Against the backdrop of public sector cuts, bail-outs and general economic strife, it comes as little surprise that many of you (42 per cent) identified demonstrating value for money (VFM) as a key priority for 2011.Or that a number of you (11 per cent) highlight survival or working on your coaching business to help you survive, as a top priority.
One respondent said it is about “surviving, being able to ride out the idea that coaching is an indulgence”.
Asked about 2010’s key achievements, for a large number of you – 40 per cent – it was the fact that coaching is still here, and indeed in some cases, growing. Some 18 per cent highlighted coaching’s survival and 22 per cent its growth in the current climate. Responses included “growing the industry in the current financial climate, gaining credibility as a worthwhile investment for business”, “strong growth in emerging markets”, “being seen as a legitimate part of development and retaining (extending) when resources are severely limited”, and “staying top of the list of preferred development solutions”.
Demonstrating VFM
Evaluation and showing VFM is a top priority for 32 per cent of you, and the second-most important priority for 10 per cent of you. It’s about “showing value add (ROI) for the organisation and contributing to the organisation’s objectives – (coaching) not just (being) ‘the new BlackBerry’ for senior executives”, said one respondent.
John McGurk, learning and talent development adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said: “The results show a welcome focus on the importance of evaluation and VFM. Our recent survey showed that just over a third of organisations were evaluating coaching, though the incidence of coaching was at record levels.
“We explained in our Real-world Coaching Evaluation guide why evaluation and VFM were more important than ever. I am pleased that coaching leaders recognise this. The point now is to do something about it.
“After we have all sang Auld Lang Syne, we should be stepping into 2011 with a resolution: to evaluate coaching from the outset, start to see coaching as an L&TD intervention which needs to be managed for impact like any other, not something that happens in the background, go beyond just talking about ROI and do effective, systematic evaluation using the wealth of data we can access, and to focus on the ownership, positioning, resourcing, assessment and evaluation of coaching,” he said.
Gladeana McMahon, chair of Association for Coaching (AC) UK and Coaching at Work’s newly crowned Coaching Person of the Year 2010 (see News), said: “The key themes for 2011 will continue to be around standards, ROI and sustainability. While ROI will never become one simple formula, the AC UK is working on various ways that will help business gain the most from its coaching spend.”
How should coaching best respond to the challenges and opportunities of the current economic climate? “With humility”, “with boldness”, “by holding its nerve”, “carefully and calmly, making ourselves available for those organisations and individuals most in need”, were among the responses.
Resilience and sustainability will be key: “The theme of personal and professional sustainability and resilience is also likely to be one of the keys to surviving the current economic climate and preparing for the future,” said McMahon.
It will be even more important to “continue to highlight the benefits of investing in development and performance during these difficult economic times”, and “to continue to offer clear evidence of a positive impact on individuals, organisations and the wider communities in which we live”, were some of the responses.
Don’t promise the moon
It’s become more important than ever not to promise what you can’t deliver. As one respondent puts it, it’s time to “become more professional, do not promise the moon, listen to clients’ agendas and respond to clients’ needs”.
“Stop assuming that coaching can save the client/company/economy/country/planet. It’s a useful conversation, sometimes a very useful conversation, but not a miracle cure.”
We should respond by “being very clear about what coaching/mentoring can do and how relevant it is at such a time. ROI is critical. So is honesty about what coaching/mentoring cannot do”.
It will become more important to analyse market/client needs and be able to adapt, said one.
For some of you, it’s time to be creative. This includes being more inclusive in terms of types of coaching: “Creative ways, for example, supporting a coaching style of management – not just coaching as a discrete activity for specialists.”
It’s about “encouraging creativity in clients to help innovate and be bold to take difficult/adventurous decisions to get through the challenging times”. It’s about “being more flexible and open to different methods/mediums. We’ve had to increase phone coaching, for example, to cut costs”, said one.
For others, it’s about not being too greedy: “Coaches should cut prices and let go of their attachment to high rates.”
Collaboration and clarity
Some 17 per cent of you highlighted collaboration between the various professional bodies as a top priority – this came in at number two in the priority league.
For many of you, it was about gaining clarity and transparency, particularly in the arena of accreditation. One respondent called for “clarity for buyers of coaching services in the different accreditations from the different coaching bodies. Some harmonisation would help”.
The issue of how to select appropriate coaches and wade through the different accreditation frameworks was raised by a number
of you. One respondent wanted to see the creation of a globally consistent standard in coaching on this year’s agenda.
Some of you – 9 per cent – acknowledged the work that has been done over the last year on collaboration across professional bodies “to agree joint approaches/standards” and “continuing to work together on aligning accreditation”. Another said, however “‘[there have been] some improvements in harmonising standards and accreditation, but efforts are too fragmented and inefficient from a buyer’s perspective”.
On the horizon
Looking ahead, collaboration is very much on the agenda for the coming year. Deborah Price, president of the International Coach Federation UK, said: “Collaboration is one of our core values and we are actively working with other professional coaching bodies to provide a straightforward comparison of our respective credential criteria to ensure that buyers of coaching can easily compare and contrast the underlining skills that a credentialed coach has demonstrated in becoming certified.”
John Leary-Joyce, president of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC) UK said a key priority will be: “Collaboration and agreement between the professional bodies on core definitions, ethics, standards and competencies for training, practice, supervision and accreditation so that the market is confident there is a unified profession that is effectively self-managed and regulated.”
For the British Psychological Society (BPS) Special Group in Coaching Psychology, the priorities for the coming year are to continue to promote and advance coaching psychology, to develop it as a profession, and to engage its members and the wider community, said
Dr Law, past chair. The focus will include formally developing the accreditation route within the BPS.
Prof Stephen Palmer, president of the Society for Coaching Psychology, said, “the six or more International Congress of Coaching Psychology events to be held around the world during 2011 will help to establish coaching psychology beyond the UK and Australia.”
Raising the profile
Some 16 per cent of you cited raising the profile of coaching and educating people about its benefits as one of 2010’s achievements. McMahon said: “It will be a priority to continue to educate the public about the benefits of coaching and the best way to select a personal/life coach and what such coaching can offer, and to continue to educate corporate sponsors regarding selecting and matching coaches.”
Mentoring
Achievements for mentoring in 2010 included “the emergence of many mentoring schemes and the increasing recognition of the value of co-mentoring where there is limited or no access to formal/specialist mentoring”, “recognition of the value of mentoring in talent management programmes”, “pairing junior and senior executives to support succession planning and global integration”, and “uptake during a recession”.
David Clutterbuck, co-founder of the EMCC and Coaching at Work’s Mentoring Person of the Year 2010 (see News) predicted that this year will see more convergence in coaching and mentoring. He said research groups in coaching and mentoring are becoming more interlinked. “This is happening both in Europe and across the Atlantic, with South Africa, Australia and New Zealand also forming part of an increasingly vibrant and evidence-based community, in which academics and practitioners are learning to work together to produce practical but grounded research. Collaboration between some of the professional bodies may also lead to jointly supported research conferences.”
He said. “It looks hopeful that we will see wider agreement (at least in Europe) about the role, nature and quality of supervision in coaching and some consensus beginning to emerge about supervision in mentoring.”
Much to be done
There is still much to be done on issues such as accreditation and supervision. But as one respondent says: “There has been a recent tendency for the coaching world to be inward looking; this can sometimes feel rather worthy.
“We are at our best when we focus on the people we serve and how we best equip ourselves to be good servants, helpers and guides to them and this feels like the more pragmatic direction that we are heading towards for the coming year.”
The survey
The annual Coaching at Work reader survey 2010 was carried out among readers and members of our LinkedIn Group in November and December. This year we separated out mentoring in our questioning for the first time and introduced the Coaching at Work Mentoring Person of the Year award (see News).
The year that was: what we achieved in 2010
Your priorities
40%
Maintaining/growing coaching within current climate
16%
Educating people about coaching’s benefits and raising its profile
9%
Collaboration across the professional bodies
- Launch of EMCC’s EIA
- Much more coaching-specific research
- Recognition of coaching’s limits
- Recognition of the value of mentoring in talent management programmes
- Expansion of a more professional community looking to do meaningful work in the world
- The extension of manager-as-coach programmes into many larger organisations
- Waking up to the reality of bad coaching
- Raised expectations of training and qualifications amongst organisational buyers
- Coaching at Work continuing as the industry voice and quality publication of information
- Identification of common bodies of knowledge, helped by Coaching at Work
- Sophisticated online coaching tools which allow global populations within the same company to be coached remotely
Coaching at Work, Volume 6, Issue 1