One of the characteristics of organisations, which have made progress towards a sustainable coaching culture is that the various elements are integrated both with each other and with the evolving business strategy. Some of the replicable aspects of this include:

  • Close links and synergy between coaching and mentoring. Typically seen as separate interventions, they work best when designed to be mutually supportive. For example, one of the best ways to develop line managers’ comfort with holding coaching conversations with direct reports is for them to mentor someone outside their team – where the personal stakes for getting it wrong are much smaller. The dialogue between mentor and mentee may identify areas of development for the mentee, where coaching would help. And good line manager coaching raises opportunities for mentoring by someone outside the team that takes a longer-term perspective, provides an appropriate role model – and has a significant positive impact on talent retention.
  • Clarity about behaviours and ways of thinking needed to deliver key strategic objectives. For example, a major retailer has recognised flexibility and rapid response as critical factors in re-establishing its competitive edge. That requires people at all levels to take initiative – something that has been discouraged in recent years. Sending people on courses to learn how to be empowered isn’t going to work. But many of the new skills and attitudes required are very similar to those of a coaching conversation. Coaching between teams that have changed their culture and ones that are struggling to do so is a pragmatic part of the solution.
  • Recruitment and retention in a competitive labour market. Employee groups that are most costly to replace and have higher than average turnover can be targeted for coaching and mentoring. Typically, this increases retention relative to non-mentored colleagues by at least one-third.
  • Role modelling of coaching behaviours and mindset by senior leaders. The impact of leader behaviour on the system is enormous. When an executive has the courage to be coached by people below – especially, if done openly, in public – it stimulates a shift in the whole system. 
  • Educating coachees to be coached. Each coaching partnership is a system in itself. It makes sense for both parties to be collaborating to make it work.

These are just a few examples of a systemic approach. A coaching and mentoring strategy starts by creating a hierarchy of strategic objectives for the business. It then asks: “What kind of behaviours would best support each element of the strategy”. Then: “What conversations would stimulate and support these?” Next: “What needs to happen to make those conversations happen routinely?” And finally: “How will we integrate all these systems so they reinforce each other?” 

©️David Clutterbuck, 2025