As HR and OD leaders in local government, you probably feel like you’re caught in the eye of a storm. The future of work is swirling all around us, with rapid change and new challenges constantly emerging. It can be overwhelming to stay ahead, let alone keep up with the pace. 

But what if there was a way to harness these winds of change to your advantage, turning chaos into opportunity? The good news is that there is. Coaching is the secret power source that can propel you forward like a well-oiled windmill, helping you and your teams not only navigate change but thrive in it. If your organisation is one of the 41 subscribers to the coaching and mentoring pool, you’re already positioned to accelerate your progress and see a quicker return on investment. For those who haven’t yet joined, now is the perfect time to tap into this transformative power. 

You may have heard people around you ask, “Coaching? Isn’t that just telling people what they’re doing wrong?” Far from it. Coaching is not about handing out directives or managing by correction; it’s about unlocking potential. It’s the ultimate tool for empowering individuals, fostering creativity, and building resilience—all vital qualities in a time of constant flux. 

In the midst of this whirlwind, our people need more than instructions from the top. They need empowerment, guidance, and the space to explore their own solutions. Coaching provides exactly that—a supportive framework for individuals to tap into their strengths, navigate through challenges, and gain the confidence to find their own way in uncertain times. 

Coaching doesn’t just benefit individuals; it’s a powerful catalyst for organisational change too. When coaching is embedded into the culture of an organisation, it creates an environment of continuous learning and adaptation. Imagine a workforce that doesn’t simply endure change but actively embraces it, treating every challenge as an opportunity to innovate and grow.  

A coaching culture transforms your organisation into a dynamic, resilient ecosystem. Employees become more engaged, teams collaborate more effectively, and the organisation as a whole moves from merely surviving change to thriving in it. 

But how do we bring this coaching windmill to life? It starts with you—the HR and OD leaders. You are the ones who can lead the charge by adopting a coaching mindset yourselves. Ask more questions, listen more deeply, and resist the urge to provide all the answers. Create environments where people feel safe to explore their aspirations and challenges, and work with them to co-create solutions. This helps foster a culture of ownership and accountability, where people feel empowered to take charge of their own development. 

To truly embed coaching in your organisation, it’s essential to integrate it into everything you do—through leadership development programmes, onboarding, talent management, returning to work or phasing into retirement. It doesn’t just have to be for individuals, think about the power for teams. Some organisations even gamify coaching, turning it into a friendly competition to see who can unlock the most potential within their teams. Whether you take that approach or another, the goal is the same: make coaching part of the very fabric of your organisation. 

It’s also important to look beyond internal efforts and make the most of external coaching expertise. Bringing in experienced external coaches can inject fresh perspectives and help your people push past their limits. For those of you subscribed to the Coaching and Mentoring Pool, you have access to this resource. Alternatively, consider our C-suite coaching offer to support top-level leadership transformation. 

Change is never easy. It’s often messy, uncomfortable, and can feel like a constant battle against the wind. But when you embrace coaching, it’s like attaching propellers to your windmill—allowing you to catch the winds of change and use them to drive your organisation forward. Not only will you navigate the storms more easily, but you’ll inspire your people to spread their wings and join you on the journey. 

If you’re ready to start building your organisation’s coaching windmill, we invite you to join us at our Annual Coaching and Mentoring Conference: *I Am Not a Robot*, on Monday 25th November. It’s a perfect opportunity to gain inspiration, learn best practices, and connect with other leaders who are dedicated to unlocking human potential through coaching. 

The future of work is filled with change, but with coaching as our secret weapon, we won’t just survive—we’ll thrive. Let’s harness the winds of change and build our coaching windmills, one empowered conversation at a time. 

Michelle O’Neill, Principal Consultant, West Midlands Employers