International Day of Education (January 24) is a reminder that learning is one of the most powerful tools we have to create opportunity, and build resilience within the workplace.
Education shapes how people grow, lead, and contribute to a better world. For businesses and social enterprises, it’s worth considering how we invest in our people – through training, mentorship, coaching, leadership development, and career pathways that build capacity and develop skills. By prioritising learning, we unlock innovation and nurture talent, leading to higher levels of employee engagement and retention.
When was the last time you asked your team what they want to learn – not just for the tasks at hand, but for who they’re becoming?
The start of the new calendar year is the perfect time for enterprises to reflect on one of the most important drivers of long-term success: continuous learning and development. In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, investing in your team’s growth is about acquiring new and relevant skills – as well as building the capacity of adaptive, resilient leaders who can navigate uncertainty, innovate, and contribute skilfully to your business growth strategy, mission and operations. By embedding learning into your organisation’s culture, enterprises can unlock untapped potential and strengthen their competitive edge.
How can I help my team grow professionally?
Professional growth often happens through on-the-job learning, stretch assignments, mentoring, and coaching-based conversations. Around 70% of workplace learning occurs informally, meaning employees build capability effectively through experiences, reflection, and real-world challenges. For this reason, creating space for coaching conversations is an effective way to create a psychologically safe environment to upskill, discuss industry challenges and set goals for performance enhancement and professional growth.
Embedding Coaching into Leadership Development
Coaching is more than a performance tool – it’s a strategic lever for developing talent. By incorporating leadership coaching into your organisation’s learning and development program, you can create a culture of curiosity around learning, professional growth and accountability. Learning the skill of leading with a coaching lens will help you guide, rather than direct team members to contribute their perspectives and insights. This approach builds inclusive decision-making processes and nurtures team members to focus on business outcomes, as well as their wellbeing and growth.
Enabling Employees to Think Independently and Solve Problems
Coaching equips employees with the frameworks to generate their own solutions, articulate support needs, and activate their capacity as adaptive leaders. Rather than providing immediate answers, a coaching approach empowers team members to explore possibilities, test ideas, and develop problem-solving skills for day to day operational challenges, as well as interpersonal issues. The ability to ask great questions when leading like a coach encourages creative solutions, strengthens confidence and a sense of agency to solve problems, and supports team members to become capable of responding flexibly to challenges as they arise.
Addressing Cognitive Distortions and Building Resilience
Coaching also supports professional resilience by helping individuals identify unhelpful thinking patterns and shifting perspectives. Through reflective questioning and structured guidance, employees can reframe challenges, manage stress, and strengthen their ability to persevere through professional and personal challenges. The process of uncovering cognitive distortions not only improves wellbeing but also enhances decision-making, adaptability, and leadership capacity – qualities that are critical for thriving in dynamic business contexts.
Could creating a regular space for learning and growth help your team step into deeper purpose and ownership of your business vision?
Are you ready to invest in your team’s learning and development by learning the skill of leading like a coach?
Impact Business School empowers leaders and teams to thrive in the workplace. We specialise in leadership development and professional growth, helping leaders and teams build skills, capacity, and resilience to navigate complex environments. Our programs guide professionals through career development and pathways into leadership. We equip leaders with industry relevant knowledge through micro-credentials, coaching and resource kits. At the heart of our approach is a focus on inner development, foundational leadership skills and sustainable development to thrive in their roles and create a positive impact for their organisation and the wider community. We specialise in educating leaders to learn the skill of coaching, as well as offering executive and leadership coaching for your talent.
Ready to strengthen your team’s performance? Let’s talk – book a time with Patricia Kaziro to discuss our coaching and learning and development solutions.
