When you think of the word “coach” what may come to mind is your childhood soccer coach, the coach of your favorite team, or even your role on your child’s basketball team. Bringing the word “coach” into the workplace or a business environment can take on a completely different energy. But is it really that different?
Coaching, by definition, is the process in which one individual takes on the role of teacher, while the other individual takes on a learning role in which to achieve a specific goal. Coaching in a business environment can be formal or informal, and can happen on many different levels including executive coaching to team-based coaching.
Individuals who assume the role of coach have a very specific set of core competencies that make them successful. Among them are the ability to practice high ethical and professional standards, to build trust and intimacy with a client, to actively listen, and to create awareness. It is important to note that great players are not always great coaches, just as great coaches are not always great players.
In recent years, there has been some confusion over the word “coach” as it pertains to the business setting. Some may refer to it as the discipline conversation or performance review that happens between a supervisor and employee (commonly human resources related). Others have associated coaching with the term “mentor,” which is geared more towards listening to problems, finding solutions, and complementing coaching with some mentoring on how to achieve the desired results.
However, a true coach is one who asks questions that lead to a better understanding of who a person is, rather than telling them what to do. The assumption that exists is that individuals have the answers within themselves and all that is needed is a fresh pair of eyes. They key word here is “empowerment,” which “refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, educational, gender, or economic strength of individuals and communities.”
Our Coaching Return on Investment
The return on investment for business coaching can be exponential. At Dexcomm, we’ve found that our investment has helped us increase our bottom line, re-engage our employees, work smarter, and reclaim individual rights as a part of work-life. In turn, the level of service that we have been able to bring to our clients since our commitment to coaching has experienced significant growth.
Our ability to provide real-time feedback to our staff using various coaching methods has benefited us greatly, and this empowerment of our staff helps them to serve our clients better in each moment of service.
To learn more about Dexcomm, visit us at http://www.dexcomm.com