How Life Coaching Has a Positive Impact on Organizations

May 05, 2022 by Amanda Reill

The life of an organization is composed of individual lives. When those individuals are functioning at their best, so will the whole. And while it’s true that our body will still work in spite of broken, sick, or weakened parts, it is not a healthy or balanced way of being. In these cases, we visit a doctor, and work towards addressing the issue. Because we know when those parts find their strength again, the whole thrives. 

In a group or corporate setting, a similar phenomenon occurs. When the individuals that make up a group feel disunified, unmotivated, or ill-equipped, any success that follows is unlikely to be all that it could be.

Sometimes we know that the people on our team are feeling that way, but we’re not sure why or how to fix it. We may know “something” is wrong but can’t quite pinpoint it. This is where the gift of coaching comes in.

Life coaching zeroes on both the individual parts of the corporate body and the body systems. That is, it also works to strengthen how the parts work together. Using the example above, the coach comes in as a physician of sorts. However, the process is unique. Rather than the coach providing a diagnosis based on specific expertise, the coach operates under the assumption that the individual is the expert about what they need. Unlike a doctor who is the expert, a coach will enable the person to become their own doctor to determine what needs to be addressed, and work with them to build a system that will work best for them. This approach allows individuals to work toward a better sense of self, which in turn leads to a more unified group, as well as a better, more successful work environment.

But life coaching isn’t only utilized when something appears to be “wrong” or “broken.” Individual and corporate health, just like our bodies, can always be stronger. We can accomplish more than we ever thought possible when we work muscles we didn’t know we had.

How life coaching works in an organization

There are many different coaching models and theories, but most coaching comes with a foundational premise: asking powerful questions. With the belief that each person holds within them the keys to their success, coaches help individuals uncover what they already know.

The following are some of the benefits of coaching:

• Helping individuals and teams to understand their strengths and weaknesses
• Identify training areas 
• Motivate career development
• Improve communication
• Assist with goal-setting
• Identification of barriers to growth, such as: fear of the unknown, lack of confidence, distracted by other things, the perception that one doesn’t have enough time or other resources

A recent Gallup poll pointed to 51% of employees as neutrally engaged (going through the motions) and 16% actively disengaged. It’s important to remember that, despite the company appearing to be successful, the fact that their employees are not positively engaged means they are not as successful as they could be. Nor is it a healthy, meaningful work environment that makes people want to stay. 

Addressing the above (and the many other areas life coaching can cover) has the potential to re-ignite the flame your employees had when they were fresh and hungry. It can reconnect them to their purpose and has the potential to give them a renewed sense of empathy for one another. It works toward their overall health, and healthy folks tend to create a healthy organizational culture which bolsters employees, and the success of the company.

What is organizational culture and what role does it play in your company?

Organizational culture has less to do with what we’re doing and more to do with how we do it. In a time in history where many people have dozens of options of where to do their work (particularly with the rise in remote work), they care about whether they enjoy their coworkers, their management, and their daily rhythms of growth. 

Positive markers of healthy organizational culture include: 

• Low employee turnover (people don’t want to leave)
• Employee satisfaction (people want to show up)
• Training and employee enrichment opportunities (people have the tools they need)
• Positive conflict resolution methods are taught, exampled by leadership, and applied (people know what to do when things go south)

More than ever, people are willing to leave a work environment that is not healthy. Employees are looking for companies that not only fuel their passions and ambitions, but also give back to them. This means more than an employee pizza party every so often. Companies that understand their employees and cater to their needs are the companies that have a healthy and successful organizational culture. Coaching is one tool that can provide for the health and welfare of a company’s employees, and is a strong tool to bolster the markers mentioned above.

What does coaching have to do with organizational culture?

Employees who have been coached are less likely to incite unnecessary conflict, lead with their egos, feel insecure and competitive, or distrust one another. Why? Because coaching leads to greater confidence, more team unity, and a deeper trust for one another. All because they have had someone dedicated to giving them the tools to understand and better themselves. Focusing on your organization’s culture and your employees’ needs are arguably the most important things you can do to run a successful business in the current climate. 

Coaching gives the organization the gift of concentrated time to focus on that which may not be top-of-mind. It looks at more than what numbers can quantify — it looks at quality of life. We have a chance to review who we are and where we’re at, making sure we’re pointing our arrows in the right direction. Those who feel engaged in what they are doing, believe in their team, and feel personally satisfied by what they’re accomplishing are likely to produce more work, and better work than those who are disconnected or going through the motions. 

Even the most self-aware have blind spots that block our ability to communicate or connect with others. Coaching can help us learn how we can best connect and communicate, which enriches our lives. Our best work is a product of our best life lived. The further we get to know ourselves and one another, the closer we can get to health, wholeness, and happiness. 

To learn more about how Executive Coaching and Life Coaching Certification can benefit organizations or growing a life coaching practice please contact one of our coaching specialists.