The Challenges of Coaching in the Workplace: What You Need to Know

Coaching in the workplace is a complex and demanding task that requires a significant time investment and the ability to travel. It also necessitates objectivity and interpersonal skills. If the person being coached does not recognize the need for change, then it can be difficult to make progress. To help with this, a 360-degree evaluation can be used to provide more data points than just those of the coach.

This can help open the eyes of an unbeliever and make them less defensive and more aware of themselves. If this does not work, then it is best to move on. When coaching someone, it is important to first explore if the goal is the right one. If not, then adjustments should be made. The second option is to pressure them to commit and explore their level of commitment using a Likert Scale question.

This framework can be a great guide for starting training conversations. As people managers, it is common to be asked to step in and train employees who are not responding well to tasks. Coaching is typically task-oriented, performance-oriented and short-term, while mentoring is relationship-, development- and long-term oriented. Even the best-intentioned job coach can make mistakes and failures when trying to train employees. Many of these errors are due to poor training technique, fear of failure or impatience with the training process. It is also important for coaches to provide feedback on employee plans in order for them to successfully meet their goals.

For example, when discussing “time management” it is essential that the coach makes it clear what this means and what they want to address specifically in this area. A versatile coach can use this framework to ask follow-up questions and gain deeper information, preferences, needs and personal values from the coach. Arrogant people need to be challenged about how they are perceived and how that affects their effectiveness and relationships. Executive coach Beth Armknecht Miller offers tips on how to manage common causes of frustration in a coaching relationship. Paul, a coach in the workplace, is responsible for developing employees both personally and professionally. In multilingual countries such as the Philippines, coaching can be done in Tagalog, English or vernacular.

The most important element is that the coach is able to communicate messages in a simple, concise and understandable way (without using jargon) and ask the client how they understood the message. All of these challenges are difficult for their own reasons but without the right tools to support training and feedback, they will continue to limit leaders' ability to carry out these important practices.