Executive Summary: Debunking Myths: Building successful coaching cultures

Speakers:

Payal Kaul Mirakhur:

Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, uExcelerate

Fatima Hussain:

Lead research analyst and Psychologist, uExcelerate

 

Overview:

Coaching culture refers to an organizational environment where coaching is embraced and integrated into everyday practices. It is a mindset that values continuous learning, growth, and development through coaching conversations. A coaching culture is important because it promotes employee engagement, enhances communication and collaboration, fosters individual and team performance, supports talent development and retention, and drives a positive work environment. It empowers individuals to take ownership of their growth, facilitates open dialogue, and builds strong relationships based on trust and support. Ultimately, a coaching culture contributes to the overall success and effectiveness of an organization. This webinar talks about building a coaching culture and also discusses uExcelerate’s initiatives in helping organizations form a successful coaching culture.

Context

Given the recent discussions surrounding coaching cultures, uExcelerate aims to dispel myths and provide insights on building successful coaching cultures within organizations using digital platforms.

Key Takeaways:

What is Coaching Culture and leader as a coach?

Leaders as coach and coaching culture are two concepts that are becoming more popular and relevant in today’s organizations. Leaders as coaches are managers who adopt a coaching mindset and skills to empower and develop their employees, rather than telling them what to do or solving their problems for them. Coaching culture is the organizational environment that supports and encourages coaching behaviors and practices at all levels, creating a positive and collaborative atmosphere that fosters learning, growth and innovation. 

Leading Statistical Insights:

In the past decade, the Global Leadership Forecast research (conducted by DDI) has revealed a troubling trend: a scarcity of leaders for important positions. This shortage has intensified in the aftermath of the pandemic. According to the 2023 report, a mere 12% of companies express confidence in the competence of their leadership bench.

As organizations develop their leadership development strategies, coaching emerges as the most effective intervention. Remarkably, 48% of leaders who have undergone coaching exhibit notable improvements in their leadership abilities. However, coaching remains limited to senior leadership levels and is considered a specialized practice.

Best Practices Report for establishing Coaching cultures.

The  webinar provided an overview of the research report on “Best practices for establishing Coaching cultures.”  This research report presents the best practices for establishing coaching cultures in organizations. It is based on the findings from a study of five award-winning organizations that participated in the Coaching Culture Circle Awards 2022. The study used a three-step analysis method: a questionnaire based on uexcelerate’s patented 7C coaching culture maturity model, a focused group discussion on the various practices of the organizations, and interviews with HR. The study gave insights into some of the common practices in building a successful coaching culture and what are the most important elements to consider while building a coaching culture in an organization.

About the 7C Model:

The CCC maturity model evaluates how well an organization uses coaching to improve performance and engagement. It has four levels and seven dimensions. The levels are: practice, process, strategic, and coaching. The dimensions are: the 7Cs. The higher the level, the more coaching is aligned with org goals and culture.

Results:

Where the data sample included five different organizations with varied practices and goals of coaching, the study found out some common practices that helped the organization’s coaching culture become sustainable.

The following were the identified common practices:

• Top down Approach
• Coaching as a long term initiative
• Coaching used as a tool to develop high performing employees
• Coaching as a part of organization;’s strategy
• Prominent use of technology to scale and support coaching process

 

Discussion:

The study concluded that coaching culture is a beneficial tool for any organization that wants to improve its performance, engagement and innovation. Coaching is a process of facilitating learning and development through questioning, feedback and support. Coaching cultures are environments where coaching is embedded in the everyday interactions and practices of the organization.

One of the elements for creating a coaching culture is to align it with the strategic goals and vision of the organization. This requires a clear understanding of the purpose, benefits and outcomes of coaching, as well as the resources and processes needed to implement it effectively.

Another element is to ensure that the coaching culture is governed by ethical and professional standards, and that the quality and impact of coaching are monitored and evaluated. This requires a framework of policies, guidelines and tools that define the roles, responsibilities and expectations of coaches, coachees and stakeholders.

A third element is to engage and empower the leaders of the organization to champion and model the coaching culture. This requires a commitment to developing their own coaching skills and competencies, as well as supporting and encouraging their teams and peers to do the same.

In conclusion, a coaching culture is a valuable tool for organizational development, but it requires a strategic, systematic and supportive approach to make it successful.

Coaching Culture Circle Awards 2023:

Additionally, the webinar discussed the second addition of the Coaching Culture Circle Conference and Awards, an annual event recognizing organizations with exemplary coaching cultures and innovative practices. The aim of the conference is to spread awareness and inspire organizations to build, scale, and leverage coaching as a means to develop leaders and enhance organizational performance.

The webinar concluded with an invitation to the upcoming conference, scheduled for September 2023, where participants can gain a deeper understanding of building coaching cultures and their impact on organizational success.

The Coaching Culture Awards provide recognition to organizations striving to establish coaching cultures and offer a benchmark report with actionable insights to support their coaching maturity journey. Overall, the webinar emphasized the importance of coaching in leadership development and highlighted practical approaches to establish and foster coaching cultures within organizations.

Coaching culture is a powerful tool for establishing a guaranteed profitable organization. Thus it is important to take the right measures from the beginning.

 

uExcelerate – a Digital Leadership Coaching Platform

uExcelerate, a Digital Leadership Coaching Platform, offers a comprehensive set of solutions to support organizations in building a coaching culture and fostering personalized talent development. Through our SaaS platform, we provide customized and holistic approaches to help organizations scale their coaching initiatives.

Our product offerings include:

1. APPRAISE – Coaching Culture Maturity Model: This tool enables organizations to assess their current stage of coaching culture maturity based on our 7C framework. It provides valuable insights to guide the development and implementation of coaching initiatives.
2. DISCOVER – Coaching Marketplace: Connect your employees with a diverse pool of experienced and certified external coaches who can cater to specific coaching requirements within your organization. This marketplace allows for personalized coaching engagements.
3. SYMPHONY – Coaching Platform: Launch on-demand one-on-one and/or group coaching programs by leveraging internal leaders as coaches and employees as coachees. This platform facilitates effective coaching engagements within your organization.
4. PACE – Coaching Programs: We offer a range of coaching programs, including leadership development, DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), mental well-being, and high-performance acceleration. These programs address key areas of growth and development for leaders and employees.

Through PACE, employees have the opportunity to engage in one-on-one coaching sessions with certified coaches who specialize in mental well-being. These coaches provide personalized coaching, support, and strategies to help individuals manage their mental health effectively, build resilience, and develop coping mechanisms.

By combining these products, uExcelerate provides a comprehensive solution to support organizations in building a coaching culture. We are dedicated to helping you create an environment where coaching thrives and individuals can maximize their potential.