Increasingly, coaching is becoming more prevalent in the American workplace. Executive coaching, or advising CEOs, has been around for a long time. Even top leaders need and often ask for coaching to help them get better. That kind of coaching is now filtering through the workplace at all levels, because the benefits are many and fully proven.
Some might ask, just what exactly is coaching in the workplace? Think of a college or professional basketball team you might see on TV. The camera is forever switching back and forth from the play on the court to the professionally dressed coach always on their feet, pacing back and forth, watching every second of play. They’re watching to get ideas on how to make the team even better for the next game. Without expert coaching, good players remain only that—good. To become great, highly skilled players still need instruction and feedback on how they can become better. Coaching is watching every move and play to look for ways to always improve individual and team performance.
So, if you’re already great at what you do, do you need coaching? Keeping with the basketball analogy, think of LeBron James. Some would argue he’s the best player ever in the history of professional basketball. At 33 this year, he became a free agent and is transferring from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Lakers for a four year contract totaling 144 million.
You can bet that LeBron James will be coached every minute of every day he’s on the court, be it practice or a game. Yes, he is likely the greatest. But he won’t stay that way without coaching and continued development. We’ve all seen great players fail at their craft. Often it can be traced back to fallout with their coach which then becomes a problem for the team.
Here at Mains’l we’re about to embark on a significant coaching program. We believe, as with sports, coaching makes us better. It makes us winners. In today’s ever changing health care field, loaded schedules, and constant distractions, we can really benefit further from coaching so our skills won’t falter and our teams don’t struggle.
If you’re one of the partners in a coaching pair here at Mains’l, congratulations. You’re about to be invigorated and enhanced in what it is you do. Plus you’ll be contributing to your partner’s improvements as well.
We all have a lot to do.Our schedules are hectic. It seems like we never get ahead. Can we take on one more thing? The real question is can we afford not to take on coaching? Because coaching might just help us get control of these things better and, in the end, make us all winners!