What is a Coaching Culture?

What is coaching? Coaching is a way to bring out the best in others. To develop their strengths to perform at their best. Check out our podcast: What is the Coach Approach to learning more about Leaders using Coaching skills…

What is Culture? The dictionary defines culture as: the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social groups

Putting these together means that our organization behaves with the habits of Coaching. The organization is constructed with policies, habits, and behaviors that look and feel like Coaching.

What are those habits?
To be curious To refrain from judgment To assume positive intent To analyze when intent did not match the impact To grow To ask good questions To go beyond the what- and deeper into the who and how as well as why To dig deep To ask To create and design To measure and adjust To build relationships – not transactions To fulfill potential

And by no means is this an exhaustive list

So what might this look like in an organization? Let’s use the example of the onboarding process of a new hire:

Things are ready when they arrive /join A desk/login/phone They have contact beyond their manager They have access to coaching both individually and as a group They have an onboarding process

What’s the purpose of this? To give them context, connection, support, and a safe space to ask questions that might not seem appropriate for their manager. We want them to have confidence in their leader and the systems.

They feel welcomed and wanted. They feel as if the system is set up for them to succeed.
They have the tools to do their work, and they have the training to use them. They have clarity about their work and it is safe to ask questions People go out of their way to welcome them and make them feel like they belong. They have the start of friends.

Does the organization introduce them to the company vision? And how does it connects to their work?

Do they understand the goals set for them within the context of the department’s goals?

Do they understand the norms and behaviors of the organization? What do they ‘go to war for’? and what do they ‘celebrate’? who are the elders?

I often do an exercise from a great resource ‘retreats that work’ that suggests we are anthropologists dropped into a jungle studying an undiscovered tribe. In this case, the tribe is the new company. How do we behave?

How can our new hire acclimate as quickly as possible?

If a leader and an established employee can’t answer these questions about how things work and what really happens regardless of what the posters say – then it might be time to roll up our sleeves and start documenting the values and norms. What it might be right now and what do we aspire to?

In my shorthand, I believe a coaching culture is one where coaching is part of everyone’s role. It is to build up, be kind, be honest, and be our best. And to do that Leaders need to start themselves – and experience true professional coaching. Then learn the skills – then make it part of the DNA rolling it out to all employees.

This experience of the coaching culture improves Leadership in clarity, communication, and decision making. It improves communication across the board, and it builds employee resilience and engagement.

Want to know how mature the Coaching Culture is in your organization? Take my Coaching Culture Assessment for Leaders our tool of the week: The Organizational Assessment for Leaders – evaluates the presence of Coaching Culture elements in the areas of Leadership, Engagement, Retention, and Fundamentals.
If you’d like to debrief the opportunities for your organization to grow its Coaching Culture. Contact me at shawna@shawnacorden.com

SO, HERE’S YOUR fieldwork –because COACHING WITHOUT ACTION ISN’T COACHIng – IT’S JUST ENTERTAINMENT

Take the perspective of a new hire (or the Anthropologist who has been dropped into your company’s Jungle) What are you observing? What elements exist? What are missing? What signals does send?

Document what you’re doing well and what needs adjustment – make a plan.