Rethinking early careers coaching

Imagine an organisation whereeveryone benefits from a coachingculture. All too often it is seniormembers of staff or leaders in acompany that are offered coaching.One of the most common reasonsgiven for not coaching juniormanagers or staff members is cost.But democratising coaching across abusiness actually makes economicsense boosting staff retention levels,productivity, and employeesatisfaction. Is it time to break it out ofthe C-suite coaching box?

Rebekah Whitaker from Quest for EST is championing the cause for careers and future leaders' coaching to become commonplace in the workplace. “The very essence of coaching is to help people think differently in order to maximise their personal and professional potential. Why would you wait until someone has been doing their job for 20 years before giving them access to a coach?”

She also points out that it gives leaders the skills they need as they progress in their careers.

Studies from the International Coaching Federation show that 80% of people who receive coaching have increased self-confidence, 70% benefited from improved work performance and 86% of companies recouped their investment in coaching. There is a strong case for coaching at all levels in a company, not just top-down.

Rebekah believes the top-down approach is a utopia. “It makes total sense that if company culture and leadership is driven from the top it is going to have the biggest impact as it filters throughout the company. But what I’ve seen time and time again is that the passion and culture created at the top breaks down somewhere in the middle. Who do the early careers and future leader employees emulate? The well-intentioned CEO that they see twice a year at company roadshows? No! They become carbon copies of the disgruntled middle managers who are leading them on a daily basis.”

Rebekah wants organisations to include coaching in their budgets and make sure that employees are encouraged to make time for it. "I’ve recently started working with a company who gives their employees a development budget and the autonomy to choose how that budget is spent. Information on coaching is included in their annual appraisal, so employees could then choose to have coaching if they want. It’s a brilliant way to give staff access to coaching. Often people have never had coaching or know how to use it, so taster sessions are really useful to dispel anyfear or questions.”

1. It helps employees avoid burnout by guiding them to find ways to manage workloads, combat stress, and create a healthy work-life balance.

2. It encourages employees to bring fresh ideas to the table, and take ownership and responsibility for their actions.

3. It creates confident employees who don’t shy away from difficult tasks and conversations, and are secure enough in themselves and their abilities to help others grow and flourish.

Coaching was a life-changing experience for Rebekah. “During my time as an engineer, one of my colleagues told me that when we’d first started working together he found me intimidating because I seemingly had it all together and he questioned whether he could ever operate at that level."

"Outwardly I was bubbly, confident, capable, and didn’t take crap from anyone. Trust me, being a woman in a male environment, plenty was thrown my way. My confidence was actually at rock bottom; I felt like I had no clue what I was doing. My insecurities meant that I didn’t allow people around me to grow to their full potential, because I thought I would lose it all if someone was better than me."

Through coaching, Rebekah's entire outlook changed, and she was able to finally feel on the inside what she portrayed on the outside. "Coaching allowed me to truly understand who I am; to own my strengths and no longer be afraid of my weaknesses."

She points out that if she had been given coaching when she started to lead, she would have done it very differently.

" I was prone to procrastination due to crippling confidence issues which would lead to stress and anxiety. Being able to work with a coach at this point I truly believe would have changed the trajectory and outcome of my career."

Rebekah has also seen the impact coaching can make early in someone’s career, “I coached a management trainee who was struggling with confidence. Through our work not only did they gain the assurance to tackle and excel in their current role, they actually applied for promotion whilst they were still undergoing their training and they got it!"

Coaching enables businesses to have a resilient workforce in a hybrid working world that is expected to change rapidly in the next few years. Isn't it time to start thinking differently about coaching in your business?