Calling all managers! Have you brushed up on your coaching skills recently? No? Hmmm… you must not be aware of the incredible value of effective coaching and the amazing effect it can have on your team.
In this blog, we will make sure you understand the difference between training, mentoring and coaching (did you know there were significant differences?), give you a few tips and tricks to improve your coaching capabilities and fill you in on why coaching could transform your team for the better.
The Value of Coaching
Through effective coaching, managers can help their staff gain confidence, feel empowered to think for themselves, and ultimately take ownership of their current roles and plans for the future of their careers. Coaching can boost employee morale, improve retention rates, and strengthen individual performance, unlocking amazing benefits for any company.
Sue Bowell, a former Team Leader at a Customer Service Contact Centre, understood this firsthand:
”Coaching my team members and seeing them taking onboard everything we’d spoken about was so satisfying. Seeing an agent slowly start to gain confidence, be motivated to improve, and start hitting those targets is so rewarding.
Susan BowellTeam Leader
The benefits of coaching are wide-ranging and can have a massively positive impact on careers- and, therefore, your business as a whole. By enabling staff to become self-aware and to trust themselves and their own judgement, they are likely to take greater responsibility, be more accountable, work more easily with peers and communicate more effectively- all of which will help with job satisfaction and make employees even more valuable to your organisation.
By developing and enhancing their skills (both professionally and personally) and being interested in the growth of your staff, you’re showing them that you care about their progress- hugely increasing the likelihood of them remaining loyal to you and your brand.
What Are the Differences Between Training, Mentoring and Coaching?
While they all may fall under the same ‘development’ umbrella, there are clear differences, and each should be used for a different purpose.
Training
Training is what we do to teach necessary processes.
This is how this should be done. Please do it this way. Tick this box here and enter that number there.
Mentoring
Mentoring is what we use to guide by experience and to help an individual reach an over-arching goal.
This is how I’ve approached this previously. Take this information and think about how you would go about it.
Coaching
Coaching is what we do to bring about change in a person (and therefore their behaviour), in the here and now and through their own thought with the aim of achieving a specific goal.
What is it you want to achieve? What do you think you will need to do to get there?
Benefits of Learning to Coach Effectively as a Manager
If you’ve taken the time to read this far, we’re going to assume you’re a team manager and that you’re intrigued by what high-quality coaching delivered by you could do for them and the results they produce.
”Anyone who’s worked in a contact centre will know how limited time is—and being able to take an agent away from the phone, chat, or emails is very difficult, which made these sessions even more precious.
Susan BowellTeam Leader
Here’s a (non-exhaustive) shortlist:
- Coaching boosts individuals’ self-awareness; they begin to understand who they are, what makes them tick and how they can evolve. This is all good stuff for you- if they don’t know what they need or want, are you supposed to guess? Knowledge is power, my friend.
- Coaching helps individuals achieve clarity regarding what they really want and how they can get it- inevitably leading to better productivity and business success.
- Coaching can bring about necessary clarity for your team and provide a time and space in which to focus on themselves and their aspirations. In the busy office haze, it can be very difficult to put your mind into big-picture-thinking mode. In a call centre environment, it can be a challenge to even think beyond lunchtime- never mind map out your ideal five-year plan.
- Coaching enables individuals to focus on the right elements and concentrate their energy so they’ll be happier and more successful in their career (and therefore of more value to your business).
Be the Backbone
In her time as a Team Leader in a Contact Centre, Sue quickly recognised that coaching was not just for new employees but also for experienced ones.
As a coach, you help:
- Build resilience and confidence in employees.
- Set accountability and realistic goals.
- Guide employees through setbacks and keep them on track.
- Empower experienced staff to take ownership of their role as influencers within the team.
”Not all agents were open to coaching—in fact, I found my more experienced agents to be the biggest challenge. They felt they knew the job inside out and therefore didn’t need any coaching. But despite great track records in hitting targets, long-standing agents could easily fall into bad habits and the newbies would very quickly pick up on them.
Susan BowellTeam Leader
Improve their motivation in taking the right next steps by offering accountability and support when times get tough.
Let’s face it, we all need a bit of accountability to keep us on track at times. You can be that for your team. At each session you can set agreed, realistic goals and be an accountability partner for your team members. You can also be there to coach them through any setbacks before sending them back out with a new set of goals to keep them motivated.
Build their resilience and confidence in their work life. They’ll know their worth and that they have the right tools at their disposal, no matter what their work life throws at them.
This is a biggie. Through your effective coaching, you can empower your team to work towards their goals, safe in the knowledge that they have your full support and guidance to hand. No employee wants to strive towards a career upgrade without the solid backup of their manager. You can be the solid foundation from which your reports can flourish- and hey- isn’t that exactly what being a good manager is all about?
Top Tips for Effective Coaching
Our training course is packed full of advice, tips and tricks to turn you into a coaching legend but seeing as you’ve taken the time to read this blog, we’ll give you a few tasters from the course to help you on your way:
Priority Coaching
Who is your current right-hand person and potential successor? Whoever sprung to mind- coach them first. Effective coaching will enable them to empower you with the time, support and resources to help everyone else.
Focus on what their Strengths and weaknesses are, what they do better than you, what you do better than them, and, if you choose to move on, what may prevent them from successfully stepping in your place.
Listen More, Talk Less
Coaching sessions should be focussed on listening to your report. As a rule of thumb, you should spend only 25% of the time talking and at least 75% of the time listening. If you’re talking a lot, you are most likely mentoring or training by accident- and there is a distinct difference, remember. If you think you know how to solve a particular issue they’re facing, keep it to yourself and help them find their own way. Restraint is a key skill required for good coaching.
Read Between The Lines
Be curious of what’s said and unsaid as silence can speak a thousand words. Pay attention to their body language or tone of voice for cues about how they may be feeling or what they may be wanting to say but are struggling to articulate. It’s your job to enable them to voice their thoughts.
Ask the Right Questions
Some ‘coaches’ will ask a single question at the start of a session and proceed to sit in silence while their report (victim) squirms uncomfortably in their seat. Rather than giving direct advice, ask guiding questions to help employees find their own solutions.
Use Their Name
Reflect on any operational or behavioural actions using their name—it’s impactful and personal and ensures the message sticks.
How to Structure a Coaching Session
Coaching newbies may want a guideline to follow for their first few sessions- luckily, we have a structure all mapped out with an easy-to-remember anagram; GROW.
- Goals: What do they want to achieve and why?
- Reality: Where are they now in relation to their goal, what will hold them back/aid them, and what do they need to bridge the gaps?
- Options: What avenues are available to enable them to reach their goal?
- Way Forward: What are the next steps? What is the focus going to be right now, and what steps will need to be taken beyond that?
The Power of Coaching
As Sue perfectly summed up:
”The power of coaching should never be underestimated—it helped me spot potential leaders, people who were really committed to their role, and those who wanted to do better.
Susan BowellTeam Leader
Coaching is not just about meeting performance targets; it’s about building a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
So, are you ready to be the kind of manager that empowers your team to succeed?
