Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2022 - 45

Coaching as a Culture
Culture is what we do, day-in and dayout.
It is the fabric that organizations
are made of. The weave of that fabric is
created by the shared beliefs that people
hold about how things work - and what
it means to be successful -within an
organization. That's because our beliefs
are what inform and drive our actions,
and few beliefs shape organizational
culture
more
profoundly
than
what
it means to be a good and effective
leader. Changing that belief can change
the very fabric of the culture. That's
what happens when " in the moment "
coaching is adopted as the predominant
leadership style in an organization.
Cylient defines coaching as the
translation of insight into meaningful
action to realize potential. Insight is the
engine that drives the transformational
power of coaching. Consider the rush
of positive energy you feel when you
have an " aha! " experience. That feeling
propels you to explore ideas, try new
things and, as a result, embrace new
behaviors. This engine only works when
the insights that are ignited help people
in ways that are meaningful to them.
Remember, that is why people choose
to change.
This kind of insight-based coaching can
be integrated into any conversation with
anyone, at any time, to foster learning,
create connections and inspire people to
think in new ways. It works everywhere
and
ignites
insights
and
learning
wherever it is used. When teams take
a coaching approach to meetings, they
can authentically share what is really
going on and resolve issues together in
real time. When peers take a coaching
approach to disagreements, they can
appreciate each other's perspectives
and find common ground. When insightbased
coaching is widely practiced as
a leadership and communication style,
people learn with and from each other, in
the moment. That's the kind of learning
that enables organizations to creatively
respond to change in real time.
Coaching-based leaders believe it's
their responsibility to get the flywheel
of learning-how-to-learn moving in their
organizations by using " in the moment "
coaching to support people to bring the
best they have to offer to everything
that they do. When leaders believe they
will be valued and rewarded for taking
a coaching approach to leadership, the
culture evolves to one where people
feel safe, seen and supported to realize
their potential.
Complexity has become a way of life,
so the ability to change ourselves and
our systems as a fluid process needs to
become our way of life, too. That's what
coaching cultures can deliver: The ability
to continuously evolve how people and
systems respond to, and with, our everchanging
world. When " in the moment "
coaching is embedded as part of a
culture, it enables organizations to tap into
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - WINTER 2022 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
the most powerful and plentiful energy
available to them - human potential. This
creative energy fuels learning of every
kind, burning through the dross, and
turning complexity into opportunity.
Dianna Anderson, MCC, is the CEO
of Cylient, and the creator of Cylient's
system for wiring up coaching cultures
where people feel safe, seen and
supported to realize their fullest
potential. Thousands of people around
the world use Cylient's Untying the Knot®
approach to " in the moment " coaching
and feedback conversations to learn
with and from each other as they address
real issues in real time. Email Dianna.
| 45
The Qualities of Coaching that Unravel Complexity
Coaching is practiced in many ways and means different things to
different people. The kind of coaching that works to unravel complexity
has the following qualities:
* It is powered by igniting insight
that is translated into action. When
people focus on learning together
- rather than arguing about who
is right - it establishes a space
where people feel safe enough to
take the risks needed to think and
create together.
* It goes beyond asking questions.
Have you ever been in a situation
where someone asked you
question after question, but you
weren't sure why? Those situations
are frustrating for both people.
They tend to happen when people
only use questions to try to ignite
insight for others. When you want
someone to become aware of, or try
something, that is completely new
to them, questions are often not
very helpful. In complex situations,
higher-order coaching approaches
that illuminate limiting patterns and
possibilities in simple ways - such
as sharing an analogy, offering an
observation or sharing a story -
tend to be more effective at creating
the " aha " of understanding.
* It happens " in the moment " as a
leadership style and way of life.
When internal or external coaches
provide coaching to others in a
structured, often ongoing, way,
that is coaching as a service.
Coaching engagements of that
kind are helpful when individuals
are working through significant
challenges. For coaching to
become a culture, it must be valued
and rewarded as the preferred
leadership style throughout the
enterprise. It becomes
people do in the flow of work.
what
* The intention is to realize potential.
The power of coaching as a culture
comes from the shared value it
establishes for realizing potential
in people and in situations. Rather
than taking a traditional leadership
perspective of asking " What's
wrong? " , coaching springs from
a leadership worldview that asks,
" What's possible? " . This coaching
worldview opens minds - and
hearts - to learning, exploring new
ideas and taking original actions.
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Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2022

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