Coaching Makes a Difference

My very best boss asked me a powerful question when I joined her company: “What can I do to help you be successful?” At first, I was taken aback that this entrepreneurial business owner was offering to help me do my job, but then she simply stated, “Your success is my success!”

That conversation happened nearly 20 years ago. Since then, I’ve come to realize the value of that philosophy. When you invest in people, there is a definitive ROI—a return on individual—that translates to the bottom line. Investment in people is inextricably linked to performance.

Because my manager—the owner of the company—believed in me and supported and encouraged me to develop myself further, I worked harder to achieve results. Under her guidance, my skills matured, my confidence increased and my income quadrupled. Her reward? We grew the company from one office to five offices nationally, from five employees to fifty, and we quadrupled the revenue in less than five years. It’s clear: invest in your people, and they will invest in you.

There are many ways to invest in and empower employees. Learning is a life-long process; recognition strategies, training programs and coaching and mentoring are all ways to show individuals you value them. The potential for improvement exists within every single individual, and it benefits everyone at every level of an organization.

Formal education and on-the-job training can be enhanced with specialized programs including sales training, communications workshops, client-relationship-management techniques and training for working in a multicultural or multigenerational environment. Nonprofit clients often opt for donor-engagement training and board sessions on fundraising and community relations. These are great opportunities to invest in training so that your organization can thrive and you can achieve your potential.

I am a strong believer in servant leadership and in empowering people. Research validates that individuals need to feel connected, valued and effective in order to do their best work. If you want high performance from individuals, lift them up—don’t beat them down. Light a fire in them, not under them.

As the economy grows stronger and the job market becomes more welcoming, employees will have more choices. Investing in their development is a proven way to increase retention. A corporate leader once asked me, “Why would I spend money developing them—what if they leave?”

My response: “What if you don’t develop them and they stay?”

What has your company done lately to show employees they are valued? What training programs have you launched to keep everyone on their growing edge of development? What are the other possibilities for helping you and your people achieve their full potential?

JD Coaching and Consulting are experts at improving and helping organizations achieve full potential. Let’s keep the conversation going.