Coaching
1. I have recently taken up an important sales position within a major international firm. I’m eager to make a success of the role. How can business coaching help me to succeed? Mike Hawkins – London.
International Coach Federation: Coaching can help you succeed in your new role by taking you to the next level of productivity and effec- tiveness (and thus, you can move more effi- ciently toward your goals). A coach will work with you to unlock your untapped potential. Ad- ditionally, when you face a challenging situa- tion or sales project, your coach will support you
the client, a coach will assess current needs, op- portunities, and challenges. From there, they will determine goals, and establish desired out- comes. In addition, the coach will help identify core strengths and how to best leverage those strengths. The ICF Global Coaching Client Study indicates that companies that use or have used professional coaching for business reasons have seen a median return on investment of seven times their initial investment. This study shows 86 percent of companies that use or have used coaching report at least a 100 percent return on their initial investment, as well as a signifi- cant impact in other client goal areas.
Action Stations
Keeping your business on the right track needs constant forward planning, we put some of our readers concerns and questions to the people in the know, the International Coach Federation.
Questions Answered by: Magdalena Mook, International Coach Federation Executive Director/CEO
to confidently pursue new ideas and alternative solutions with greater resilience and resource- fulness. A coach will encourage fresh perspec- tive…and will inspire and encourage you through the questions they ask and the action- able goals you co-create. ICF defines coaching as a thought-provoking partnering between a client and a coach in a creative process that in- spires clients to maximize their professional and personal potential.
2. Following a recent downsizing, my em- ployees are struggling to come to terms with their new roles and targets. Can a profes- sional coach help them in this regard? Gavin Corbett – Edinburgh
ICF: Professional coaches are certainly able to help employees in this regard. Coaching is the perfect tool to use when dealing with change and transition. Professional coaches are trained to work with clients to inspire them to maximize their personal and professional potential. With
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3. I run my own company and am thinking about hiring a business coach to bring me up to date with the changing business environ- ment, but is there tangible proof that coach- ing works? Marc Kernbauer – Vienna
ICF: Definitely! Many case studies, articles, and global research are dedicated to demon- strating the return on investment and return on expectation other organisations have experi- enced as a result of professional coaching. Ac- cording to ICF Global Coaching Client Study, an overwhelming majority, 82.7 percent, of in- dividuals who have experienced professional coaching report being “very satisfied” with their coaching experience and 96.2 percent said they would repeat it given the same circumstances. Coaching is seen as an “action plan” rather than an exploratory process. You can review this re- port and many other in the ICF Research Portal at
Coachfederation.org. One of the ways the ICF works to collect and share the data on effectiveness of coaching
is through the ICF International Prism Award. Annually, organisations that have demonstrated a successful use of coaching as a leadership strategy are recognized for their work and com- mitment to professional coaching. Past recipi- ents of the award include BBC and NASA. Details of recipients’ coaching programs and successes are outlined at:
Coachfederation.org/Prism.
And yet, if your goal is to refresh your knowl- edge about the business environment, you may consider other professionals, such as mentors and consultants to help in this regard. You may also find a coach who offers such services and set specific agreement about the scope of your relationship.
4. I’m a human resources manager for a medium-sized enterprise. What different types of coaching are available to me? David Bourdeau – Poitiers
ICF: Many professional coaches choose a spe- cialty or a niche, based on their experience, pref- erence, or skill. The most commonly quoted specialties include Leadership, Executive, Busi- ness/Organisational, Career Transition, and Life, Vision and Enhancement. The type of coach you select will revolve around want your needs and the goals that you set for yourself. There are also other elements or criteria that you may wish to establish for your coach – gender, location, method of coaching, etc. You may want to con- sider ICF’s Coach Referral Service to experi- ment with finding the right coach for you. Make plans to speak to at least three candidates before making a final selection.
5. I’ve decided to hire a coach to help me im- prove my time-management and leadership skills. How do I find the right coach for me? Elisabeth Larsson – Malmo
ICF: The ICF recommends that potential clients do their homework before hiring a coach. Edu- cate yourself about coaching—coaching is reg- ularly written about by the media. If you prefer looking at research, examine the ICF Research Portal. This portal hosts coaching research arti- cles, case studies, journals, and more. Potential clients should also be self-aware—know your objectives for working with a coach. Have an understanding of how a coaching relationship will work best for you (do you prefer working face-to-face or over the telephone? How
New European Economy
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