Employees value being challenged by their coach more than any other potential benefit, according to a study by Princeton consultants BlessingWhite.

Among nine prospective coaching actions taken by managers, being stretched beyond what an individual thought possible was ranked first both globally as well as in North America.

The findings, reported in the new global study “The Coaching Conundrum,” are based on input from more than 2,000 managers and employees with companies in 17 countries.

Stretch assignments are especially useful during hard times, said Cathy Earley, BlessingWhite’s coaching practice leader. “They’re opportunities for individuals to get out of a rut and to distinguish themselves among colleagues. So far as management is concerned, organizations surely benefit from challenging employees, and they ought to place a high priority on stretch assignments. Individuals who are coached to think beyond their normal boundaries are the very ones who can turn companies around in this type of marketplace.”


Overall, the study found that coaching was well received by the great majority of employees worldwide. “For instance, 86% of North American respondents like being coached and 57% reported getting the ‘the right amount’ of coaching they need from their manager,” said Earley.

Being asked questions by one’s coach also ranked high in the study findings, observed Earley. “This is similar to being stretched in that the emphasis is on encouraging the employee to be self-reliant. The least valued coaching action is establishing clear performance goals, which is more directive in nature. The best coaches do more guiding than directing. Human nature being what it is, most people don’t like being told what to do.”

Of the 2,041 survey respondents, about half were managers. The survey was conducted between August and September 2008. Seventy percent of the respondents reside in North America. The full report on “Coaching Conundrum” can be downloaded at www.blessingwhite.com/cc_report.asp

BlessingWhite is a global consulting firm dedicated to creating sustainable high-performance organizations. Founded in 1973, the firm has worked with almost three million professionals in thousands of organizations. www.blessingwhite.com