Stephen LynchWhat Can Coaches Do For You – Harvard Business Review – January 09 – http://www.hbr.org/

Here is our summary of the article:

Today, coaching is a popular and potent solution for ensuring top performance from an organization's most critical talent.

There's no question that future leaders will need constant coaching. As the business environment becomes more complex, they will increasingly turn to coaches for help in understanding how to act.

Coaches will do more than influence behaviors; they will be an essential part of the leader's learning process, providing knowledge, opinions, and judgment in critical areas.

Over time the coaching focus shifts from what the coaches were originally hired to do. It starts out with a business bias and inevitably migrates to 'bigger issues' such as life purpose, work/life balance, and becoming a better leader.

As coaching has become more common, any stigma attached to receiving it at the individual level has disappeared. Now, it is often considered a badge of honor.

Coaching differs dramatically from therapy. Coaching focuses on the future, whereas therapy focuses on the past.

Organizations that hire coaches should insist on getting regular and formal progress reviews.

The coaching industry will remain fragmented until a few partnerships build a brand, and create a reputation for outstanding work. Some coaching groups are evolving in this direction, but most are still boutique firms.

The demand for coaching will not contract in the long term. The big developing economies—Brazil, China, India, and Russia—are going to have a tremendous appetite for it because management there is very youthful. University graduates are coming into jobs at 23 years old and finding that their bosses are all of 25, with the experience to match.

The top 3 reasons coaches are engaged:

1. Develop the capabilities of high-potential performers
2. Act as a sounding board
3. Address derailing behaviour

Key ingredients of a successful coaching relationship:

1. The business leader needs to be highly motivated to change.
2. Those who get the most out of coaching have a fierce desire to learn and grow.
3. There needs to be the right "fit" between client and coach

What companies should look for when hiring a coach:

1. Experience in coaching similar situations (not necessarily in the same setting)
2. Clear methodology
3. Existing quality of clients
4. Ability to measure ROI

Stephen Lynch
Global Operations Manager
RESULTS.com

To find out whether coaching is right for you and your firm, click on the coaching link on our website.