What do IOC thought leaders say about coaching cultures?
A coaching culture...
“a culture of truth and courage because a coaching mindset is necessary to ensure honest communications that avoid alienating and discouraging people.” (Riddle, 2018)
“when conversations expand thinking and doing capacity of each person.” (Riddle, 2015)
“prizes coaching values, including helping people come up with their own ideas to which they will be more committed, and helping people dig deeper and reflect more fully to reach better, long-lasting solutions.” (Riddle, 2010, p. 418)
when “everyone—not just select ‘high potentials’— overcome their own internal barriers to change and use errors and vulnerabilities as prime opportunities for personal and company growth.” (An Everyone Culture)
“when the enterprise seeks to make coaching a foundational element of everyday behavior and attitudes.” (Riddle, 2010, p. 416)
What are the benefits?
“Leaders with coaching skills and a coaching frame of reference can engage their people and each other, speaking the truth, and eliciting involvement from those around them.” (Riddle, 2018)
“Part of the power of coaching is that it gives a mechanism for leaders to balance toughness of mind with consideration for the emotional climate of those they lead. Coaching is mostly about getting to the truth, but what makes it powerful is its assumption that the recipients of uncomfortable truths can and will change. Coaching never misleads others about the consequences of their actions, choices, and relationships. Coaching is about discovering the whole truth, facing the tough issues, and creating a liberating space for improvement.” (Riddle, 2018)
What are the costs of not having coaching culture?
In the absence of a culture shaped by coaching mindsets and values, the truth often goes unspoken, change only happens when a crisis takes place, and courage is a rare quality. (Riddle, 2018)
“In most organizations, nearly everyone is doing a second job no one is paying them for—namely, covering their weaknesses, trying to look their best, and managing other people’s impressions of them. There may be no greater waste of a company’s resources. The ultimate cost: neither the organization nor its people are able to realize their full potential.” (An Everyone Culture)
How to build a coaching culture?
A coaching culture emerges from a coaching cascade, going all the way to building coaching into the execution of business plans (Riddle, IOC Presentation):
What can coaches do?
Read the research and books! In addition to Doug Riddle’s contributions in CCL books, Peter Hawkins wrote - Creating a Coaching Culture and inspires us to extend coaching conversations far and wide, even investor relations – imagine coaching conversations with current and future investors!
Call to action...
While a coaching culture, manifesting coaching fully, is a lot easier to talk about than to implement, coaches ought to lean in - teaching everyone how to have coaching conversations. This may be our biggest potential contribution to a sustainable world.
Margaret Moore, aka Coach Meg
Co-founder, Co-Director, Institute of Coaching