As an everyday practice at work, peer coaching is a resource to increase people's awareness of the impact of their actions.
When Tim seriously began to consider retiring, he called Kathy to say, "I need a meeting with my peer coach!" Tim sought Kathy out as his peer coach for her listening and coaching skills as well as her experience.
Kathy and Tim have been each other's peer coach for many years, starting when the organizational behavior department created a peer coaching process to develop senior faculty.
Peer coaching was part of their everyday practice at work. Over time, they have had many coaching meetings, typically initiated by one of them when an important issue involving job, career, personal, or interpersonal dilemmas arose. Their meetings became a part of their regular toolkit for making work decisions.
Peer coaching relationships at work like Kathy and Tim's are becoming more explicitly valued in today's work world. Therefore, people are intentionally seeking them out more frequently.
For peer coaching and developmental relationships to thrive, it is critical that the coaching become an everyday practice and a regular part of learning at work.
Source: Polly Parker: Peer Coaching at Work: Principles and Practices