Coaching in the workplace helping UN staff

Saba Imru Mathieu

Saba was interviewed for the UN Special magazine by V. Riemer of WHO after conducting several workshops on coaching skills and coaching culture


Here are some extracts

“Often when we think of a coach, what comes to mind is an athletics, tennis, basketball or football coach developing young athletes to perform to their full potential in winning teams. But a new type of coaching is entering the workplace with many similarities, but some key differences too.  This kind of coaching is all about developing individuals in their personal and professional lives, working with people to identify, target, and plan for performance improvement throughout their careers.”


“During the last quarter of 2017, Saba was invited by the WHO Human Resources Department (Global Talent Management team) to conduct a series of workshops to provide staff with a better understanding of coaching concepts, with a view to adopting such a posture in their professional environment. It was part of the overall objective of introducing a coaching culture in WHO, where more open communication and trusting relationships are formed among staff with the ultimate goal of generating a more empowered and motivated attitude in staff members.”

Saba often hears that “command and control’ is out, it no longer works. “Today, employees expect to be respected and to experience work satisfaction. But few know what to do instead of commanding! Is it just about being nice? Some people are afraid of becoming “too nice”. How can you be a democratic leader and still keep control? I believe that learning coaching skills is the answer because the methodology itself unravels the complexities around motivating employees, creating accountability, helping them develop”.

"She recognises that coaching in the workplace can be a difficult skill for managers to master as most managers are used to directing work rather than achieving it through employee development. She sees coaching as a conversation driven by strategic inquiry that stimulates novel thinking. “Conversing is something that anyone can do. By asking questions, we stimulate reflection and by asking good questions we cause entirely new avenues of thought to open up” she explained. The role of the coaching manager is to enable the supervisee to find solutions for themselves, so that they become more effective, more accountable and more satisfied."


“By asking questions, we stimulate reflection and by asking  good  questions we cause entirely new avenues of thought to open up” she explained. The role of the coaching manager is to enable the supervisee to find solutions for themselves so that they become more effective, more accountable and more satisfied. The goal is to help employees recognize opportunities for improvement by asking probing, and often tough, questions, challenging the person to think about their goals as well as how to achieve them. When managers discover that a consequence of coaching is empowering their staff, they free their time from micro-managing to focus on strategic thinking instead”

Read the whole article in the UN Special Magazine, March 2018, pages 31-32.

UN Special Magazine, March 2018
© Leaders Today

Why am I not getting a promotion? 10 steps to prepare yourself for leadership

By Saba Imru-Mathieu • June 7, 2022
You may be wondering why all the promotions are passing you by. Here are 10 things you can do to set yourself up to progress in your career and prepare yourself for a leadership position.

What’s different about a coaching conversation?

By Saba Imru Mathieu • August 11, 2021
A coaching conversation unfolds as a form of gentle inquiry aimed at helping a person to think through a problem, clarify an objective or find new perspectives. The "coach" uses open-ended questions that invite novel thinking, and largely refrains from giving their own tips.

Pourquoi les entreprises forment leurs managers en compétences de coaching

By Saba Imru Mathieu • January 3, 2021
Pourquoi acquérir des compétences en coaching ? Le coaching était en grande partie réservé aux cadres exécutifs et supérieurs pour lesquels un coach professionnel externe était embauché pour les aider à progresser dans divers aspects de leur fonction de leadership. Le coaching est une expérience d'apprentissage et de développement exclusive et hautement personnalisée, conduite par les objectifs du client, ce qui explique pourquoi les entreprises étaient disposées à faire l'investissement uniquement pour un nombre choisi d'employés. Plusieurs recherches sectorielles, y compris ceux publiés par la Fédération Internationale de Coaching ont mesuré les avantages de recevoir un coaching et le retour sur investissement s’avère être excellent, parfois exceptionnel selon la façon dont il est calculé. Les résultats montrent que les employés, à divers niveaux organisationnels, qui se font coacher améliorent les performances et la gestion des affaires, augmentent leur productivité et leur motivation, aiguisent leurs qualifications en résolution de problème, deviennent plus autonomes et proactifs, et développent une attitude globale plus positive qui à son tour influe positivement sur le climat organisationnel. Compte tenu de tous ces avantages remarquables, les entreprises augmentent la disponibilité du coaching pour un segment plus large de leurs employés en créant des rôles de coachs internes, généralement les professionnels RH qui fournissent des services complets de coaching. Ils forment également les gestionnaires à intégrer les compétences de coaching dans leur style de leadership.

6 étapes pour accompagner votre équipe virtuelle dans le changement

By Saba Imru-Mathieu • January 3, 2021
Si vous êtes nouveau dans la direction d'une équipe virtuelle, avec une équipe dispersée également novice dans le télétravail, vous aurez besoin d'autant de ressources que possible pour vous aider à réussir dans ce nouveau mode d'être avec vos collègues et de coordonner le travail en ligne. Le leadership en temps de crise requiert des compétences techniques qui doivent nécessairement reposer sur une forte capacité à créer et entretenir des relations positives par téléphone ou ordinateur. Les astuces dans cet article sont également utiles si vous retournez progressivement au bureau, moment qui est également semé d'incertitudes. Vous savez déjà comment organiser le travail, créer des processus efficaces, attribuer des rôles et des tâches. Je me concentrerai donc sur les "soft skills", et en particulier les compétences de coaching qui sont essentielles pour motiver et responsabiliser les collègues à travers le changement, encore plus lorsque l'on travaille sous stress et à distance. En période de stress, en tant que chef d’équipe, vous pouvez être l’une des rares sources d’encouragement pour vos collègues, alors n’hésitez pas à être positif et solidaire. Parfois, vous devrez également être décisif et fournir une direction dans une grande incertitude. Pour naviguer dans ces différents styles de leadership, vous trouverez utile de vous renforcer avec ces compétences de coaching faciles et pratiques en six étapes.
Leader Coach Video Tutorials

4Q Coaching Model™

By Saba Imru Mathieu • December 10, 2020
When someone comes to you with an idea of something they want to do, but they’re still wondering about it, instead of jumping in to give them all sorts of advice, try adopting a coaching posture by asking these 4 questions.
Leader Coach Video Tutorials

Coaching Mindsets: Growth, Solutions, Strengths

By Saba Imru Mathieu • November 3, 2020
Coaching is about having the right supportive mindsets, as well as displaying excellent communication and coaching skills. Adopting a positive, humane, winning, mindset will help you be a better leader coach.
Show More