Coaching is one of the key components of managing employees effectively.
 
Coaching your employees and helping them progress is the mark of a successful leader. Here are 5 ways to coach your team to success and become a great leader in the process.
 
1. Emotional Intelligence
 
Coaching isn’t just about the employee. A large part of coaching is also about the way you interact with each member of your team. If you can level with people, understand the issues they may face in their role, and be sensitive to possible opposing outlooks, you’ll be far better equipped to help your people overcome barriers and work together as a team.
 
2. Knowing Each Individuals’ Strengths
 
Coaching isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. It’s important to tailor your focus to the person you’re interacting with. Each member brings something unique to your team. Your job as a manager is to find out what each person’s strengths are and help them develop these skills with a tailored coaching plan. Having a genuine understanding of the individuals that make up your team and what they need to work towards, will allow you to more efficiently plan and execute projects. People who use their strengths every day are found to be six times more engaged.  
 
3. Ask questions
 
Rather than creating a development plan for your people based on strengths, include them in the conversation by asking what it is that excites them, what they’d like to learn, and where they want to go in the future. While helping employees develop their visible strengths is key, don’t forget that they may have hidden talents which are yet to be discovered.
 
Really listening to your employees' responses and tailoring the next steps around their answers shows you value your people and are prepared to help them reach their goals. The coaching you provide should aid them on their road to professional development process.
 
However, the most effective strategy is ultimately to use these conversations to help them take control of their own development.
 
4. Empower them
 
Once you know what your employees’ skills are and where they want to go, it’s time to help them put those skills into practice. Begin by giving each individual responsibility over tasks which will help them develop in their key areas. This can include providing stretch assignments, letting them take the reigns on a new project or pushing them to take the lead on a sales call. The best way to learn is by doing, and the more autonomy you give them, the more you’ll demonstrate your trust and confidence in their abilities.

It’s key to make sure your people know that you’re not expecting them to improve instantly overnight. Development is a process and there will be setbacks on the way, but that’s why you’re there to help. Checking-in with them regularly will show that you’re available for advice and feedback, without encroaching on their sense of autonomy.
 
5. Feedback is key
 
It’s impossible for people to develop without feedback. If your team isn’t aware of what they can improve, it doesn’t allow them to change or really build upon what’s going well. It’s not only important to be timely with your constructive feedback, but also in recognising and celebrating achievements.
 
Coaching is an increasingly important part of a modern manager's job. It’s key to get comfortable with coaching people by building genuine, unique relationships with your team members, using feedback efficiently, and listening to people to find out what they want and where they feel they’re headed.

​Once you’re collaborating like this and leading your team in the direction they need, you’re well on your way to coaching a happy and motivated team to success.
 

Executives and senior managers both have an important role in a business that should always be taken seriously. Being in a senior role comes with incredible responsibility, including handling employees, customers/clients, and the overall responsibility of running of the business. With that in mind, those who are seeking to develop their leadership and management skills will find that booking themselves individual coaching sessions will help enhance their leadership skills immensely.
 
What Is Leadership Coaching?
 
Coaching doesn’t just teach you “how“ to be a more effective leader; it covers everything about leadership, from how to increase trust and appreciation, to optimising your professional and personal performance. In particular, coaching will help you manage conflict and work as a team more effectively so that resolutions are more effortless in the workplace.

​If you’re wondering how exactly a coach can assist you more than an online course or on-the-job experience, for example, then the list doesn’t end there.
 
How will a Leadership Coach help?
 
A coach will help you:
1. Develop new perspectives in a professional manner
2. Develop your individual leadership and conflict skills
3. Reflect on your management & outcome
4. Tolerate stressful encounters
5. Reflect on your personality & leadership style
6. Develop strategies to achieve your goals
7. Expand your professional behaviour
8.Target various levels of competence & improve on them  
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Of course, how successful the coaching will be for you also ultimately depends on how much work you are willing to put in to get the results. Coaches are there to guide you, but they can’t create the skills and improvement for you. It’s also important to have an appropriate match between the individual client and the coach.
 
Personal development is a crucial part of anyone’s life, whether it’s business-related or not. Having a coach to help guide you through this personal development will make sure your best skills are brought forward and will help nurture new ones that are vital to your growth.

The Facts - Whether you are growing start-up or an established company, your business will inevitably require an organisational restructure sometime down the road. The good news is that change can bring a lot of benefits and spur the company success in the longer term.
 
Is everyone in the right roles that play to their strengths, including the leadership and senior management team?Reviewing job descriptions, from the leadership team down should be the first port of call. Working with the business owners and the leadership team I would look to understand the future aspirations of the company and if there are any obstacles, in relation to lack of competency, in any role, or team that effects achievement in this regard.
 
Are decisions are made effectively and collaboratively and cascaded down to staff clearly?
Understanding in the first instance how decisions are made, by whom and whether this is an effective approach. Are employees kept well informed and do they understand what part they play in new initiatives, projects and the future success of the organisation?  
 
Is the workload manageable and appropriate for all levels of staff?
Are employees drowning in too much work, or do they have capacity to take on more? Identifying whether employees are focusing in the right areas to aid the overall company goals and strategy. If not, why not?
 
Does the company have efficient managers who delegate work and manage their team members effectively?Understanding the experience level of the managers is important. Have they received any prior or ongoing management training? What are the leadership team’s challenges, if any, with each individual manager? What are the personal obstacles, if any, that each manager needs to overcome to be more effective within their management role? I can provide 1-1 coaching to help identify the gaps and then help the individual manager to be more effective in their identified area(s) of weakness.
 
Is each department appropriately resourced and are there plans in place to scale up to meet the needs of the business if necessary?
Understanding the business goals more clearly in this regard is important in establishing a scale-up plan. Do you need more staff, or are the existing employees in the wrong roles or possibly not effective? Once established and in conjunction with a succession planning/talent mapping exercise, I would assist in identifying the gaps and recruiting new staff into the organisation, but only if necessary.
 
Is there an effective talent mapping process is in place, which identifies star ability and a programme of development to retain these individuals in the business?
A simple 9 box grid tool can be used to reveal the performance, talents, and potential of employees. In addition, it offers a way to better monitor these talents and develop them further. It is a tool that can be used for team and talent development and talent spotting.
 
Is there an effective succession plan in place which identifies the successor for each role and identifies where there are gaps in skills and experience and how to plug these gaps? Where no natural successor can be identified, is there a plan to recruit externally, if required?
Working with the leadership team to identify the successor for each role. Plans should be kept up to date to be effective and beneficial to resource planning.

Vision and Goals
If the vision and goals are clearly identified, you are much more likely to achieve them. With clarity and dedication, the new structure will be up and running more quickly, saving costs, improving efficiency, and delivering better service. The organisation will have retained the right people for the future.
Shape the future culture
The culture of an organisation is shaped by the behaviours that are tolerated, celebrated and rewarded.  The performance management system, competencies, career progression and reward strategy should all be working effectively for the organisation.  
Tackle the difficult decisions
There will be obstacles to success, there always is. These may include politics around senior employees, and possibly expensive compensation precedents which were put in to place during initial company set-up.
These obstacles need to be tackled courageously from the outset.  
Celebrate success when it happens
If business transformation goes on over a prolonged period, it is important to acknowledge milestones and celebrate success along the way, which will raise the level of employee engagement.

Please see the link below to my Business Support Package.

​With the news of a second lockdown announced on Saturday,  these are the key things we know so far: 

• Employees should work from home if they can effectively do so.  
• The Job Retention Scheme (Furlough) will be extended until the end of March 2021. 
• Claims can be for a minimum period of 7 days.
• The start of the Job Support Scheme (JSS) will be pushed back until the beginning of April 2021.
• The Job Retension Bonus has now been put on hold.
• The JRS will return to the Government paying 80% of wages (with Employers paying NI & Pension contributions), capped at £2,500. This is as things were in August. 
• Flexi-Furlough will continue to be an option. 
• Eligible employees must have been on the Payroll prior to 30th October 2020.  This means those who haven’t previously been furloughed could now be furloughed.