“Oxytocin helps with facial recognition and trust. Imagine the coach and client having a little sniff before they start the session,” said cognitive scientist and neuroscientist Geoff Bird in his keynote at Coaching at Work’s Beyond Frontiers conference. Dr Bird cited reports on increasing use of “cognitive enhancers” such as methylphenidates Ritalin and Modafinil – one in five students and many “clued-up academics” already take Modafinil, he said.

“Ritalin increases IQ points – think about the statistics linking IQ and salary increases of up to 36 per cent.”

Ethics panels may have a whole host of questions if coaches take up Bird’s suggestions. However, Bird had much else to say on how neuroscience can inform coaching (see conference report, News, page 9).

Conference tweets are on cawfrontiers

Coaching at Work, Volume 7, Issue 1

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External coaches will set themselves apart in coaching sponsors’ eyes if they stop treating them the same and understand their context, needs and interests, according to a working group of sponsors including KPMG, Fujitsu and Diageo.

“It goes back to really understanding the organisation the coach is working with…if they can’t specify what they want to see, be prepared to walk away,” said Simon Dennis, who heads up coaching at IT business Fujitsu.

“It’s a call for people to ask more about the client organisation and agenda,” said Louise Buckle, lead coach at KPMG.

Dennis said Fujitsu had invested just over £250,000 in training 110 employees in coaching skills. However, when he took over to head up coaching: “There was no (measurement of) ROI and I was told to deliver some business value.”

“Page after page of process decisions had been created, with flow charts and forms to complete. Until the end of last year, to get coaching, you were either clever or you knew me. Our model became like the Holy Grail. There were coaches there but you couldn’t touch them. There were no records of what coaching we were doing apart for about six of the coaches.”

Fujitsu has now simplified its coaching model to three levels, which is ‘bearing fruit,’ said Dennis.

Sponsors need to be clear what their role is – are they a provider of coaching services for individuals or are they there to act as a change enabler in the organisation?

The roles coach sponsors take vary widely and can include coach broker, recruiter of externals, budget holder, gatekeeper, standard-setter, advocate, fixer and strategy developer.

Getting together with other sponsors is helpful, working group participants included.

The group also included Jeremy Ridge, chair of APECS, who chaired the group. Other working groups are planned.

Coaching at Work, Volume 7, Issue 1

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By Jane Campion

Findings from neuroscience showing the importance of goal-setting should flatten opponents of the GROW model once and for all, suggested cognitive neuroscientist Geoff Bird.

Goal-setting provides a means for clients to achieve fast results and to boost subsequent learning, Dr Bird, a lecturer at the Department of Psychological Sciences at Birkbeck College, University of London, told delegates in his keynote address at Coaching at Work’s sell-out event:

“The ability to set goals is exclusively human and it is never too late to learn… This mobilises the unconscious parts of the brain and information we are not able to verbalise, but defines what we do.

“Your conscious mind doesn’t make you do anything. I can see your choices happening as unconscious brain activity on a scanner up to 10 seconds before you make them as conscious intention.”

As well as goal-setting, repetition is important. “Bringing about a change in an individual’s pattern of behaviour or thought is always the result of learning. This is defined by science as an increase in connections. To achieve it, we need repetitions until something is unconscious. We learn slowly, but retrieve fast and forget slowly.

“In goal-directed learning, we learn fast, linking our response to an outcome we want. This is conscious, so while we learn it fast, we retrieve it slowly and forget it fast.

“We still don’t know how it happens, but we do know that goals involve attention and emotion. These two in combination change how information flows through the brain. Neurons that fire together, wire together,” he said.

Bird recommends coaches use all automatic social systems, including imitation of language and how you dress. “Then forget about it. All we have to do is pay attention to the client.”

He said the client should set the tone. Conscious mirroring slows coaching down, he warned. He also advised that coaches do not sit opposite clients.

“Eye contact activates the brain’s reward centres. It is primitive and fundamental. But never sit opposite a client. Sit at a 45-degree angle so you can turn away if they need to discuss something sensitive without switching on their self-monitoring. Freud knew it. Now we understand it scientifically.”

Coaching at Work, Volume 7, Issue 1

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Responding to current challenges, such as the economy and demonstrating ROI/value for money (VFM), are top of the agenda for 2012, according to this year’s Coaching at Work annual readers’ survey.

Some 49.2 per cent of respondents cited responding to challenges including the economy as the most or second-most important priority, including coaching clients to cope with uncertainty, and making sure coaching is fit for purpose (13.2 per cent).

Meanwhile, 27.7 per cent of you say evaluation/demonstrating ROI/ VFM is the number one/two priority. It’s the third year running this has been high on the agenda; last year it was top priority, the year before it was at number two.

The emphasis is unsurprising given the current backdrop, with some economists predicting a double-dip recession in the UK. Some of you fear rising pressure to stay relevant.

“Generally, I think coaching is going to enter a tough period next year, where the need for coaches to distinguish themselves from the competition will be greater than ever,” said Julie Starr, director of Starr Consulting.

Andrew Armatas, coaching psychologist and trainer in Greece, said: “These times present an opportunity to separate the wheat from the chaff and to focus on demonstrating both scientific and practical value so that coaching will be considered an investment.”

More than 50 per cent of you think coaching is changing – 68.4 per cent agree it is becoming more aligned with business needs, 49.1 per cent that it is becoming more integrated into other initiatives, 24.6 per cent that we are seeing more brief coaching and 17.5 per cent that it is moving more towards consultancy.

Standards/professionalism/accreditation were top or second priority for 19.2 per cent of you.

“The top priority this year will be professional standards and ethics – how to ensure that we keep raising the bar and how we communicate the value of professional coaching standards to buyers of coaching,” said Deborah Price, president of the UK International Coach Federation.

l See pages 12-15 for more results. The Coaching at Work Coaching Person and Mentoring Person of the Year Award results will be announced in the next issue. The survey is now closed, but you can still nominate people by emailing liz@coaching-at-work.com

Top of the agenda for 2012

Coaching’s priorities (%)

1. Responding to economic challenges: 1st/2nd priority – 49.2
2. Evaluation/ROI/value for money: 1st/2nd – 27.7
3. Standards/professionalism/accreditation: 1st/2nd – 19.2
4. Team coaching: 1st/2nd – 13.2
5. Health/wellbeing coaching: 1st/2nd – 10.8
6. Supervision: 1st/2nd – 9.6
7. Widening its reach: 1st/2nd – 7
8. Focusing on line managers and leaders: 1st – 4.8
9. Careers coaching: 1st – 3.6
10. More collaboration between professional bodies – 3.6, and more creative thinking: 2nd – 3.6

Mentoring’s priorities (%)

1. Talent management 1st/2nd – 18.9
2. Responding to economic climate – 15.5
3. Working with youths – 6.8

Coaching at Work, Volume 7, Issue 1

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Women spend a significant amount of time and energy, often during working hours, working out how to achieve a satisfactory work/life balance, according to a survey of more than 400 women aged from 18 to 94 by Next Generation Coaching.

Many highlighted the stress involved in attempting to create this balance. Coaches can help their female clients analyze options for dealing with stressful situations, understand the physiological affects of stress, think about stressful events in a constructive way and learn to deal positively with negative thoughts.

The recession means longer working hours for many. The challenge for coaches is to help their clients to identify measures that will help them feel able to do this and engage fully during working hours, rather than being distracted by personal or home issues. This includes extending coaching into the family arena.

Women of all ages expressed concern about the long term state of the world and environment, suggesting coaches need to help organisations consider the business implications of this, say Kim Morgan, Sonya Shellard and Robin Edwards of Next Generation Coaching.

“Put simply, is it enough to be “green”, or do companies need to do more to portray an ethical image on company and recruitment websites to attract top female talent?” said Shellard.

Women attribute equal weight to the importance of home and work, suggests the survey. Respondents of all ages confirmed that career can simultaneously have both a positive and a negative impact on their home lives.

The survey underlines the importance of coaching the “whole person” when working on professional issues, stressed Shellard.

The survey highlights how women’s priorities change according to age, stage of life and career goals. One solution will not fit all ages or career stages, which is significant for coaches working with organizations on talent management and succession planning.

The survey underlines the importance of coaching the “whole person” when working on professional issues. Whether the coaching is around performance or promotion, getting to the crux of the matter means coaching around the client’s personal circumstances and aspirations. This will help clients to put aims and objectives into an overall life context, thus ensuring they are realistic, say Shellard, Morgan and Edwards.

“It is not by chance that the wheel of life/balance wheel is to be found in many coaches’ tool boxes!” said Shellard.

Next Generation Coaching asked women what they most enjoy and see as their greatest achievements in life. And what tends to be uppermost in their thoughts and about their greatest concerns. Two themes emerged:

Work-life balance.

Whether in their twenties or sixties, career and work appeared at the heart of women’s answers to all the key questions. All spoke of the challenge of pursuing a career and balancing this with home life. The nature and relative importance of various commitments alter with age, from caring for children to looking after aging parents, or simply having some free time for outside interests or to adopt a different lifestyle.

As one woman in her late 30’s put it:
“I get stressed about not being able to get everything done on time, whether at home or at work. Life is passing too quickly and I never leave enough time to do the  things I want to do – like spending quality time with the children, my partner – well, just relax really and keep my sense of humour!”
Thoughts about career were frequently “double edged”. For example an important promotion would be celebrated, but also count as a concern as women puzzled how to juggle the commitment and energy required with the impact on home life.

Concern over the world economy, political state and environment

It is no surprise that the majority expressed concern over the state of the economy and “green issues”. Apprehension about funding retirement was cited by many, particularly in the 40 plus age group. Next Generation was struck by the heartfelt concern expressed by women of all ages about the long term state of the world and environment. One respondent said:

“I worry about where we are going as a country and the mess we are getting in! Not just this but the worldwide recession. I worry about my children’s future and what they will have to cope with, what the world will be like in 30 years time with terrorism and global warming. Closer to home I am concerned about the value of my pension and how I will fund my old age. Everything seems to be so volatile …”

Issues through the ages of women

20s – acquisitive/hiring decade
The majority found most enjoyment in securing challenging work, citing gaining qualifications and career success as their greatest achievement. This outranked relationships and socialising.
The main concerns were whether they would be able to “have it all” and about fulfilling their potential. Job security, everyday issues at work and future prospects occupied thoughts prominently.

30s – juggling/engaging decade
The emphasis shifts in this decade, with the ability to juggle career and family life successfully emerging both as a source of great satisfaction and as the greatest challenge. Raising families, gaining qualifications, career successes (such as promotion) and achieving work life balance were all important achievements.
Job security, identifying a fulfilling career, work problems and direction ranked alongside family concerns as the most pressing thoughts.

40s – reinforcing, rediscovery decade
The ability to identify a different kind of work, possibly in a new field, to fit with values and lifestyle resonated with this decade.
Raising a family and pursuing a successful career ranked as the top two achievements.
In addition to career choices and difficulty of working part time, women placed more emphasis on time spent worrying about debt and finances, in particular retirement funds. Health starts to worry women in their 40s.

50s – fulfilment decade
Women valued their independence and personal freedom resulting from the ability to work part time or change direction and fewer family ties.
The greatest achievement identified was financial independence/security and enjoying fulfilling careers.
Financial security and health in retirement became the number one concern.

60s – recognition decade
Women valued the opportunity to study and begin new careers. The ability to adopt a less stressful or desired job or lifestyle also featured strongly. Health and adopting a healthy lifestyle coupled with money and care in old age were the top concerns and women commented that they spent much time thinking about these factors.

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UK Chancellor George Osborne has set out around £83 billion in public spending cuts, the largest cutbacks in Government expenditure since the emergency budgets of the post World War II era. In the wake of the CSR, coaches and coaching buyers interviewed by Coaching at Work predict growing numbers of clients presenting with stress, anxiety or depression.
This will make greater demands on coaches who will need to ensure they have adequate training and supervision to cope and be of service to the client.

However, they also predict greater opportunities for those coaching around redundancy, careers, transition and change, resilience and setting up new businesses, for example.

Public sector coaching offerings across the UK will feel the pinch. Ken Smith, co-ordinator of the Coaches in Government Network, said the use of external coaches in central government is likely to continue to be very restricted and: “The deeper underlying trend, within the current austerity measures and rationalisation of L&D, to run down the internal L&D capability in the sector will continue and carry with it a sharp decline in the investment required to sustain and further develop internal coaching, within and across departments.”

However whilst cutbacks or worse in public sector coaching schemes are inevitable, many predict coaching will hold its own. It is seen as an asset to support radical structural and other change in the public sector, according to a report by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and Institute of Business Consulting, External executive coaching: a joint study of sponsors´ experiences and perspectives, by Paula Roberts, a member of both the EMCC and the IBC’s Steering Committee for Coaching.

Kathy Ashton, people development manager at Leeds Metropolitan University, said the university had already cut back from six to four faculties, with other restructures in areas including HR in the pipeline as it geared up to deal with the CSR.

However, she said:
“Coaching is being viewed by our university as something that will support organisational change, rather than as something which might be affected by it in a negative way.”
Ashton is defining the offer as “coaching in transition”, and offering it to managers affected by change, during their transition either into a different role within our university, or indeed a transition towards voluntary redundancy.
“It can be really useful in supporting staff needing to make decisions about future roles too,” she said. 

Many public sector leaders such as Sue Mortlock, associate-leadership at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, felt as their organisation had many coaching successes under their belt, it was unlikely that coaching would now be abandoned. Instead there would be opportunities for doing things differently.
“There are opportunities to be creative there for the taking,” said Mortlock.

Smith said: “Coaches are likely to be working in the short to medium term with clients on agendas focussed on transition, either out of their organisations or into new roles in substantially reshaped ones.  This will bring consequences for coaches’ skill set and even for their personal resilience and well-being, as they find themselves working more often with more emotional content.”

Public sector executives are “rabbits in the headlights” as they face having to implement radical cuts for the first time in their careers, according to a respondent to the EMCC/IBC report.

Two coaches told Coaching at Work they had public sector clients who feared they would never work again. Others were already encountering much more stress, anxiety and even depression, including suicidal thoughts in clients. Coaching supervision is and will be a lifeline, said one.

Independent coach Marianne Craig has worked for many years with career changers but working with people who are being forced to change sector or career is very different for both client and coach.

“I believe that coaches have much to offer the thousands of people facing redundancy as well as those managing the changes. The huge scale of the change presents both a challenge for coaches and an opportunity -  for example to become skilful in working with anger, fear and grief.”

Independent coach and occupational psychologist Lynne Spencer, who runs the CIPD´s open course, Career Coaching, agreed career coaching redundant employees is very different.

“It needs a health warning attached. Along with other medical and addiction related topics, it is perhaps the main area of work psychology which can involve life and death or severe mental health risks.”

Spencer warned that coaches need to be able to pick up on signs of depression and anxiety and to know both when to refer and to whom and when coaching around careers, they need to be realistic about work options.

Many coaches are responding to the climate by getting more training under their belt, in redundancy coaching, for example. Santander´s Caroline Curtis, who works with external clients on a pro-bono basis, plans to take a course in psychotherapy.

How you think public sector cutbacks will affect coaching

Many coaches and coach supervisors will need more training to help them work with stress, anxiety and depression and to know when to refer on

Increased need for coaching supervision to help coaches work on their own resilience

Many public sector coaching schemes cut back or disbanded

More creativity in surviving schemes

More demand for coaching offers including:

• redundancy coaching
• transition coaching
• careers coaching
• stress and wellbeing coaching
• coaching supervision
• coaching around change
• leadership coaching

More pressure to evaluate coaching and show return on expectation

Coaches need to ask themselves whether their fees are too high

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This was one of the key findings of a study by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) UK and the Institute of Business Consulting (IBC).

Coaches need to explain and distinguish themselves with greater precision and subtlety and buyers need to show greater finesse in drawing up person specifications for coaches and in their approach to coach selection and recruitment, says the report, External executive coaching: a joint study of sponsors´ experiences and perspectives, by Paula Roberts, the report’s author and a member of both the EMCC and the IBC’s Steering Committee for Coaching

Diane Newell, managing director, EMCC UK, said, “It is clear that in selecting coaches buyers are looking for surety around their practice and ethics as a base line, through qualifications and accreditation. To find the coaches who really meet the organisation’s need they also want to be able to differentiate at a higher order for example around a coach’s general business acumen, sector specific experience and the ability to work credibly and effectively at a senior level”.

The study set out to gain a better understanding of corporate buyers’ perspectives on coaching and the coaching profession through interviews by experienced coaches with 20 senior decision-makers.

Structured reflection, raising self awareness and confidence were highlighted as the most significant benefits of external executive coaching. Other benefits include better strategic working and networking, and countering loneliness in leadership. Concerns include sustainability of behaviour change, risk of dependency and that some types of intervention originating in therapy are unsuited to business context.

There was wide divergence in perspective as to “the right conditions” for effective and cost-effective coaching, particularly between the public and private sectors.

Public sector sponsors tend to be more “light touch”, with heavy reliance on robust coach selection procedures for quality assurance and accountability. There was often an assumption that business benefits would naturally follow wholly client centred coaching programmes although this is shifting.

Private sector sponsors were highly conscious of value for money, with robust contracting and close sponsor involvement the cornerstone of ROI. There was strong support for a non-directive approach in coaching, with emphasis upon vigorous challenge and skilful feedback and unwavering focus upon agreed agenda and outcomes.

There was little appetite generally for formal and quantitative ROI evaluation and widespread frustration that line managers are insufficiently engaged in contracting.

The IBC was created by the merger of the Institute of Business Advisers and the Institute of Management Consultancy, previously two separate organisations within the Chartered Management Institute.

For a copy of the report, contact Paula Roberts: paula.roberts @ felicitasassociates.co.uk
See X, pages 12 and 13 (Selection report)

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Anne-Kathrin Alaoui and Richard Griffiths who are currently studying the first year of a Masters in Professional Coaching with i-coach academy, are on a mission to change what they say is a common attitude in charities, that coaching is a luxury which is justifiable only for senior executives.

Cocomotion also offers students on coach training programmes the chance to access diverse coaching clients and coaching experiences as well as charities access to quality coaching.

Anne-Kathrin Alaoui said:
“We believe that coaching should be accessible to staff at all levels in organisations, not just to senior executives in relatively wealthy corporations. Also, as we went through our own training, we realised that the opportunity to coach in real-world complex situations is critical to coaches at all stages in their development. Focussing on the charity sector means that we can offer coaches the opportunity to ‘give something back’ and to work with people who genuinely identify with their organisation’s mission.”

Cocomotion is set to start a pilot at the end of October with six coaches and six clients in Youth Music, a medium-sized charity that uses music to transform the lives of disadvantaged children and young people. At the end of September, Cocomotion attended Forum 3, the UK’s largest not-for-profit career fair, and facilitated a brief workshop for job changers in the sector.

Dr Alison Whybrow, programme director at i-coach academy, is an advisor to Cocomotion. She said:”Our students are looking at new ways to work outside tried and tested frameworks, collaborate more, and as a result the financial climate is having little impact on the growth, innovation and development in their own coaching practice.”

For more information, visit www.cocomotion.org

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Ignoring responsibilities in stress prevention and management can expose employers to a number of legal risks, warns a guide produced by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) with support from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), advisory body Acas and the cross-government Health, Work and Wellbeing programme. The guide spells out employers’ legal obligations in identifying and preventing stress at work.

As the pressure increases, increasing numbers of organisations are turning to coaching to help them improve employees’ wellbeing. Balfour Beatty is one such organisation- within its Plant & Fleet Services division, coaching is at the heart of a multi-pronged wellness programme. The programme focuses on peak performance, emotional intelligence, wellness and use of the HeartMath resilience tool (“Balfour Beatty rolls out executive ‘wellness’ programme to all staff”, Coaching at Work, Volume 5, Issue 4)

Coaching can not only help indentify stress but can help employees develop strategies to tackle existing stress and prevent unhelpful responses in the future, as well as increasing wellbeing generally. Profesor Stephen Palmer, director of City University London’s Coaching Psychology Unit and author of a number of studies and books on stress, said:

“ When we set up the Coaching Psychology Unit at City University London, stress and coaching was a specific area that we decided to research and it’s remained high on our agenda. One item that coachees report is that coaching helps them manage or reduce stress. The research appears to back this up. What has interested us is how stress levels are reduced and wellbeing are improved even if they were not goals to be addressed in the coaching conversation. These are the hidden benefits of coaching which may be overlooked by employers. Solution focused and cognitive behavioural coaching are ideal approaches to assist in stress reduction and enhancing performance at work.”

Coaching can also help improve communication between managers and their direct reports- open communication makes it easier for managers to notice telltale signs. Jane Bird, director of operational policy and performance, Acas, said: “Effective line management is key to preventing stress where possible and managing it when it does occur. If managers create and maintain effective, two-way communication, they are more likely to notice when someone is struggling and intervene.”

 The CIPD’s guide, Work-related stress: what the law says, was written by John Hamilton, head of safety, health and wellbeing at Leeds Metropolitan University. It highlights recent cases where employers have faced significant compensation payouts for failing to identify and prevent stress adequately, as well as providing advice on how employers can tackle stress through good people management.

 Dame Carol Black, national director for health and work, commented: “It is in employers’ interests to manage stress at work proactively and not just assume all staff are coping, particularly in a tough economic environment where many employees are under pressure to do more with less.”

 The CIPD’s quarterly July 2010 Employee Outlook survey showed almost half (49%) of staff have noticed an increase in stress at work as a result of the economic downturn.

 Ben Willmott, senior public policy adviser, CIPD, said stress at work can have a significant impact on business performance. “Employers that fail to manage stress effectively risk losing key staff through high absence levels and employee turnover. They will also suffer from low staff morale and risk higher levels of conflict and accidents in the workplace. In addition, they potentially face costly personal injury claims, as well as damage to their employer brand.”

• Coaching can help leaders de-rail : http://www.coaching-at-work.com/2010/06/18/coaching-can-help-stop-leaders-de-railing/
• Special report on health coaching by Professor Palmer and Sarah-jane North, “Be well and prosper”, Volume 3, Issue 4 ( http://www.coaching-at-work.com/2008/07/04/be-well-and-prosper/
• “Calming influence” by Kristina Gyllensten & Professor Stephen Palmer : http://www.coaching-at-work.com/2005/11/04/calming-influence-2/

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CMI recently asked 2,000 managers which aspects of management they thought they were best at. Many claimed to excel at managing people, some said they were great target-busters and others claimed they were strongest at managing themselves. CMI has since put those perceptions to the test by inviting UK workers to use a specially-developed self-diagnostic tool to work out where their strengths and weaknesses lie. The results strongly contradict managers’ perceptions, with just 14 per cent of the 6,056 people who used the tool excelling at people management and “a paltry” eight per cent proving to be best at managing themselves.

CMI suggests this ‘strength-perception gap’ is due to “a perilous combination of years of inadequate training for those in management roles” as well as increasing numbers of people who reluctantly fall into management positions.

Ruth Spellman, chief executive of CMI, said: “We’re desperately short of good leaders in this country – just look at how many FTSE 100 companies have sourced CEOs from abroad and how many Premier League clubs have foreign managers. We’re crying out for much-needed home-grown leadership talent and it’s frustrating that employers are failing to capitalise on the dormant leadership skills that their employees don’t yet realise they have.
To use CMI’s tool for working out strengths and weaknesses, go to comparethemanager.com

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