The question comes up during coach training: “How do coaching skills apply in workplace conversations when it is something other than coaching?” The people and communication skills learned in coaching certification apply in all conversations. Let’s explore specific examples in this blog series. 
Imagine an employee is interested in a promotion. These coaching questions support them moving forward:
- Where do you want to go with your job/career?
- What are the expectations for that role?
- Which skills do you have that meet the expectations?
- Which skills do you want to develop to meet expectations?
- What is the process for earning the promotion?
- How do you want to approach it?
- What is your action plan?
When this conversation is outside of a coaching relationship, the HR person or manager/supervisor having the conversation with the employee may add information to what they know for question two. They may also add additional feedback for questions three and four. They are available for clarification for question five. Then, the HR person or manager/supervisor is also able to support the employee as they move forward.
The value of using this coaching approach for this workplace conversation is that when the employee thinks it through and answers these questions, they have clarity, and they have ownership in their next steps.
As an added benefit, a coaching approach serves to further develop the individual on their career path.
