the same way that coaches do.
Together they can help increase employee engagement, improve employee performance, and create a positive work environment. More importantly, they can help your organization remain focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB) by increasing representation in leadership. By investing in your employees, you can help those who may have been disadvantaged and unable to scale their careers.
Coaching is supportive of growth!
Executive Coaching
Regardless of your level, experience, tenure…we can all benefit from coaching. With coaching, you can discover a new dimension of yourself!
There are many benefits to executive coaching such as combating executive isolation, improving your thought leadership, elevating your executive presence, and increasing your self-confidence. It can also provide a safe space for leaders to talk openly and expand their thinking. It can support work-life balance, offer different perspectives, and reaffirm for leaders the value of nurturing themselves.
Coaching is transformative!
Why do we think about coaches so positively? It comes down to TRUST!
Trust in someone who is looking out for your best interest.
Trust in someone who is willing to listen & consider your perspective in the solution-making process.
Trust in someone who believes in you and your potential.
Trust in someone who trusts you.
If you’ve ever played sports, think back to the last time you interacted with your favorite coach…the one who was able to get the best out of you. The one who saw something in you that you didn’t see in yourself. How did that make you feel?
This is your opportunity to better yourself as a coach for others – check out my new LinkedIn Learning course on performance management! I have made the access link for FREE for you!
In this course, I teach you the types of bias that can impact performance management—and how to identify and overcome managerial bias. You will learn about the key performance management practices that mitigate bias, the role of diversity and inclusion in performance management, and tools and technologies for bias mitigation.
I am honored to be included as one of the judges for Topco Media's Future of HR Summit & Awards! This is South Africa's Top HR event of the year which aims to celebrate the achievements of HR professionals and leaders.
Be sure to tune into the event on September 5th on Topco Media's YouTube channel!
SEPTEMBER OBSERVANCES:
National Recovery Month: This is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible.
National Suicide Prevention Month: This is a time to remember the lives lost to suicide, acknowledge the millions more who have experienced suicidal thoughts, and the many individuals, families, and communities that have been impacted by suicide. It’s also a time to raise awareness about suicide prevention and share messages of hope.
September 2 - Labor Day: This day is at heart a celebration of the hard-won achievements of America's labor movement and a recognition of what workers have contributed to the nation's prosperity.
September 5 - International Day of Charity: Besides honoring Mother Teresa’s work to help others overcome poverty and suffering, the holiday provides a platform for charitable opportunities to take place. If you can’t make a financial donation, there are still many ways to get involved, including buying gifts that give back to charities. Overall, this day reminds us that simple acts of charity can alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises and create more inclusive and resilient societies.
Sept 9 - 13 - National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week: The second week in September each year celebrates a group of colleges and universities that are classified by the U.S. Government as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and pays tribute to their legacy of promoting equal opportunities for high-quality education.
September 15 - October 15 - Hispanic Heritage Month: The idea for Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated throughout the latter half of September and the first half of October, began as a way to promote the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic-Americans — specifically, those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Communities mark the achievements of Hispanic and Latino Americans with festivals and educational activities. If you’re a student, to celebrate this day, check out all the scholarships available for Hispanic students.
September 17 - Constitution Day and Citizenship Day: This day commemorates the adoption of the Constitution of the United States and those who have become United States citizens. On this day, members of the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787.
September 18 - International Equal Pay Day: This day sheds light on how the pay gap impacts women of color and other minorities. While many organizations are working hard to close the gender pay gap, there are still many Americans who deny its existence. For that reason, people must educate themselves and those around them. If many people don’t see an issue, fixing it will be even more difficult.
September 21 - International Day of Peace: Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.
September 23 - International Day of Sign Languages: The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) was founded on this day in 1951. There are around 72 million deaf individuals in the world and over 300 distinct sign languages are used by these people together. Many people are unaware that sign languages are natural languages in their own right.
September 27 - Native American or Indigenous Day: This day honors those who have been a part of the American tradition even before the nation of the U.S.A. came into being. However, Indigenous history is written in blood and violence. After centuries of persecution, not much is left of the tribes and many have integrated into modern society. Those still in touch with their roots will remember these events and honor their ancestors' sacrifices. This holiday hopes to change the way people view Indigenous people and their culture.
Until next month... Be well and stay safe & healthy!
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