Unlocking Leadership Potential: The Transformative Impact of Coaching Culture
By Helen Wada with Jo Smith
The Transformative Power of a Coaching Culture
In the latest episode of HumanWise, I was thrilled to welcome Jo Wright, a leading figure in driving coaching culture forwards, known for her dynamic leadership and insightful strategies. Her journey, starting from a diverse corporate background to founding Coaching Culture, highlights the transformative power of coaching.
Helen: "Jo, you've brought such vibrancy and insight to the coaching sphere. Can you share a little about how you became such a strong advocate for coaching culture?"
We discuss the significant influence that a coaching approach can have on organisations.Jo’s transition into sales training and later into management development sparked a deep curiosity about behaviour change and ultimately, the potential of coaching.
Jo: "I began questioning why people don’t just change easily. It was a real lightbulb moment, realising that coaching was key to facilitating change."
From Corporate Roles to Coaching Advocacy
Jo’s career path led her through numerous corporate roles–operations, sales, marketing–before she delved into the world of coaching. Her fascination with behaviour change during a corporate change programme shifted her focus toward coaching as a catalyst for sustainable transformation.
Jo: "The realisation that coaching conversations were pivotal in change made me explore the realm of coaching further, investing in qualifications to deepen my understanding."
Her investment in coaching credentials marked a turning point, reinforcing her belief in coaching as an essential tool for development, both personally and organisationally.
Coaching: A Catalyst for Organisational Change
We discuss how fostering a coaching culture within an organisation can revolutionise the way teams communicate and grow together. Through coaching, barriers to change dissipate, promoting a supportive environment that encourages open dialogue and continuous improvement.
Jo: "Integrating coaching into corporate culture isn’t just beneficial, it’s essential. It’s about creating spaces where every voice is heard and valued, enabling real growth."
We explore how traditional management styles are often challenged by a coaching approach, which prioritises encouragement over directive leadership.
Time is a big factor, but the reality is that there is a way in which a coaching approach can be adopted, even where pressure is high.
Helen “creating a psychological space from the outset, the right environment for constructive direction and challenge is essential for developing a coaching culture in the high-pace world that we operate in….”
The Wider Benefit of a Coaching Approach
We discuss how coaching skills have a far broader role in organisations than the traditional way that coaching is spoken about in business.
Jo: "When I say keep coaching, I say to people, don’t get hung up on the C word (coaching), it's about communication, collaboration and creativity, it’s change, it’s curiosity."
We discuss our experience from our sales backgrounds and I share how the HUMAN framework that we use at The Human Advantage is fundamentally focused on helping people to be more confident at building new customer relationships and ultimately selling.
In Dan Pink’s words, “To Sell is Human” - and in some way we are always selling, whether it is ourselves for a new role, to influence in a conversation or selling our services to others. Fundamentally, it is about creating relationships and showing our human side to help and serve others.
Strategies for Implementing a Coaching Culture
We dive into practical strategies that organisations can adopt to foster a coaching culture:
Encourage open dialogue: Develop a culture of transparency and feedback where team members feel safe to express ideas and concerns.
Think questions rather than advice: Asking questions creates a much richer thought process and ownership with the person you are talking to
Move from transactional to transformational conversations: As you get to know the real human in front of you, the results explode in the right direction
Build resilience and adaptability: Equip teams with tools for resilience, encouraging adaptability in facing challenges.
Jo: "Building a coaching culture is about embedding values of empathy and growth across the organisation, fostering a space where innovation thrives."
Final Thoughts: The Endless Potential of Coaching
Throughout our conversation, it is clear that Jo’s commitment to coaching culture isn't just a professional mission but a personal one. Her experiences and insights underline coaching's transformative potential, not only in an organisational setting but in crafting a realm where personal and professional growth converge.
For a deeper exploration of the conversation with Jo Wright, listen to the full episode on HumanWise or connect with Jo on LinkedIn to learn more about her vision for a world transformed by coaching.
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