Leaders and entrepreneurs know how difficult it can be to lead and manage their organization when employees no longer feel enthusiastic about their work.

In fact, a Forbes article listing workplace challenges that must be addressed in 2023, highlights the growing trend in employee disengagement. Gallup’s State of the Global Workforce report states that only 21% of employees were engaged in 2022, and low engagement can equal a loss in productivity.

While there are many paths that organizations can take to improve their company culture, a coaching culture is one of the demonstrable ways to make long-term investments in staff performance and well-being. Read on to find out how to build a coaching culture that can empower your employees and lead your organization to greater success.

Look into hiring a business coach

Like any other aspect of work culture, coaching is something that must be strategically planned in order to bring positive results. Experienced executives and budding entrepreneurs alike can benefit from the specific guidance and skills of a business coach.

As previously discussed in an article on ‘Why You Need a Business Coach’, business coaches can help you out when you want to learn new skills, or when you feel stuck and overwhelmed with the ever-changing demands of running a business.

Most importantly, business coaches are qualified to provide expert advice on employee management and retention practices, especially if your company is struggling with high turnover rates. In essence, enlisting the help of a business coach is crucial for jumpstarting a coaching culture at the executive level of leadership and decision-making.

Invest in coaching at all leadership levels

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, coaching has grown into a $2.85 billion dollar industry, with most of it invested in executive coaching. But coaching shouldn’t just be for executives anymore.

An empowering coaching culture must trickle down to all levels of the organization — including early-in-career leaders and entry-level employees.

As an article from Entrepreneur about the value of coaching explains, companies in their growth stages, in particular, can harness coaching to develop team leaders’ emotional intelligence, communication skills, and the ability to motivate and inspire their employees. This helps them transform and mature into leaders that can guide the company into the later stages of long-term, sustainable success.

Implement the right learning architecture

A reasonable expectation to have with internal learning and development systems is that your organization’s leaders will have varying levels of coaching skills. Some may already grasp the fundamentals of building rapport, while others need to develop their coaching skills and strategies further.

In this light, LHH’s Margo Hoyt explains that a true coaching culture is built through a learning architecture that regularly provides leaders the opportunities to learn and practice coaching skills.

This can look something like a coaching certification program for internal coaches, or internal support provided by human resources professionals when it comes to coaching roles, ethics, and applications.

Additionally, you can integrate digital coaching platforms into your learning architecture. These platforms can capture data and analytics on coaching interactions and outcomes, allowing you to measure your coaching program's impact and return on investment.

Avoid over-coaching

Despite the tremendous benefits that coaching offers in your employees’ personal and professional development, it is still possible to over-coach your team.

An article from Inc. Magazine defines over-coaching as offering too much help to your team if employees no longer have the chance to think, decide, and solve problems by themselves critically. A way to avoid this from happening and to instead foster team members’ growth is by being aware of your behavior towards coachees and holding yourself accountable by co-developing a coaching plan with your staff.

In summary, a good coaching culture at the workplace entails including all leadership levels and a well-planned learning architecture for coaches. Additionally, executives, managers, and leaders must be reminded of the ultimate goal of coaching: to address blind spots and cultivate the growth of every individual in the organization.