Coaching Your Workforce

Friday, January 8th, 2021

Coaching? As in Little League? Yes, that is what we are talking about. If you want to hit home runs, invest your time, resources, and skills in your team – coach your players.

Coaching your employees – helping them learn and grow while boosting morale, is the mark of a standout leader and a thriving company. It unites the team and helps ensure that each employee fulfills his/her role with excellence. So, what makes great coaching?

Your coaching should be an extension of the company’s values and goals. Align your style with the company’s culture.

Be flexible. Employees are individuals, who have different styles of learning, working, communicating, etc. Keep the same message but be willing to adjust your style. Take time to know your employees, your department, your project team, or whatever group you are leading. Learn what motivates them, their professional and personal background, their strengths, and their weak areas.

Listen first. You will be a better leader/manager and coach. Promote feedback. Be open to their ideas. When your employees know you respect them and their opinions are valued, they are more apt to stay engaged.

Encourage your employees to give each other feedback as well as to you. Create a culture of dialogue – it pulls everyone together and builds collaboration. Connecting employees with their peers opens new possibilities and creates a more bonded workplace.

Pay attention to team dynamics. Match roles and responsibilities with personalities and backgrounds. By appreciating and honoring your team’s diversity, you enhance their strength. Encourage them to learn from each other. Set the example and expect them to follow it.

Don’t do their work for them, but when your team needs your insight and assistance, be willing to get in the trenches and work alongside them. Encourage questions and respond with answers. Offer training.

Acknowledge your employees’ input. Build confidence through recognition and appreciation. Empower them by matching authority to their responsibility. Encourage them to push their boundaries. Treat mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow and thank them for being engaged – for trying.

Whether you are looking for a strong leader who knows how to coach, or coachable employees, connect with Waypoint. We have a straightforward goal: with our recruiting expertise and hands-on approach, we pair extraordinarily talented candidates with flourishing companies. In fact, Waypoint was started with the simple idea that making human connections leads to better recruiting—and ultimately to prosperous placement for both parties.