Life coaching? Sounds peculiar in the context of an article written for hiring managers on the farm. But it’s becoming a trend among workplaces nationwide to either consult with a professional life/work coach or adopt life coaching skills into management. Here’s why.

What is life coaching?

Not to be confused with counseling, life coaching works to identify an individual’s goals and reach them through self-development, self-reflection, and overall wellbeing. Employers often bring in life coaches to work one-on-one with employees to set goals and work toward reaching them while also identifying obstacles and challenges in the way. In the workplace, it works as a means to develop employees to their potential.

What’s the value?
Life coaching can help employees set and work toward clear goals, both personally and professionally, in order to enhance performance at work. Setting career goals helps defeat complacency in the workplace and motivates employees to continue to excel and improve. This also empowers and teaches employees to recognize their strengths and weaknesses, working to use what’s at their disposal well and identify any challenges standing in their way of success.

Beyond building skills in goal creation and accomplishment, life coaching teaches wellness in terms of work-life balance and success in their personal lives as well as their professional lives. Ensuring that your employees are not overworked is vital to their success in their roles. When employees understand and are able to enjoy their private lives, their professional performance soars.

Plus, many organizations are posing workplace coaching as a benefit. In the agricultural industry, we are all well aware that there is a real competition for talent and providing unique benefits can edge your organization ahead of another.  

The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of Farm Futures or Farm Progress. 

What does life coaching for employees look like?

Well, it depends. Most often, employers will hire or consult with life coaching professionals to come into the workplace and set aside time with employees to set and work toward goals while monitoring progress and advising.

Other times, management may adopt a life coaching style to their leadership in which they work as a mentor in addition to a supervisor. This may be the most appropriate approach in an agricultural or farming atmosphere where employees work in close relation with their supervisors, and we are all aware that work on the farm is intensive. Work with your fellow managers to develop a plan to adopt a life coaching management style or attend a local conference or workshop where you can build these skills. Then follow through on mentoring your employees in both their professional and personal goals with one-on-one advising.

Life coaching may not fit the culture of every workplace, but in a time when retention and recruitment are very challenging, adding this very hands-on and relational aspect to your workplace can produce great results.