The Power of Coaching

Leadership is the foundation of every organization. It’s the competency that drives employee and organizational success. But being an effective leader requires continuous growth and adaptation. As technology and culture rapidly evolve, employees must keep their leadership skills relevant, to see their teams and projects through abrupt change and systemic disruption. Unfortunately, leaders who do not adapt hold organizations back. But here's the good thing: leadership development strategies like coaching can offer valuable personal and professional development support to all employees throughout your organization.

Because world concerns are now business concerns and individual growth translates to business growth, leadership effectiveness is top of mind for many organizations. At Skillsoft, we've seen the transformative power of flexible and scalable learning and development solutions that grow alongside your organization, and coaching allows businesses to do just that. Here are some lessons we’ve learned along the way.

Investments in leadership development programs are crucial for minimizing employee turnover, enhancing business performance, boosting engagement, and fostering innovation. Organizations will be able to see those benefits by establishing a culture of leadership through robust coaching programs.

Coaching allows leaders to acquire and refine power skills like empathy, resilience, adaptability, and confidence. It empowers them to effectively lead their teams through organizational shifts, while connecting to their greater purpose and passion at work. Research conducted by SAP HR found a positive correlation between coaching and career outcomes, including higher compensation, more promotions, greater job satisfaction, and increased belief in career advancement.

When an organization invests in coaching its employees, it sends a powerful message that every individual's personal growth and talents are valuable. Coaching drives innovation and enhances employee retention, as empowered employees are inspired to further their team’s and organization’s success. It also helps professionals to develop a mindset for success that allows them to unlock their potential and be their best at work and in their personal lives.

Unlike mentors, who provide wisdom and guidance from their own experience, coaches focus on the coachee, inspiring them to maximize their potential. . Coaches are there to challenge assumptions - to see through those blind spots, help gain new awareness and broaden perspectives, and empower individuals to overcome obstacles and make authentic shifts in their behaviors to align with their intentions.

Employees can work closely with expert coaches through personalized coaching to define their goals and align leadership strategies with their professional development. Regular check-ins and guidance allow employees to apply their newly acquired knowledge to their everyday roles and responsibilities. As a result, coaching empowers individuals to advance their careers while helping the organization achieve its business goals.

Coaching plays a vital role in expanding leadership skills throughout the organization by establishing consistent leadership objectives that apply to all levels of the company, including executives and individual team members.

Democratization of coaching, or coaching-for-all, allows organizations to provide growth opportunities to individuals at all levels, reducing employee turnover, accelerating culture transformation, and enhancing innovation. In addition, the digitization of coaching through online platforms offers efficient delivery, scheduling flexibility, and broader accessibility.

Recognizing that value, organizations are now embracing coaching at all levels, from the C-suite to individual contributors. Coaching platforms like Skillsoft Coaching offer flexible solutions that enable organizations to scale leadership competencies across the business. Through one-on-one and group engagements, coaching helps build influential leaders who foster growth and development throughout the organization.

Adobe partnered with Skillsoft Coaching to provide a customized coaching experience targeting individual contributors, people managers, and team leaders. The coaching engagement consisted of 12 sessions over six months, guided by tailored development plans and supported by micro-learning content.

The program's objective was to improve employee engagement in both individual contributor and management roles to assist them in reaching their goals. Each participant underwent a self-assessment and 360° feedback process tailored to their specific level within Adobe. The results showed significant improvements in leadership skills for individual contributors and managers, with increases in motivating others, managing projects, and demonstrating empathy.

The coaching program positively influenced participants' engagement and sentiment toward their role and the company. Overall, there has been a rise in managerial confidence, an emphasis on personal growth, and a better understanding of career advancement opportunities; directors and principals felt more recognized for their work and expressed a higher likelihood of remaining at Adobe.

Participants worked with their coaches to create coaching and development plans with concrete goals and actionable strategies in personal, team, and business development categories. On average, they achieved 87.3% overall goal attainment across these categories.

With Skillsoft Coaching, you can access ICF-accredited professional coaches who provide personalized one-on-one and group coaching sessions. We offer coaching in multiple languages, and with 350 coaches spanning six continents, you can rest assured that our coaching services are available wherever you are.