Coaching can help, now more than ever, in driving the transformation that companies need

The newspaper “Sapo - Líder” published Ana’s viewpoint on how the past two and a half years have brought profound changes to our lives, teams and organizations, forcing us to unlearn ingrained beliefs about culture and productivity.

Link to original publication in portuguese.

Eng version below

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December 5, 2022 | 3-minute read

The past two and a half years have brought profound changes to our lives, teams, and organizations, forcing us to unlearn ingrained beliefs about culture and productivity.

During the pandemic, many people worked endless hours at an unsustainable pace that impacted their mental health, leading them to question what they wanted for their lives and triggering the so-called “Great Resignation.” Even in Portugal, companies across all sectors, with skilled and less skilled workers alike, are experiencing this phenomenon and dealing with unprecedented turnover.

These changes have led many organizations I work with as a Coach to seek more strategic and culture-focused transformations. New generations want not only higher salaries but also free time, a clear purpose, a sustainable company, a boss who listens, provides feedback and treats them as adults, as equals, without paternalism.

The balance of power has shifted, and employees now have more options without needing to relocate.

It is in this context of more strategic and systemic transformations that Coaching gains added relevance. In a 2019 article titled “The Forgotten Step in Leading Large Scale Change,” McKinsey notes that in 70% of transformation programs that fail, the causes can be attributed to resistance to change and inadequate leadership behavior. By focusing mainly on products and processes, which are easier to measure, they often neglect investment in changing “mindsets” and “ways of thinking.”

Coaching provides a privileged space where this can happen. It is a personalized approach that creates a safe space to explore our beliefs in the current context and decide if, and how, we want them to evolve. For example: autonomy is important to me; I like doing things on my own, but is my reluctance to ask for help limiting my growth and that of my team? Or, on the other hand, I have learned to manage through close, in-person interaction and believe that this is always best.

But could this belief be alienating some team members and hindering my ability to adapt my leadership style to the new context?

Alongside individual Coaching (conducted by an internal or external Coach), Team Coaching is increasingly prevalent, allowing teams to develop together to support strategic change within organizations. For example: as a leadership team, how can we evolve our role to create more value for the organization and empower our teams? How can we create a leadership culture that attracts and retains the people we need in a new work model?

Additionally, the “command and control” leadership model, which is largely unaccepted by Generations Y and Z, seems even more limited in a fully remote or hybrid context. In such settings, Coaching skills (such as active listening, cultivating trust, and creating a safe space), as defined by the International Coaching Federation, are even more crucial to develop across the organization, fostering a Coaching culture.

And in your case, how is your organization embracing the transformation that today’s context enables?

This article was published in the autumn edition of Líder magazine.