Building a Coaching Culture

Coaching is a verb. It’s an action — something you do. It requires the active use of a variety of skills and behaviors.

In truth, however, coaching is more than a series of actions, steps, or activities; it is a mindset. At the core of this mindset is the belief that people can grow and develop the talents and abilities necessary to succeed in their goal-directed activities.

This mindset is referred to as a “growth mindset.” A growth mindset is a set of assumptions and beliefs that accelerate the development and performance of people in a variety of contexts. All leadership theories explicitly or implicitly advocate that a leader embrace a growth mindset and operationalize it through the act of coaching, using coach-related behaviors.

There is no denying the effectiveness of coaching and the coaching mindset. It is well-documented that organizations that have encouraged the practice of coaching have benefited from doing so.(1) Some organizations have gone so far as to formalize the values and expectations associated with coaching within the organization’s structure and processes. As a result, they have built a coaching culture.

Building and sustaining a coaching culture is a transformational process. However, as with any transformation, it is an arduous task and does not happen overnight. This being the case, there are several things to remember in building a smooth path toward success.

1. Know Your Goal

If your goal is to build a coaching culture, you must know what a coaching culture is.

A coaching culture is a set of shared beliefs, values, assumptions, and expectations that shape the thinking and behavior of people in ways that are congruent with a growth mindset. It includes a structure for how leaders coach, motivate, and develop those around them. It consists of the norms and expectations for creating relationships of interpersonal trust, self-disclosure, and openness. It is a culture that emphasizes self-awareness and personal development and the honest evaluation of strengths and weaknesses. It prepares people to have direct and open conversations, including the willingness to give clear and constructive feedback.

Your strategy and tactics for creating a coaching culture should always be evaluated according to how they contribute to this end state.

2. Answer the Question: Why This and Why Now?

Organizations as social units do not change easily — or quickly. Changing culture requires that old habits be replaced with new habits, new ways of thinking internalized, and new skills learned and mastered. This process takes time and motivational energy, which is not possible unless there is a vested interest in the outcome.

Building a coaching culture should not be an end in itself, but a means to an end. While all organizational initiatives should be tied to strategic objectives, this is especially true when changing culture. There must be buy-in regarding a well-defined understanding of the disadvantages of the status quo and the advantages of making a change. Without developing a solid business case for making the changes required to achieve the cultural vision described above, you will fail to overcome the inertia of the status quo. The linkage between establishing a coaching culture and the core operational strategy must be compelling and explicit; otherwise, the effort will be just another “flavor of the month.”

3. Recognize That Change Must Start At the Top

It is not enough that leadership espouses the virtues of a coaching culture or even provides resources for its implementation; they must model the way, whether it is as the leader of a small medical practice or the chair of a large department of medicine. The values and expectations of any culture are reflected in the behaviors of its leadership.

People will know that the organization is serious about changing the culture when they observe their leadership demonstrating the attributes and behaviors that define a coaching culture. How can you be the culture you want to see? Remember, the only real change is behavioral change.

4. Know That Change Is Not a Straight Line

Implementing a coaching culture is not a linear process. It is not a set of steps that automatically lead to success. Any change process requires using the heuristic method.(2) The heuristic method is a systematic search for and testing of solutions, using feedback obtained from what has been tried to refine your strategy until the desired results are achieved. This process is also called double-loop learning.(3)

Double-loop learning entails the modification of goal-related plans and strategies in the light of experience. The first loop is the application of what is thought will work, and the second loop enables modification as new information is acquired through feedback. Throughout the process, thinking about what you want and how to achieve it becomes more refined until the goal is reached.

Building a coaching culture is an educated trial-and-error process. It requires that you “go slow to go fast.” Take small steps and learn from your successes and failures. Celebrate what’s working, address what’s not. Establishing a coaching culture mimics the coaching process itself.

Summary

Is building a coaching culture worth it? Peter Drucker answered that question with his words, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Drucker pointed out the importance of the human factor in any organization, and nowhere is it more important than in healthcare organizations.

References

1. Howes D. The ROI of Building a Coaching Culture: Research Says…. International Coach Federation Vancouver Chapter News. March 25, 2015. https://icfvancouver.ca/the-roi-of-building-a-coaching-culture-research-says .

2. Hicks RF. Coaching as a Leadership Style: The Art and Science of Coaching Conversations for Healthcare Professionals. New York: Routledge; 2014.

3. Argyris C. Double-loop Learning in Organizations: A Theory of Action Perspective. In Smith KG and Hitt MA (eds.). Great Minds in Management: The Process of Theory Development. New York: Oxford University Press; 2005. pp. 261–79.