Now that I´ve introduced myself, I´d like to share some of my broad thoughts about the coaching industry and my perspective on executive coaching.
The coaching market can be a very confusing place for HR to navigate. Coaching is an immature market with unclear standards for coach credentialing. In addition, companies use coaching to accomplish very different objectives. The field includes many boutique coaching companies, outplacement companies (using coaching as a counter-cyclical service offering), and literally thousands of independent coaches offering coaching of all different types - life coaching, career coaching, and executive coaching.
As a result, corporate coaching can come from many different points of view. Many coaches are trained psychologists who see coaching as a natural way to grow their practice in the face of ever-shrinking insurance reimbursements. Others come from HR backgrounds and the minority - like my peers and me - have come to coaching directly from the business line.
The focus of my practice is upon executive coaching that produces business results. The person being coached is the expert in their business and we use the business issues as the framework for building leadership excellence. Though I am acutely aware that leadership has a great deal to do with powerful subtleties that are not easily measured, in order for decision makers to continue funding coaching programs we must be able to show that coaching also has an impact on the bottom line.
In fact, on a broader level, this is an imperative for today´s HR leaders. What I see in my practiceis that business people intuitively know that HR´s programs - leadership development, assessments, coaching - are the right thing to do. However, they are invariably among the programs to be cut when funding is tight. If executive coaching and other human capital development programs were directly linked to business results, they would have a much better chance of improved funding. Plus, achieving business results through coaching would strategically align HR leaders with the executive board. Leadership improvements that drive business results support HR´s ability to take a seat at the executive table.
Personal transformation most definitely occurs as part of the journey of executive coaching. Coachees are happier - enjoying more work/life balance and better relationships at work and at home. However, it will be the business results that will drive continued funding for coaching programs and drive HR´s image as value creator in their company.
Merry Marcus
