Last week I attended an event at Bryant University in Rhode Island where three different executives from different companies shared how they were able to change their company culture to drive business success. The one common denominator that stood out was that they empowered their employees in their efforts to change the company culture. As one presenter shared, their company went from a “Directive Leadership” culture to a “Supportive Leadership” culture. A result of this was that “Employee loyalty increased as team members felt empowered and job satisfaction increased”. A very meaningful quote was shared which resonated with all those sitting around me in the meeting –  “For twenty-five years, you paid for my hands when you could have had my brain as well – for nothing.” – G.E. Appliance Worker.

Thought I didn’t hear this quote directly, what I have experienced in my years of coaching and working with employees as a coach, a human resources professional, and a manager, is that employees want to be trusted; they want to be challenged; they want the opportunity to think for themselves, make decisions and influence the direction of their team, their department, their organization. They want to be able to make a significant impact by utilizing their strengths and the assets that make them a valuable part of the organizations in which they work.

Another clear and important message that was shared by each presenter, is that culture needs to be driven from the top; the executives and leaders of an organization need to embrace and model the culture (including behaviors) they want others to practice and experience. Without this, many employees will not buy into “jargon”. We’ve all heard the expression, “walk the walk”. Without buy-in and a commitment from the executives and other leaders, any culture that is trying to be created and achieved will be challenging to maintain.

These messages were a strong reminder that the work that I do and how I approach my coaching as an executive and leadership coach, helps my clients both professionally and personally, and also helps the organizations within which they work. Though some may argue that a directive leadership approach may be necessary in certain environments, believing that your direct reports have more to contribute than the “tasks at hand” and allowing them to be creative, innovative, resourceful, make decisions and meaningful contributions, helps everyone to grow. When managers and their direct reports are both growing, managers can better delegate and take on other responsibilities resulting, in a win for the organization as well.

As a coach, believing that my client has the answer within, I am able to empower them to stretch, grow and move forward. And, when individuals engage with me, amazing results are achieved.

When companies invest in executive coaches and help their leaders learn, understand the value of, and practice coaching principles, they share that they experience improved employee engagement and retention, achieve more alignment across teams, and realize improved business results.

What might you look to do differently to empower your direct reports and encourage a coaching culture? Want to learn more about my executive and leadership coaching, or discuss how to develop a coaching culture at your company? Let’s connect!

 “Leadership should be more participative than directive, more enabling than performing.” – Mary D. Poole (Author)