GROWING UP FAST
Slovakia only gained its independence on 1 January 1993, so it’s no surprise that coaching in its purest form has been around only for the past two or three years. The coaching market is growing quickly, with a focus on international companies (both industrial and commercial) that have invested heavily in Slovakia since its independence. While coaching is not yet a fundamental part of the corporate landscape, it is a developing trend in these types of organisations. Coaching tends to be for middle and senior managers and entrepreneurs, with most internal coaches operating in the financial sector.
Coaching can be challenging because of the country’s cultural and historical background. Slovaks are a hard-working people who are modest about their accomplishments. They are shy when receiving praise, often because they don’t know how to react, and hide their emotions. Shortfalls and mistakes are punished so people won’t willingly admit to errors. It’s difficult to break through these barriers.
Another challenge is management style. Slovakian managers are goal- rather than people- oriented and the old, inflexible management style is prevalent, primarily owing to the cultural inheritance of the communist regimes. Status and hierarchy are important, with a formal recognition of position and education. Coaching approaches therefore generally need to be directive as this is the structure with which Slovakians are most comfortable – although I have found that a coaching management style can also be effective. The Slovak Association of Coaches (Sako) was founded in March last year and has 20 members. Not all are qualified and there are probably 100 coaches operating in the country with various levels of qualifications. This might not sound like many, but the population of Slovakia is only 5.4 million.
One of the coaching qualifications is the Systemic Management and Coaching course, which is recognised by the Slovak Ministry of Education. Run by a colleague of mine, Klara Giertlova, the course focuses on solution-based coaching. I got my certificate earlier this year. In July this year, a Slovak chapter of the International Coach Federation (ICF) was created, of which I agreed to be vice-president. Marian Fabian, who is trained in the Coach Training Institute’s Co-Active Coaching model, initiated it, and is president. The aim is to promote the coaching profession in Slovakia and to ensure that standards are implemented and maintained. European leaders from the ICF were due to visit in October.
Slovakia held its first coaching conference in May 2005. Organised by Giertlova, many HR representatives from the organisations operating in the country attended. A further conference was held last year and Carole Gaskell, CEO and founder of the Full Potential Group, delivered a keynote speech. I also presented on my experiences as a coach. The next conference is scheduled for next year. Coaching is now well on its way to becoming an important approach in Slovakian business.
Although many people would say it is more mentoring and training as opposed to pure coaching, there are signs that this is changing. I’ve delivered a range of coaching to various audiences from supporting local entrepreneurs, managers and expats to delivering general coaching skills workshops and all have had a great impact and been accepted with enthusiasm.
Zlatica M Stubbs
Executive coach, Full Potential Group
Volume 2, Issue 6