When managers are asked what is most challenging about their jobs and what takes the most time, the answers almost always relate to personnel and interpersonal issues. By learning to coach, managers can address many recurrent problems and free up some of the time they spend on those problems. At the same time, they can nurture their staff to contribute more effectively to the performance of the team and the organization.
In addition, traditional efforts to build staff capacity normally involve sending people to training or giving them technical assistance. However, after a consultant leaves or training ends, when the health professionals return to their work routines, they often face challenges including competing priorities, lack of motivation, and other professional stresses that keep them from implementing what they learned.
Coaching has been identified as a successful approach to support newly trained staff as they apply their new skills in their work settings. This ongoing capacity building is an essential reinforcement for training and helps newly trained staff begin to work more effectively.
In addition, coaching can be used at any time with staff, and without realizing it, managers have always relied heavily on some aspects of coaching. Coaching is typically provided to facilitate team members’ development, instill esprit de corps, and discipline those who are not contributing effectively to the team’s performance.
The concept and the practice of coaching in sports are transferable to the health care setting; after all, we want our teams to be successful, resilient, and strong. Like a sports team, every person on the work team must work to realize their full potential, and team members must work harmoniously to reach the team’s goals and manage the stresses that come with facing challenges together.
This program prepares managers to develop skills that will help them challenge the members of their team, recognize achievements, give honest feedback, listen with attention, and encourage the development of talent so that each person can grow as a professional and be a valued member of the team.
This program will help managers develop the skills to improve their communication, teamwork, and coaching conversations with colleagues, supervisees, or clients, thus improving their overall effectiveness.