Liz Hall

The time has come to consider the benefits and challenges of professional coaching and mentoring bodies merging, Lise Lewis, the new president of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC), has suggested.

Lewis, who stepped into her new role at the EMCC annual conference in Paris on 17-19 November, may be setting the cat amongst the pigeons with her proposal that “leaders in the coaching and mentoring world propose a strategy for considering the benefits and challenges of merger opportunities between professional and associated bodies” but she is not alone. Behind the scenes, others including coaching buyers have also suggested it may be time to at least consider the possibility of merging at some point.

Over the three years of her tenure as president, Lewis has pledged to engage with leaders of other professional bodies to “encourage a unifying approach to benefit the profile of coaching and mentoring through identifying areas of mutual interest.” Other areas for potential collaboration include core competences; ethics; supervision standards; reciprocal recognition on elements of accreditation, and resourcing, she said.

Research will also be high on the agenda, said Lewis. “The EMCC has been proud of its origins based on a strong research base and representation from recognized leaders in the research field. Reinforcing these origins will maintain and develop our market position on leading research in mentoring and coaching.” Ideas include generating ideas for research and engage student researchers, and raising the profile of research and cooperation on research with other professional bodies.

Mentoring too will be important, she said: “EMCC is recognized as raising the profile of mentoring – putting the M back in EMCC. As we continue with mentoring in our organizational title, I want to respond to what our members are saying and see us increasing our efforts in acknowledging the contribution of mentoring as a process for individual and organisational development.”

Lewis proposes discussion to identify, agree and publicise the benefits and applications of mentoring; to distinguish between internal and external definitions of mentoring, and efforts to engage EMCC members and ask their views on how mentoring can be further promoted.

Other aims include providing “a world view of how coaching and mentoring can improve people’s lives and strengthen a sense of community especially during economic recession.”

“I want EMCC to be acknowledged for its contribution to social responsibility and reflect our organisational values. This is an opportunity for coaches and mentors to maintain and develop their skills when paid work may not be available through financial constraints within the economy and to also help develop local communities.

Proposed actions include identifying specific areas for pro bono contributions such as offering coaching to entrepreneurs in economically challenged environments; job seekers; youths in custody; charity organizations, and organizing regional networks of coach/mentors to provide pro bono services

Internally, Lewis’ aims for the next three years include encouraging more members to volunteer and developing the EMCC executive board profile. A meeting was being held in December to clarify board roles and work.

She also plans to capitalize further on the EMCC’s cultural diversity within member countries, building understanding more about cultural differences and similarities. Proposed actions included creating a volunteer network to share good practice and share support between countries, and organising a cross-cultural task group to gather data on the impact of culture on mentoring/coaching across Europe.

“As president I want to provide leadership and energy that stimulates people to take action in developing and strengthening EMCC. I want these people to feel appreciated and recognized for contributing their time and effort. My vision is that EMCC is known as a unifying body making a recognizable difference in society and raising standards in mentoring and coaching,” said Lewis.

At the conference, Lewis shared the EMCC’s strategic objectives for the period between 2012-2017. They are:

  • Regulatory: to ensure compliance with commitments contained in the code of conduct, to strengthen self-regulation and to keep the legislative environment under review
  • Offerings: to be a market leader in providing a broad range of services perceived as the most reputable offerings for members and others in the world of coaching and mentoring
  • Brand: to be a recognized brand in mentoring and coaching worldwide
  • Growth: to grow EMCC membership through affiliate development and expanding geographical coverage