How OHS Leaders Can Use Coaching to Improve Stakeholder Engagement

While coaching is a powerful tool for engagement and effectiveness in the workplace, a coaching expert said not many people managers have the opportunity to explore coaching as a possible method of leadership.

“It is a way of deeply connecting with the people we work with as leaders, as it puts us on an equal footing with regard to problem-solving and finding the best solutions for a presenting issue,” said Debra Burlington, director of consulting firm Enhance Solutions.

Unfortunately, coaching is not often provided as a professional development option within organisations, as coaching is often considered something provided by an external ‘expert’. However, Burlington said the skills of coaching can be learned and applied by anyone who is willing to understand the key tenants of coaching and practice them.

“Coaching can also be seen as a slower way of getting things done, as it relies on consultation and collaboration, rather than a ‘telling’ style of leadership,” said Burlington, who was speaking ahead of an online workshop series “Leading Others One Conversation at a Time“, which will be held on 2, 9 and 16 February 2021 from 1–3 pm.

“Some people managers seem to always be in a hurry, needed to get things done fast and now. And so coaching is not utilised as a leadership tool, because it can seem to take longer.”

Adopting a coaching style also requires a deep capacity to listen ‘for’ the other person, and Burlington said those in a leadership role often listen ‘to’ a person speaking: “they listen to the words and sometimes tonality etc.

“However, to deeply listen from a coaching perspective means to truly listen ‘for’ the other person.”
Burlington said the most common challenge is learning to really listen and be present to the other.

“Often we are in a rush, we have a set of pre-conceived ideas, we have already decided on a solution and so what we really want to do is convince the other person that we are right, and they should just follow us,” she said.

“Being really present to the other person means we need to slow down, be here in this moment and have a beginner’s mind. Be open to the other and new ideas.”

Another issue is being open to the fact that there is no right or wrong, black and white.

“There is always partial truth, as we cannot possibly know all of the truth. However, sometimes people decide ‘this is the truth’ and are not open to changing their mind and understanding the world from the other person’s perspective.

“We create polarities, and these prevent us from truly understanding the other person’s view of the world.”

A challenge can be setting down hard held beliefs and being open to considering a different point of view, according to Burlington, who said the best solutions often come from merging ideas rather than fighting for one idea.

Another key skill to coaching is being able to ask questions that unlock a situation.

“A manager can improve their coaching skills by creating and utilising some key questions that help to uncover the root cause, clarify generalisations, identify what has not been said and help them to understand the meanings that the other person has attached to things,” said Burlington.

Taking a coaching approach as an OHS professional can assist in building rapport very quickly with various stakeholders within an organisation, she added.

“This is due to the fact that with a coaching approach, we take a collaborative stance with others. We listen for the other person’s view of the world, and we build relationships built on mutual respect,” according to Burlington, who said this enables us to influence, engage and help others to come to understanding of the importance of OHS from their own perspective.

With a coaching approach, Burlington said there is a skill to asking questions that enable the safety professional to understand how the other person is interpreting the world, and then how to create a shared understanding.

“It also enables us to encourage others to explore options and solutions in a safe environment where all ideas can be aired, discussed accepted or discarded after careful consideration,” she said.

“Through employing empathy, a safety professional brings respect to a conversation and firstly gains an understanding of how the other person sees the world before sharing their own views.

“It also enables us to provide the input others might need in order to make safe decisions, without the other person feeling like they are being belittled or undermined.”

By building rapport, understanding the world from the other’s point of view, being able to see a problem from multiple perspectives, Burlington said OHS professionals can use a coaching style to influence and engage others in effective safety conversations.

“We never know what battles a person is fighting, and so suspending judgement and taking a coaching approach allows us to truly meet others where they are now, and then work beside them in order to bring them on the safety journey,” she said.

“This takes patience and courage through intentional conversations. That is why we coach one conversation at a time and that is how we can influence a culture.”

Burlington will present an online workshop series “Leading Others One Conversation at a Time“, which will be held on 2, 9 and 16 February 2021 from 1–3pm. The series will qualify attendees for 40 CPD points. Burlington is also Chair of the AIHS College of Fellows Mentoring Program. For more information on the mentoring program visit the AIHS website or read the latest update in OHS Professional magazine.

Article originally published by the Australian Institute of Health and Safety.