About Coaching
Coaching involves intensive, ongoing one-on-one confidential interactions between a qualified coach and a client to help identify strengths and areas for growth, set priorities and objectives, and develop action plans to achieve improvements in performance and job satisfaction. A trusting, open dialogue is essential to a successful engagement. Coaching can be done in person, by telephone, or in observation mode (shadowing).
The coaching relationship is a transformational process where the client is drawn to seek out their own solutions... and that inevitably results in growth.
ROI of coaching:
Coaching is growing in popularity because there is powerful evidence that it works. A study done by Manchester Consulting, for example, included a detailed study of 100 coaching subjects and estimated the average return on the coaching investment for these subjects was 545 percent. Other studies have shown similar results.
The Coach
A coach pings, prods, probes, encourages, confronts, challenges, questions, and above all, consistently honors, respects, and unconditionally supports the client's development and the achievement of his/her goals.
The most effective coaches bring a strong educational background, extensive coaching methodology training from one or more respected schools or universities and specific and solid organizational leadership experience to the relationship.
Benefits typical of coaching
Those who have successfully engaged coaches describe themselves as feeling more confident, more organized and more able to meet their business goals. Often they attribute their improved ability to communicate and work with others in a highly effective way to the influence of their coach. Here are typical outcomes for a person being coached:
- Improved business results and performance
- Better thinking and decision making skills
- Increased ability to get things done without a need for micro control
- increased interpersonal effectiveness, collaboration and influence
- More clarity in communicating expectations to employees and others
- Greater ability to provide powerful feedback
- Enhanced employee engagement and mobilization
- Better management of personal barriers to performance and well-being
- Improved work life balance
- Higher personal satisfaction with life and work
- And others...