Playing a role in a large, public organization, you know the road isn’t always a straight line. You’ve faced competition and setbacks over the years as you worked on growing your career, all while working to ensure your organization was profitable and purposeful.
How many times did you wish it wasn’t so difficult?
I have a not-so-dirty little secret: Your managers are thinking the same thing. And the best part? It doesn’t have to be so difficult.
You didn’t get where you are by yourself. Sure, you’re talented and gritty and you’ve done the hard work, but my guess is that you had mentors along the way who supported you too.
Because of the nature of the sports and entertainment industry today, and corporate America in general, those mentors aren’t as easy to find. That’s where coaching comes in.
Coaching for growth-oriented middle managers can do so much for the manager and even more for the organization. So if your managers have expressed a desire to grow and get better, consider this your point-counterpoint to growth.
When an organization invests in employees, those employees feel valued, seen, and heard. And when that happens, both the organization and employees thrive.
In general, organizations want to ensure employees are committed to company goals and increase the quality of employee performance. And they want productive employees who remain with the organization for the long-term. What’s the best way to accomplish all of these? Coaching.
Allows for Growth & Development
When people in your organization aren’t growing and developing, they’re not as able to contribute and thrive. Sure, your managers can grow in their role through courses and programs, but it’s really the personal growth and long-term professional development that makes the most difference.
Think about the last time you attended a conference or workshop. You were given so much information in a short period of time. When you returned to work, you dove right back into the meetings, emails, and messages you missed while you were away. You didn’t have time to implement what you learned. And now…Can you remember anything from that last conference?
Coaching gives managers nuggets of wisdom and small steps they can take action on right away and practice between sessions. In the next session, they can build on that knowledge and practice as time goes on.
The result? True growth and development that benefits both the organization and the manager. It’s a win-win!
Prepares for Better Managers
Every manager needs to be able to lead, and lead well. That includes having difficult conversations and speaking up. And every person in your organization has the potential to be a leader in this way.
We need different, diverse voices in organizations to ensure we’re speaking to and for everyone we want to touch–from our executives to entry-level employees and players to fans. When we don’t encourage every voice to speak up, we miss out on so many perspectives and points of view.
But speaking up is challenging when you’re one of the few women in the room, and that’s typically the case in the sports world. Women and newer managers are nervous about speaking up and leading out loud because they don’t have mentors who look like them sitting at the table.
Employees and managers who are invested in the organization and are comfortable with their voices help to shape the culture and make decisions that benefit the organization. They’re better prepared and can manage better because they’re not afraid to share.
Identifies Innate Talents
Every person in your organization has multiple talents, innate talents and experience they use in their work every day. And sometimes, especially as they grow into new roles, they suppress those talents because they feel like they have to do things in a specific way–the way they’ve “always” been done.
Through coaching, managers can better identify and grow those talents and feel more comfortable doing things in a way that feels good to them. They’re better able to find the courage to leverage the talents that come naturally to them so they can shine. And when your managers shine, the organization wins.
