Introduction:

We all appreciate the value of coaching and feedback in sports and academics, but what do we know about their role and value in the workplace? Just like a coach helps an athlete achieve their desired goals, a workplace coach can guide employees toward developing those skills that would bring better performance improvements and help them meet their goals of driving the success of an organization.

Gone are the days of conventional annual performance reviews that provide feedback once a year. Instead, a culture of ongoing feedback and coaching is necessary to keep pace with the fast-paced nature of the IT landscape, driving employee growth and development. 65% of employees from organizations with strong coaching cultures have shown a high level of engagement.

By nurturing a culture of continuous development and open communication, your organization can unlock the full potential of your team. In our previous blogs, we looked at how to provide constructive feedback and also introduced coaching and the nuances between feedback and coaching. Now, let us explore the significance of feedback and coaching to enhance employee performance and drive organizational success.

Role of Coaching and Feedback in Organization Growth

Bill Gates said in one of his TED talks, – ‘Everyone needs a coach. It doesn’t matter who you are. We all need people to give us feedback. That’s how we improve.’

What does this mean in the workplace? Coaching and feedback form part of your company’s learning and development program. The main purpose of workplace coaching is to promote two-way communication between an employee and employer to identify areas for improvement, refinance strengths, and further progress in their performance.

However, coaching and feedback differ in purpose. Coaching, by nature, is a long-term development activity. Feedback’s role is to improve immediate performance. If both the elements are combined, then there would be an optimal implementation towards employee engagement as well as a productive team at the same time.

Coaching Vs. Feedback – Fundamental Differences

The difference between coaching and feedback in the workplace is something every leader needs to know. Mastering the balance in using these two techniques will be more of a surefire way to make a more interested and productive workforce in your organization. Let’s further discuss the main differences between coaching and feedback.

• • Focus and Intent

Coaching focuses on long-term development and skills improvements, while feedback supports behavior correction and performance improvement.

Coaching helps your team to unlock their potential and achieve their career goals. It should align with their aspirations while fostering consistent learning and professional development. Feedback addresses specific actions or outcomes of an employee, providing them immediate insights to refine their performance.

• • Frequency and Time Frame

Coaching is regular and ongoing, while feedback happens as required, as in response to specific events.

Coaching is part of a sustained relationship between the leader and the employee, offering consistent guidance and support. Feedback is given when immediate reinforcement is required to address any specific result or behavior.

• • Approach and Style

Coaching is collaborative and question-based, while feedback is direct, specific, and evaluative.

Coaching guides employees to explore the best solutions while fostering their independence and self-reflection. On the other hand, feedback gives you actionable insights, making it a direct interaction.

Instilling Coaching and Feedback in Your Workplace

As you delve into the realm of coaching and feedback, you might need to explore a set of fundamental questions. It will encourage you to set up the stage for personalized and effective strategies for success.

• • What are your Employee’s Career Goals and Aspirations?

Your feedback and coaching should align with your team’s long-term career objectives. You should learn about their aspirations, to customize your coaching sessions accordingly and help them advance in their desired direction.

• • What are the Specific Skills needed for Improvement?

Identifying the areas where your team and organization need improvement is critical for effective coaching and feedback sessions. Organizing skill assessments and analyzing performance data will help you pinpoint your employee’s strengths and opportunities for development.

• • How to Customize Coaching to Suit Individual Learning Styles?

Every individual has a unique learning style, so you should be able to adapt your coaching methods to suit each one. Some might prefer hands-on training, while some choose visual aids or written materials. Adding such flexibility in your coaching will ensure maximum learning effectiveness.

• • What Outside Factors Affect Your Team’s Performance?

As you implement coaching and feedback within your workplace, it would be advisable to consider what is going on in the external environment that may affect the performance of your team. Whether it’s personal or professional challenges, they might hinder their progress. As a leader, show your empathy and support to address such issues, creating a conducive work environment.

Strategies to Setup a Proactive Feedback and Coaching System

Now that you are armed with the essential intricacies of feedback and coaching significance, let us unveil the invaluable strategies for nurturing a culture of continuous improvement and success.

• • Build A Positive Environment

In that sense, building a favorable and friendly atmosphere is probably one of the key elements of success and feedback. When your team feels comfortable and respected, they will tell you about their problems and dreams. Thus, you should create an atmosphere where they are free to express themselves independently without fear of criticism. Psychological safety is what empowers you to innovate and embrace continuous learning.

• • Set Clear Goals and Expectations

Clarity is important in the coaching process. Your team must have a precise understanding of what is expected of them in terms of their responsibilities and their future development. You should set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals with your team members. These goals will give you a roadmap to track your employee progress while serving as a basis for ongoing feedback and assessment.

• • Employ the SBI Model for Feedback

The SBI, or Situation-Behaviour-Impact model, is a proactive tool for delivering your feedback in a clear and actionable manner. You should explain the specific situation where the observed behavior happened, detail it, and explain its impact on the team, project, and the entire organization. This model will help your team understand the context of the feedback, facilitating meaningful discussions on better performance.

• • Provide Timely and Regular Feedback

Your feedback will not be effective if you deliver it too late. Timeliness will ensure that your feedback is relevant and applicable to your team’s recent actions/ behaviors. Regular coaching sessions will maintain an ongoing dialogue between managers and employees. They facilitate consistent growth, preventing minor issues from escalating into significant challenges.

• • Use the ‘Sandwich’ Technique with Precaution

The sandwich technique is when you sandwich your constructive feedback between two positive points. However, using it excessively might dilute the impact of your feedback.  Instead, you can also focus on providing genuine and well-articulated feedback so that you can communicate every aspect thoughtfully as needed.

What You Focus On, You Move Towards

To be a great leader means accepting the responsibility for developing your team’s growth and performance. So, the days of ‘leaders are bosses’ are over, and the days of ‘leaders are coaches’ have come. You can either resist that change and stick to the old-fashioned management methods or accept the change and develop a coaching mindset.

The great news is that such an approach to the new era will differ a lot and will be really appreciated by your team.  Overall, instilling the  feedback and coaching culture will create a highly supportive and encouraging atmosphere for not only your team, but also the organization as a whole.

However, do not forget that effective feedback and coaching is a journey, not an event. Actively investing your time and effort into fostering the growth of your employees, will help you to create a team that will not only succeed, but continue to drive innovation and progress.