How can you blend coaching with T&D to improve learning?

Coaching is a two-way communication process between members of the organization aimed at influencing and developing the employees’ skills, and ability to perform, and the willingness to contribute to an organization’s goals. Coaching in the workplace is increasingly becoming an essential trend for most organizations and it entails training and development meant to help an individual achieve specific goals.

Coaching is Empowerment. Letting people do their part of job but giving them more opportunities for introspection, realization and to take corrective actions if required. It is obviously involves active listening and supporting to inculcate the thought process you want them to drive with.

If you have enough knowledge inside your organsation and managers are skilled enough to see their job as daily coaches (leading by example while being interested in the success of the team and not only themselves) with their peers the training part can focus on just transferring knowledge, e.g. how a new tool works. My approach to blending training and development with coaching are master classes for people leaders who are able to transfer knowledge down to their team and work with them. They often need to be trained on the coaching skills more than on subject matter topics.

Coaching is an art from . It’s a skill used to help individuals reach their idea of success . The best lesson I’ve learnt through having and being a coach is the power of the pause . Asking the right question and holding space for the listener to find their answer . A coach is the person who holds your torch steady while you look at the new illuminated parts of yourself. A good coach knows only one thing for certain . The answers you seek are in you, not them . A great coach will help you ask the right questions

Coaching has the potential to be a powerful and transformational process. Holding a psychologically safe space and partnering with a client to reflect, explore and expand their thinking, and challenge perceptions. This allows for tangible shifts in behaviours, habits and clear outcomes that enhance professional performance and personal fullfillment.

Cuando pienso en el coaching como el trabajo de un Sherpa, pienso en los nativos que viven a los pies de las montañas de Nepal y usan su conocimiento y experiencia para guiar a los alpinistas hasta la cima del Everest. Como dice Robert Mapstead, un Sherpa es experto en lo que hace, porque lo ha hecho antes. Pero además, hace que te sientas inspirado y agradecido cuando llegas a la cima. 🦥

While coaching focuses on feedback, encouragement and motivation, T&D will help employees improve their skill gaps. The use of a combination of soft skills, such as empathizing, listening, motivating, and encouraging. It also means leading, demonstrating, correcting, challenging, modifying (incorrect behavior or understanding), pushing, and demanding excellence.

Integrating coaching into T&D yields benefits for learners and organizations, aiding practical application, reinforcing learning outcomes, and extending engagement. It fosters a culture of learning, offering ongoing feedback, goal-setting, and a supportive environment for continuous improvement.

I always find my coachees benefitting more from a blended approach of Leadership Training and coaching. While in the training they are exposed to new knowledge, concepts, ideas, methodologies; in the coaching they get a space to know if they are implementing it right and if they are implementing it at all, the coach becomes their mirror who helps them skillfully navigate through the challenges armed with the knowledge gained in the training sessions! This blended approach expedites results and helps form new habits and enables mindset change quite effectively! Most of my work with organizations and individuals have been in this blended approach and I always enjoy this way.

I don’t believe you can have effective T&D without coaching. If the T&D program is simply curriculum or pre-packaged training, it misses the development aspect completely. Humans need to interact with - and learn from - fellow humans in order to achieve real growth. When we make coaching a pillar of our T&D efforts, we give our teams the best opportunity to thrive.

Coaching could be of great help in effective Training & Development sessions. Imparting development sessions through coaching will have large impact in terms learning at receivers' end and performance of individuals. More interactions and involvement by trainees' results in greater output in terms of productivity. Team becomes more adaptable to competitive trends and market edge.

For positive business impact & high ROI, blending coaching with T&D would for e.g., involve conducting an interactive Customer Service Training Workshop to provide employees with the necessary knowledge, skills & strategies for effective customer service. After the training workshop, individual coaching sessions is arranged with internal subject matter experts (ISMEs) who have worked & succeeded on that role. Each employee is paired with a coach & during these coaching sessions, the coach works closely with the employees to reinforce the concepts learned in the training & support their application in their daily work by providing ongoing support & guidance as they practice & refine their customer service skills in real-life situations.

There are many ways to blend coaching with T&D but here is a recent example of how we made it happen on a program to teach negotiating skills to an Underwriting team. Before training we identified about 20 leaders who were briefed and fully prepared for their coaching role before the workshop. During the workshop each coach worked closely with assigned Underwriters to reinforce the learning. They also worked to identify specific ways these Underwriters would apply the knowledge and skills acquired following the program back on the job. Afterwards program alumni explained to coaches how they applied the learning and what support they still needed. This became an ongoing process.

Training and coaching go hand-in-hand. As training provides employees with the knowledge and techniques to develop their skills, coaching instills these skills by helping employees apply them at work in real time. When done well, coaching reinforces what employees learn whilst in training, and opens the door to improvements that might not otherwise emerge, through constant feedback.

We implemented a highly successful program aimed at blending coaching seamlessly with our Training and Development initiatives. One notable best practice we adopted was the integration of personalized coaching sessions alongside traditional training modules. We identified employees' specific skill gaps through comprehensive assessments and then paired them with experienced coaches. These coaches provided one-on-one guidance, focusing on individual needs identified during the training process. The success of this blended coaching and T&D approach was evident in improved employee performance, increased engagement, and positive feedback from participants.

Start with something the participant/coachee really cares about improving - say delegation or giving feedback. Provide the framework and examples in training and get people to talk about what they have experienced in training. Then, in coaching discuss the exact hows, the challenges, the internal barriers and the mental model of what great looks like.

While T&D is more on sharing new ways of re-evaluating your existing practices and developing your skills to accommodate the changes, Coaching is guiding the best way to reach. Blending of coaching helps improvise the impact for each individual's strengths and a relative development on their weaknesses. Coach adds more empowerment thus making it more implementable strategies which are provided via traditional T&D initiatives. Coaching also helps to integrate the cultural values into your T&D strategies which further enable individuals to be more focused and pragmatic.

Some of the best practices for blending coaching with T&D would be - 1. Define Clear Objectives 2. Alignment with Organisational Goals 3. Needs Assessment 4. Integrated Curriculum 5. Pre- and Post-Assessments 6. Coach Selection and Training 7. Individualised Coaching Plans 8. Feedback and Evaluation 9. Promote a Culture of Learning 10. Technology Integration 11. Follow-Up and Reinforcement By incorporating these best practices, organisations can create a synergistic blend of coaching and T&D that maximises the benefits of both approaches, ultimately leading to enhanced individual and organisational performance.

Blending coaching with Learning and Development (L&D) requires strategic alignment with organizational goals and the establishment of key performance indicators. Customization based on individual needs ensures tailored coaching programs that address specific skill gaps. Seamless integration with existing L&D initiatives creates a cohesive learning experience. A metrics and evaluation framework is essential for measuring the impact of coaching on both individual and organizational performance. Leveraging technology optimally enhances coaching initiatives, facilitating remote sessions and efficient resource distribution.

Some other challenges to remain aware of are: Cultural Fit - your coaching approaches need to align with the organisational culture. When coaching methods and the existing culture don't line up, it may lead to resistance and slow the effectiveness of the blended approach. Measuring Impact: Evaluating the effectiveness of coaching within a T&D program can be tricky. It can be difficult to measure the impact of coaching on performance improvement and ROI compared to traditional training methods, so it's important to have clarity and agreement around your end goals from all stakeholders from the outset and to meet and review these as you progress.

Imagine you're learning how to dance (that's your training). Now, add a dance coach to refine your moves for the big recital (that's your coaching). Challenges arise when the dance routine is super complex, and your coach needs to find the perfect tweaks for each dancer in the group. Similarly, in the workplace, challenges might pop up when different team members have various learning styles or face specific job hurdles. The clever part is in the blending – just like a smoothie needs that extra whirr to get it just right, a bit of personalized coaching can smooth out the challenges, making sure everyone dances to their work rhythm flawlessly.

Cuando en las organizaciones reina una cultura pobre y/o poco orientada a la formación, la inversión en programas de coaching se pospone por prioridades operativas urgentes, descuidando la mejora a largo plazo en desarrollo.

The common challenge is lack of resource and budget to do both coaching and T&D because company needs to maintain good business result, manage deadlines, expectation. Even we define training needs but there are limitation to turn on action.

Getting experienced coaches and finding enough time for personalized attention can be tough on budgets and logistics, especially in big training projects. It's a tricky task to balance the wish for personalization with the practical limits of what's available.

The workplace well prepared for a modern dynamic workforce has embraced a blended learning, development, and coaching approach for all major initiatives. According to LinkedIn’s Workforce Learning Report, 93% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their careers, and a study by SHRM found that the average cost of losing an employee can be 6 to 9 months of their salary. A training class does not imply growth. Learning and development that is not supported by coaching or IGPs (Integrative Growth Processes) will not have a lasting impact and, therefore is not as meaningful. When information is imparted without integration and application, it is a lose-lose for all involved. The organization ultimately suffers.

Integrating coaching with Training and Development (T&D) can enhance learning by providing personalized support. Incorporate coaching sessions to address individual needs, clarify concepts, and reinforce training content. This one-on-one can help learners apply knowledge effectively and receive tailored feedback, fostering a deeper understanding of the material. Additionally, coaches can offer motivation, goal-setting, and ongoing support, creating a more comprehensive learning experience. While training mainly offer skill development and enhancement.

Patience is the key in every respect of the management facets, either change management, new initiatives and revamping or restructuring. Respecting every individual apart from the designation is of prime importance. Being a change agent, identifying allies among the management team across the board has winning chances.

As an executive coach, I see great importance of coaching for professionals. By blending coaching with T&D, employees can better implement what they learn during training workshops. Post-training coaching sessions ensure that employees not only acquire knowledge but also effectively apply it in their roles. Coaches help clients stay accountable for their actions and commitments and that's how the better results are obtained for the organizational success.

One thing I have found helpful in blending coaching with T&D is that it gives you a free will, to choose how to take the learning forward in their situation. Not only coaching can be blended with learning to fill the gaps; it can also be supportive in building upon existing strengths. While T&D works on building skill gaps, coaching empowers people to use those skills effectively and keep innovating!