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Workplace coaching has been for the reserve of executives or individuals within organisations.
Now organisations realise that managers using coaching skills can provide direct performance and
business benefits.
More than 70% of organisations with any formal leadership development activities use coaching
as an important part of that. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) states
that line managers typically deliver 36% of the coaching to their reports, while HR and Training
and Development specialists were delivering 30%.This suggests an expectation for line managers
to deliver more coaching.
I will start with defining what is coaching in the workplace, and what it is not. I will cover how it
works as a development tool, the topic of the Manager as coach, their roles and responsibilities;
the deliverables to the business and the pros and cons of delivering coaching.
I will cover how a manager can coach, who they will coach, and different styles and to conclude
the issues that it may raise, how they can be recognised and some solutions.
How does it work?
Organisations realise they can improve the performance and motivation of their people through
coaching. A coaching style of management is preferred to the traditional command and control
approach.
Coaching is a more a management style rather than a tool. Application of coaching has many
examples; delegating, problem solving, team building, planning and reviewing.
Coaching embraces 2 fundamental principles, that of awareness and responsibility. Huge potential
lies within all of us. What blocks that unleashed potential? Restrictive structures and company
practices, the lack of encouragement and opportunities offered, and management style of the
company. The most common internal block is self belief. Building self awareness, responsibility
and self belief is the goal of a coach.
Awareness can be raised by focussed attention and by practice. It is the clear perception of the
relevant facts and information. It helps in recognising when and how emotions or desires distort
our own perception.
When we accept, choose or take responsibility for our own thoughts and actions, our levels of
commitment increase, and so does our performance. Performance is likely to improve if someone
chooses to take action, rather than being told.

2. Effective questioning in conversation best generates awareness and responsibility. Questions
should be open beginning with words like what, when, how (much/many), and who. Why is
discouraged as it suggests criticism. Questioning will follow the coachee's train of thought. If they
appear to be going way off track a simple interjection like "I notice we haven't talked about", helps
bring things back on course.
What should we ask, and in what sequence? Several coaching models exist. The most familiar is
the (T) GROW model. The G is for Goal, setting the agenda for the session as well as the long
term aspiration. The R is for reality, exploring the current situation. The O follows for options or
courses of action. Finally W is for what is to be done, when, by whom (the way forward).
Other coaching models exist, such at the SHOOTS model. Here they cover Seek to understand,
Hone the goals, Objectives set, Options and action planning, Try it out, Success review. One
further coaching model the "Coaching path", is another.
The Manager as Coach the pros & cons
Can a manager coach and do their own day job? With the demands placed on managers these
days, adding one more task to their list of objectives in an ever demanding workplace.
Organisations realise they can improve both the performance and motivation of their associates
through coaching. Focussing on encouraging people to think for themselves, a coach provides
support, challenge, feedback and guidance, but rarely answers.
A survey conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggests
managers who have been trained in coaching can also self coach. While operational coaching
carried out by line managers will help to improve performance, it is dedicated internal coaches
who will bring about long-lasting behavioural change that can really add value.
Dedicated internal coaches within an organisation must raise the question of value for money and
cost effectiveness. My own observations of cost-cutting programmes, flatter organisations, and the
need to demonstrate value for money leave little room for a coach to exist as a dedicated
resource.
There are some additional pros and cons for coaching a team From the perspective of the coach
is a successor could be created, avoiding team members being "off the job" to develop skills, and
could be cost effective. The downside to this is that they (the manager) feel their own job may be
jeopardised, it can be time consuming, and giving people responsibility may encourage them to
dispute the coach's authority. The manager in coaching may develop a lack of confidence if the
coaching experience does not go well.
For the team the benefits are that they will be coached by someone who knows them and their
development needs. Development is part of the job and is therefore directly relevant and useful,
and it makes work more challenging and interesting. The downside could be if coaching isn't taken
seriously.
Coaching may not always be appropriate. A manager may have to switch from a coaching role to
a directing role and then back again. As long as this is explained to the team this should not cause
an issue. If not then the behaviour can be seen as ambiguous.

3. For the manager to be successful he needs to build rapport with the people he is coaching.
Without this coaching will have limited benefits. The relationship will often be one to one, however
in the case of a development or performance focus; the manager may have to report to a sponsor
to give feedback. All parties will need to know this from the start.
How can a Manager Coach?
Organisations need to decide how coaching will be deployed, who will do the training
(internal/external) and how many managers are to be trained. This would usually be led by the HR
function, supported by senior management. This could be built into the organisations objectives
and targets. By the creation of a "coaching culture" coaching will be more readily accepted.
Various coaching models are available for the manager as coach. The most common is
(T)GROW. Used effectively it's relatively simple to use (previously discussed). Regardless of
which model the coach chooses to take, it will give them a repeatable model to use. One
disadvantage of having many managers coaching in organisations is standardisation, a model will
help.
Assuming the manager has received coaching training, and is now armed with a repeatable model
to follow, what next? There are several dimensions in the coaching relationship to consider. One is
between the coach and the coachee (team or individual).
A third dimension which is the manager to the organisation. This may mean reporting upwards on
progress and developments of a coaching relationship.
A manager can coach in various ways; coaching downwards, meaning coaching individuals who
report directly. Coaching upwards, meaning the relatively unusual situation of coaching ones
superior. This can be dangerous as a senior manager may ask for honest feedback, but does not
want to hear the truth! I would advise extreme caution in this situation.
Coaching sideways, meaning coaching colleagues peers or equals in the organisation. This
occurs in different areas and can benefit the coach, coachee and the organisation with an
exchange of views and knowledge. It allows challenging questions to be asked, which might not
necessarily be raised if one had expert knowledge of the functional area.
Team Coaching, is another dynamic where a manager can apply his coaching skills. For a team
there are times when coaching intervention will be effective. These are the beginning, midpoint
and ends. The beginning helps establish boundaries, identifies what to do regarding tasks and
timings. This helps the group to have a good launch, and can significantly enhance member's
commitment to the team and the task. At the midpoint failures and successes can be shared, as
well as experiences. Teams are able to review how they have worked together and will be open
for some coaching intervention. The end of a task or performance should be time for lessons
learnt for future project work.
These 3 coaching interactions can be summarised as motivational in the beginning, consultative at
the midpoint, and educational at the end. Evidence suggests that coaching a team in between
these points in the cycle may have small beneficial effects.

4. What issues does it raise?
There are three angles, the coach (manager) the coachee (individual and team) and the
organisation.
In all organisations politics have their place. It is important to remember that as a coach your role
is non-judgemental. The manager needs to recognise when there is a conflict of interests and flag
at the earliest opportunity. By finding themselves "in the middle", this is potential for stress.
Managers should be aware and take early action to avoid this situation.
In commercial organisations, Return on Investment (ROI) or at least a clear measure of how
coaching will impact the organisation is required. Few initiatives will be approved or deployed
unless there is a clear measurement system. This is where a "coaching culture" may support the
initiative. Being incorporated into the organisations missions, and values as well as one of the
organisations corporate objectives will support success and adoption.
Tracking success of coaching can pose a headache. Process tools & guidelines will help with this.
For example specifying how long the coaching will last for, the assessment instruments and
agreement as part of the contracting phase.
One issues a manager may face when coaching in an organisation is that of standardisation. For
example coaching models, how information is recorded, and how coaching sessions are
conducted.
A barrier to coaching is the perception the time to do it. Small companies and some owner
managers are likely to complain that they don't have the time to do everything. Smaller companies
tend to have fewer dedicated resources. However it is accepted that some smaller businesses fail
as a consequence because they had not adequately developed their key staff.
Managers as coaches may well come across the international dimension and are an aspect that
the manager as a coach needs to be aware of, even within a single organisation. This is
particularly relevant in a more diverse workforce.
Managers ought to understand how development impacts on people in the organisation. Managers
need genuine interest; otherwise they may only pay lip service to the "coaching culture" or their
organisations "strategy and vision". In hostile environments (such as fast paced manufacturing)
with aggressive attitudes and styles, change needs to happen quickly, and coaching is not
automatically chosen.
Autocratic environments where management "tell" their associates display language and
behaviour in direct conflict to the coaching style. If managers have to "tell" their associates, they
handle and remove any ambiguity in their role as coach. As long as this is explained to associates
this should not cause an issue.
If time is upmost then telling will be the fastest way. If the quality of the result is upmost, then
coaching for high awareness and responsibility is likely to deliver. If maximising learning is
upmost, coaching will optimise learning and retention.
Coaching is a tool for people development. What if there is nowhere for the people to develop to?

5. Organisations adopting flatter and leaner structures, particularly in the light of current economic
situations there may leave little scope for individuals to move unless someone leaves. Succession
planning helps here but people may have to "stand still" for some time.
As a consequence of downsizing individuals find them with even higher workloads than before.
Organisations typically shed jobs and restructure with little thought as to how the business
processes and people are affected.
Other organisational barriers to coaching success are lack of time, where the managers did not
feel that they had the time; they want things done now so revert back to "command and control".
Fear of skills coaching used, for managers who can't or won't coach will oppose its use. They may
feel weakness in their ability. Fear from the associate's side their mangers are not confident in
their role as coach, and some associates may be better than them. From the manager's side there
is the fear of the coach, that the coach can perform better than them and perceive it as a threat.
There is the fear of risk, that if it does not bring the results that are expected (whether reasonable
or not) that it would be a waste of money (externally provided), or resources and time (internally
provided).
Coaching is not a "catch all" for everything and everyone and the manager needs to recognise
when coaching is not appropriate. As a guide but by no means exhaustive, when faced with the
following situations, a manager may question if coaching is appropriate. If a criminal act is
committed, serious health or emotional problems, stress, and substance abuse.
Conclusion
Coaching has been recognised as adding value in the workplace, not only for high achievers and
executives. Responsibility for delivering the coaching still rests largely with the line management
team in an organisation ( 70%).
Coaching is applied in a non-directional, non-judgemental way. Before improving performance
awareness and responsibility need to be raised. Coaching models exist to aid the manager the
most common being (T)GROW.
Coaching may appear an additional task on f the manager's already heavy workload. Done
correctly, it allows the manager more time on core tasks such as long-term planning and objective
setting. In developing staff it avoids them being "off the job" to develop skills. There are occasions
where a manager will have to "tell" staff and needs to be handled by them appropriately.
Coaching can be done at various levels within an organisation, team, individuals, peers, superiors
or themselves. It is important for the manager to recognise when coaching is not appropriate and
seek assistance.
The manager needs to be aware of any conflicts of interest, particularly in the area of values and
beliefs. A demonstrable measurement system will support the coaching approach. The standard of
training and ongoing support to coaches is important to ensure that a coach does not have a
negative effect on the workforce. Cultural and diversity dimension also needs to be considered.
Coaching is clearly not a "catch all" or a sticking plaster for a manager to heal over their areas of

6. responsibility. It is extremely powerful when used as a management style, supported by a strong
and visible coaching culture within an organisation.
The final question I would raise to any organisation not using, or considering using coaching is
why would they not want to benefit from the overriding benefits that it can yield?
Wulston Alderman has been coaching within the BMW Group for the last 9 years across brands
such as Rolls-Royce MINI and Land Rover.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, he is also a practicing Mentor for the
membership. He is passionate about helping others develop themselves both professionally and
personally, therefore he takes a great deal of interest in career coaching for young professionals.
To find out how you can improve your business performance, Wulston is offering an initial
consultation session for free.
For more information contact wulston@lifeandcorporatecoaching.co.uk
http://www.lifeandcorporatecoaching.co.uk
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Questions on coaching? This is a great place to find out more:
http://bit.ly/ym3YLX
==== ====