How coaching-style leadership creates
a High Performance Workplace
A High Performance Workplace (HPW) is both a description of positive business outcomes and
a way to denote best practice in organisational development. Terms that often go hand in hand
with HPW include “high-commitment management, high-involvement systems, transformed
workplaces, flexible production systems and high performance work systems” (Wood, 1999).
Companies are continually striving to define themselves as
HPWs as an indicator of being a business where motivated,
flexible and engaged individuals can create truly
exceptional, sustained results. However, a HPW is more of
a dedication to the process of self-improvement than it is
a final destination or categorization. Though it’s unlikely
that an organisation would want to be considered a low
performing work place, a HPW is more than just a name; it
is a philosophy of best practice.
Introduced within the 1960s, coaching leaders use
a future-focused perspective to develop employees
by providing clear direction and enabling a positive
organizational culture and environment. Coaching
style leadership can help organisations become a HPW,
especially within the areas of engagement, innovation and
accountability.
For some, coaching style leadership may feel somewhat
akin to “micro-managing” for leaders who are normally
very “hands off,” but it is important to note that coaching
leaders are intended to provide plentiful instruction and
feedback. Through this type of attention, employees
achieve clarity and understanding of their purpose and
goals and are likely to feel supported and challenged by
their leaders.
Coaching Leadership
“The key to consistent business success is
to understand that people come before
spreadsheets.” - Estienne de Beer, Author &
Leadership coach
High Performance Workplace
High Investment
Low Expectation
Complacency
Well supported but little challenge
High performance
Appropriate support to deliver
results
Result
Missed opportunities and limited
development
Result
Commitment, enthusiasm and
achievement
Stagnation
Little challenge or support
Anxiety
Considerable challenge but little
support
Result
Apathy
Result
Stress, variable performance and
possibly fear of failure
High Expectation
Low Investment
© M.Carter 2007
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© The Insights Group Ltd, 2014. All rights reserved.
How coaching-style leadership creates
a High Performance Workplace
Engagement through investment
can do that by empowering employees to guide their
own decisions and development. When an employee
feels valued and trusted within their organisation,
they are more likely to take risks and offer creative and
innovative solutions.
At a fundamental level, leaders who are interested in
creating a HPW need to be able to communicate an
appropriate blend of expectation and investment with
their employees. By engaging in coaching conversations
with employees, leaders are able to elicit expectations
and identify where employees need development and
support. Leaders will be able to see their teams achieve
and sustain high performance by eliciting appropriate
levels of investment, expectation and enthusiasm that are
consistent throughout the organisation.
Coaching in a HPW puts the employee at the centre of the
business and enables each employee to be goal-oriented
and understand their value within the organisation.
By leaders clearly illustrating the relationship between
the employee’s work and the company strategy, each
employee becomes accountable and invested in their
contribution to the organisation’s values and purpose.
The diagram above demonstrates possible outcomes
and the problems that may be encountered should
the leadership not find the right ratio of expectation
and investment. It is important for leaders to be aware
of where they sit on this axis and seek to establish a
fundamental equilibrium of high expectation/high
investment.
Conclusion
Coaching leadership in the context of a HPW is the
catalyst for change in a journey whereby leaders and
employees pledge their mutual dedication to the
continuous improvement of the organization. By
adopting coaching style leadership, organisational
leaders are ensuring that there are ongoing conversations
happening within the organisation, with the aim of
enabling employees to be continually proactive in
shaping their development.
Innovation through trust and accountability
In today’s business, companies are constantly looking to
innovate their products and processes in order to achieve
better results. To support innovation, coaching leaders
should focus on building trust with their employees and
About the author
Vikram Banerjee, Insights Licensed Practitioner and Leadership Consultant at Footdown
Vikram combines a background of elite sport with an in-depth understanding of business,
strategy and leadership knowledge to help leaders, teams and organisations become high
performing workplaces. His unique perspective comes from real life examples from his
career as a professional cricketer and is underpinned by a CV including Harvard Business
School and Cambridge University.
Vikram has a natural coaching style that is focused yet flexible and a keen ability to create
real-world solutions to business challenges. He is an experienced and engaging Insights
Discovery facilitator, a NLP pracititioner, and is in process of completing the Institute of
Leadership and Management Level 5 Coaching Certificate.
References
Carter, M., (2007), Coaching Process Methods. M.carter@exeter.ac.uk
de Beer, E., (2010), Boosting your career: Tips from Top Executives. www.CEORefresher.com
Wood, S., (1999), Getting the measure of the transformed high-performance organization. British Journal of Industrial Relations
37(3): 391-417
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© The Insights Group Ltd, 2014. All rights reserved.