Below are some examples of issues that companies are hiring external
coaches to facilitate:
- Support individuals to enhance performance and achieve personal objectives
through conscious goal setting
- Develop and retain high talent individuals
- Develop qualities such as leadership, strategy and vision
- Increase capacity for planning, prioritising and effectiveness
- Coach leaders to adopt a people-oriented management style
- Improve communication and inter-personal skills
- Work with managers to develop their career paths
- Improve balance between work and life demands
- Use coaching as a complement to training
Executive coaching is typically offered to executives ranging from CEO to Assistant Manager level.
In the coaching programme, specific goals are established between the coach and the coachee. The coaching
is performed within a framework where the coachee's current situation is determined, strengths and weaknesses
are reviewed, meaningful and relevant goals are set, and an action plan is agreed to meet those goals.
Coaching sessions are conducted on a one-to-one basis and remain
strictly confidential. To ensure that the work is targeted to the
coachee's specific needs and that changes remain permanent and significant,
a coaching engagement is conducted over a period of time.
Coaching sessions can be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly (depending
on what suits the coachee best).
A coaching programme is tailored around the needs of each individual and the organisation.
A coach provides a personal support distinct from any other. A coach will focus exclusively on the coachee's
situation and help him/her succeed with the kind of interest and commitment that is seldom experienced
elsewhere.
A coach acts as a partner/facilitator that believes in and empowers
the coaches by:
- Listening without judgement
- Providing a framework to help identify what is important
- Helping to set meaningful and significant goals and design a
plan of action
- Helping to think laterally to create a number of options, and
then think deeply about the choices to make
- Encouraging to identify old obstructive habits, letting them
go and developing new productive habits instead
- Expecting his/her best
- Challenging the coachee when necessary
- Providing 100% support to the coachee in staying committed to
the defined goals
Due to the rapid growth and popularity of coaching, there are unfortunately
a number of persons who are coaching professionally without any training
or accreditation in the field. Therefore, since the year 2000 measures
are being taken on a European level to protect the coaching profession
through quality control and creating public awareness around the importance
of working with a qualified coach. The European Coaching Institute
(ECI) provides quality accreditation for European coaches and ensures
the availability of a high standard of coach training.
It is highly recommended that clients verify that their coach is
certified (trained by a recognised coaching trainer/school) and accredited
(quality control) by the ECI.
Coaching will only work when there is a strong commitment on part
of the coachees to achieving changes and/or improvements in their
careers and life. This means committing to the coaching process
throughout its agreed duration.
The coachee needs to be open to the potential of coaching. That
means contributing honestly, openly and being ready to step out of
the comfort zone into an achievement zone with the support of the
coach.
Training is a very important investment that companies make in the
growth and development of their staff. However, the majority of training
programmes today are given as a one-off occurrence without adequate
post course follow-up or support. Without these mechanisms in place,
people have a tendency to revert back to their previous way of operating
soon after the course has ended. Coaching is a powerful complement
to training as it takes a longer term view where there is continuous
follow-up, feedback and support to ensure that changes are both significant
and above all permanent.
A study in the private sector found that training alone increased
productivity by 22.4%, whereas training and follow-up coaching increased
productivity by 88%!!
A consultant is hired to assess a situation and then give advise
on what actions to take. A coach will inspire the coachee to define
the situation and help the coachee to access his/her own knowledge
and creativity in finding the solution. This creates a more lasting
ownership of the issues and solutions leading to a greater commitment
in taking action.
Coaching looks at the present, is proactive and is above all future
based; its' main focus is to establish where you are today and where
you want to be. Within the framework of the coaching sessions a very
powerful and dynamic relationship is developed between the coach and
the client where extraordinary results are achieved.
Therapy typically deals with healing of past emotional hurts.
