Coaching In Focus: A Q&A with Kate Pritchard

The Value of Coaching

People Insight’s journey began as an employee experience consultancy, a path that has now led us to becoming the most actionable employee experience platform, powered by people. Our commitment goes beyond just providing intuitive software; we’re dedicated to supporting organisations to use people insights to drive improvements, with the ultimate goal of empowering organisations and their most valuable assets – their employees.

Today, we’re excited to cast a spotlight on one of the gems within our comprehensive offering – coaching! Joining us is Kate Pritchard, our Head of Consultancy, and an experienced coach herself. Together, we’ll delve into how coaching plays a vital role in enhancing performance and nurturing professional development.

Kate Pritchard, Head of Consultancy at People Insight

Kate, what is coaching and how can it support performance in the workplace?

Kate Pritchard (KP): Coaching is a learning and development intervention that is used to improve performance in the workplace. Coaching is most often used by managers and leaders, who spend time one to one with a coach focusing on specific topics of interest or concern to the manager.

The ultimate aim is to support the person being coached in a way that helps them become more able to adapt, learn and develop themselves in the future.

Whereas training focuses on imparting knowledge and directing the learning, coaching is non-directive. Coaches are skilled at listening, asking powerful questions and providing constructive and supportive challenge to help managers to problem solve. Essentially, coaching provides leaders with a safe space to reflect, think creatively and make changes to grow towards their full potential.

How is coaching used at People Insight?

KP: Coaching is often used at People Insight to support managers alongside a 360 programme. 360s provide managers with a wealth of feedback about their behaviours at work which is very personal to them. It can be helpful to talk through this feedback with a coach and work together to develop an action plan for improvement.

Having said that, coaching is equally valuable following an employee survey, supporting managers to understand their team results, reflect on these and put in place an improvement plan.

As experienced coaches, we can support managers to understand their survey results, draw out the implications and take effective actions to improve the employee experience.

What are the key benefits that businesses can gain from implementing coaching programmes alongside employee engagement surveys?

KP: Feedback from employee surveys will often surface issues that leaders and managers can find very challenging to address. Perhaps personal feedback about their people management skills, or difficult feedback about ways of working. Of course, it’s important that such feedback elicits a healthy, constructive response, but sometimes leaders struggle to provide that and instead ignore the feedback or respond negatively. But with good coaching support that kind of feedback can be a catalyst for real leadership development and growth.

As coaching is tailored to the individual it is a more effective way of creating awareness amongst managers and supporting them to change than a generic training programme.

Coaching provides many benefits to the individual and their organisation. Coaches report improved self-confidence, better decision making, improved relationships, better problem solving and strategic thinking. This can then lead to a range of organisational benefits including improved communication and collaboration, increased innovation and problem solving and higher levels of employee engagement and retention.

How do you tailor coaching programmes to meet the specific needs and goals of different organisations, and how does this customisation contribute to their success?

KP: Our coaching programmes are tailored not only to the need of different organisations, but to the need of specific individuals. This relates to both the topics covered by the coaching and also to the duration of the coaching relationship.

For some managers, we find that a single coaching session to discuss survey results and plan next steps is sufficient, whereas other managers benefit from a longer-term relationship, for instance monthly coaching sessions over a 6-month period to enable frequent check ins towards the achievement of bigger goals.

Finally, if someone is eager to explore the potential of a tailored coaching programme and wants to take the first steps, what would you recommend as their initial move?

KP: The first step in exploring a coaching programme tailored to a manager’s unique needs is to have an open conversation. We believe in truly understanding our clients’ goals, challenges, and aspirations. So, I’d recommend reaching out to our dedicated team here at People Insight. We’re here to listen, learn, and collaborate. From there, we can craft a bespoke coaching programme that aligns seamlessly with their vision for growth and development. The journey starts with a conversation, and we’re here to guide every step of the way.

Conclusion

As we wrap up this chat with Kate Pritchard, it’s clear that coaching isn’t just a service we offer; it’s a catalyst for growth, a trusted companion, and a vehicle for transformation.

Coaching here at People Insight is all about personalisation, catering to the unique needs of every individual and organisation. From one-off sessions to long-term partnerships, our approach is as diverse as the goals we aim to achieve.

By integrating coaching with our employee engagement surveys, we’re not just shaping better leaders, but also cultivating thriving cultures. The benefits ripple through every aspect, from sharper decision-making and improved relationships to heightened innovation and employee engagement.

As Kate mentioned, to find out more about coaching, start the conversation with us and we’ll be in touch to explore the possibilities that coaching can bring to you, your team or your organisation.