BUSINESS COACHING PROVIDES VALUE FOR MONEY
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1 BUSINESS COACHING FOR INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS: WHY IT OFFERS SUCH GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY IN TODAY’S ECONOMIC CLIMATE Lesley Trenner, PhD Abstract Coaching is still a fairly young profession. Definitions of what constitutes business coaching are not universally agreed. There is little validated academic research about the benefits coaching provides. However, there is growing evidence that the use of business coaching is increasing and that coaching is now seen as a highly cost effective way to enhance professional and personal development. This article looks what business coaching is, why its use is increasing and how introducing coaching provides hard and soft benefits both for individuals and for organisations. Like other professionals, those in the Information industry need to develop skills in areas like leadership, communication and customer focus. In addition they have some unique challenges: demand for their services is changing; there are more hurdles for career progression; information professionals need to ‘do more with less’, whilst still adding value to the business. More than ever, library, information and knowledge workers have to fight their corner, find new ways to apply information skills and ‘reinvent’ themselves. Coaching can help them to do this. The article concludes with some ‘frequently asked questions’ about how coaching works within organisations. It concludes that, in the current economic climate, there appear to be a range of benefits that Information professionals seeking to develop and motivate themselves and others would find it hard to ignore. 1. What Coaching is and is not Say the word ‘Coach’ and a number of different pictures come to mind: the sports coach behind a successful Olympic athlete; the voice coach who helped King George VI to inspire a nation in the film ‘The King’s Speech’; the Life Coach guiding someone through a ‘midlife crisis’. In business, the term ‘coaching’ is used in a variety of ways from ‘on the job training’, rehearsing preprepared answers ahead of a difficult meeting, to learning from the experience of colleagues. Pure coaching contains some elements of these ideas but the key focus is on the relationship between the coach and the ‘coachee’ (client). Pure coaching is not about ‘telling’ or ‘advising’. Rather, clients grow and develop by learning to find their own solutions to problems. The ICF (International Coach Federation) defines coaching as ‘partnering with clients in a thoughtprovoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential’ (1). In other words, it’s about helping people solve problems, think through and implement ideas and get from where they are now – feeling ‘stuck’ or energised but not sure of the way forward – to where they want to be. Business coaching has the same
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BUSINESS COACHING FOR INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS: WHY IT OFFERS SUCH GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY IN TODAY’S ECONOMIC CLIMATE
Lesley Trenner, PhD Abstract Coaching is still a fairly young profession. Definitions of what constitutes business coaching are not universally agreed. There is little validated academic research about the benefits coaching provides. However, there is growing evidence that the use of business coaching is increasing and that coaching is now seen as a highly cost- effective way to enhance professional and personal development. This article looks what business coaching is, why its use is increasing and how introducing coaching provides hard and soft benefits both for individuals and for organisations. Like other professionals, those in the Information industry need to develop skills in areas like leadership, communication and customer focus. In addition they have some unique challenges: demand for their services is changing; there are more hurdles for career progression; information professionals need to ‘do more with less’, whilst still adding value to the business. More than ever, library, information and knowledge workers have to fight their corner, find new ways to apply information skills and ‘reinvent’ themselves. Coaching can help them to do this. The article concludes with some ‘frequently asked questions’ about how coaching works within organisations. It concludes that, in the current economic climate, there appear to be a range of benefits that Information professionals seeking to develop and motivate themselves and others would find it hard to ignore. 1. What Coaching is and is not Say the word ‘Coach’ and a number of different pictures come to mind: the sports coach behind a successful Olympic athlete; the voice coach who helped King George VI to inspire a nation in the film ‘The King’s Speech’; the Life Coach guiding someone through a ‘mid-life crisis’. In business, the term ‘coaching’ is used in a variety of ways from ‘on the job training’, rehearsing pre-prepared answers ahead of a difficult meeting, to learning from the experience of colleagues. Pure coaching contains some elements of these ideas but the key focus is on the relationship between the coach and the ‘coachee’ (client). Pure coaching is not about ‘telling’ or ‘advising’. Rather, clients grow and develop by learning to find their own solutions to problems. The ICF (International Coach Federation) defines coaching as ‘partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential’ (1). In other words, it’s about helping people solve problems, think through and implement ideas and get from where they are now – feeling ‘stuck’ or energised but not sure of the way forward – to where they want to be. Business coaching has the same
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purpose but with a focus on encouraging the client to achieve their goals within the context of how they can contribute to the goals of the organisation, business or institution for which they are working. A coach helps people identify and implement new ideas, get ‘unstuck’ and make improvements. The emphasis is on drawing out knowledge that the client already has and offering both support and challenge to think through and implement an action plan. By contrast, a mentor will provide advice and guidance based on their own experiences, lessons learned and ‘war stories’. Counselling or psychotherapy are less common in a business setting, although may be offered via employee support programmes. The counsellor or therapist usually helps the client to understand how events earlier in their lives are now making them depressed or less able to function. The focus is on talking and unravelling the past, where coaching is action-based, future-facing and results orientated Although definitions of coaching are clear and well understood by those in the profession, within business, the boundaries are often more fuzzy. Today’s leaders are often implicitly expected to have skills in leadership, management, consulting, mentoring, coaching and training, to know which is the most appropriate in any given situation and to be able to utilise those skills effectively. This asks a lot of business leaders and in reality some do not have the resources to meet this challenge. 2. The Rise and Rise of Coaching in Business It is difficult to get accurate data about how much coaching is taking place within business, partly because of the confusion over definitions and what should be included. Some impressive claims have been made but are not always backed up by data. For example, in 2007, the Canada National Post stated that coaching is the ‘second fastest growing profession in the world, growing by 18% per annum’, but provides little evidence (2). More convincingly, in 2011, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PCW) carried out a survey on behalf of the ICF. PWC interviewed over 12,000 coaches representing 117 countries and concluded that: ‘The study shows that people everywhere are turning to professional coaching for the positive difference it can make in their lives and communities’ (3) Many major companies are now using external coaches or developing in-house coaching functions and using coaching as an acknowledged way of developing staff. This applies to a whole range of organisations in different sectors, from major multinationals like GlaxoSmithKline and Diageo, to local councils and government departments (e.g. Birmingham City council, the Ministry of Defence), to charities such as Cancer Research UK and Plan International. According to the CIPD (Charted Institute of Professional Development) annual survey 2011 - coaching is seen to be ‘one of the most effective learning and development practices’. Coaching is taking place in more than four-fifths (86%) of organisations, a slight increase on 2010 (82%).
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This is consistent across sectors, although larger companies are most likely to use it (89% of organisations with more than 250 employees compared with 76% of medium or small enterprises) (4). Certainly, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence about the increasing use of coaching in business and a growing recognition of its effectiveness. 3. Why Coaching is so Effective in Today’s Economic Climate It is difficult to prove, definitively, the benefits of any employee development activity, including coaching. Few organisations have rigorous processes for measuring individual productivity and it’s not straightforward to link the performance of an individual to the output of their function or the company’s bottom line. Only a third of organisations that utilise coaching have a system for evaluating its effectiveness (5). However, where data does exist – whether hard or soft – it always indicates that coaching provides value for money. The main ways that are used to assess the benefits of coaching are:
• Return on investment (ROI) for the organization • The contribution of coaching towards the company’s strategies for developing people • The impact that coaching has on the client in terms of changing their ways of working
and achieving their coaching goals • Feedback from clients about the effectiveness of coaching and their overall satisfaction
levels Return on Investment The most convincing way to calculate ROI is in business situations where measurement is already taking place. For example, a Process Improvement effort that includes coaching may be able to show direct savings over time in terms of reduced costs; sales personnel receiving coaching may be able to point to an increase in sales targets achieved. However, in both examples it may not be clear exactly how much benefit is attributable to the coaching per se. A wide range of figures has been quoted for ROI from coaching, ranging from around 200-700%. One of the most quoted sources (6) is a comprehensive review based on 100 executives from 56 organisations who were coached for 6-12 months. The authors’ theory is that:
i. Coaching translates into doing ii. Doing translates into impacting the business iii. This impact can be quantified and maximised
For example, one of the study participants is quoted as saying:
‘We invested about $10m in a venture that was not making progress, and the company had considered terminating this project. I began managing this initiative and saw turnaround opportunity. I convinced our management to put another $3m into this project and it’s now
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successful. Had we decided not to go through with this project, we would have lost our $10m investment. The coaching played a key role in this because it helped me to walk through political landmines and gain consensus among key stakeholders to go forward with this venture’
Across this study, ROI was calculated to be on average 570% or 5.7 times return on the original cost of the coaching. Improvements were reported by participants in the following areas:
• Productivity 53% • Quality 48% • Customer Service 39% • Reduced Complaints 34% • Cost reductions 23%
Intangible Benefits
In addition to hard financial benefits, coaching can provide a number of intangible, but perhaps just as important benefits. For example, participants in the study quoted above also reported:
• Improved relationships (with direct reports – 77%, stakeholders – 71%, peers – 63%,
clients – 37%) • Improved teamwork (67%) • Increased job satisfaction (61%) • Reduced conflict (52%) • Increased commitment to their organisation (44%)
Other studies have identified a further range of ‘soft’ benefits, such as:
• Decreased stress, depression and anxiety at work (7) • Increased resilience and well-being (8) • Increased workplace engagement (9)
Executives and managers will often refer to increased capability and changes in behaviour after receiving coaching, such as:
• better time management • faster induction into a new role • greater ability to prioritise • better decision making • knowing when and how to delegate
Development strategies for employees often focus on activities like training and teambuilding. Whilst these can be effective, the advantage of coaching is that it’s completely tailored to the needs of the individual, their current responsibilities and the environment and culture in which
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they are working. Coaching helps clients to understand their blocks and ‘blind spots’, face their own challenges – which may or may not be the same as the rest of the team - and understand how to minimize risks, solve problems and come up with strategies that they can use going forward. This is all highly beneficial to the individual and to the organisation but is hard to quantify. At the organisational level, coaching is sometimes linked to corporate HR strategies such as morale, engagement and retention. For example the coaching function at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was set up in 2010 as part of a new People strategy, with the aim of improving leadership, employee productivity and individual empowerment. The measurement of success GSK used was via responses to the annual Global Leadership Survey question: ‘our leaders act as teachers, coaches and champions of development’. Improvements in the survey results could be linked to a number of development initiatives which included the promotion and use of coaching. How do Clients rate the Coaching Experience? The most persuasive ‘soft’ measures relate to clients achieving their stated goals as well as providing enthusiastic feedback about the coaching process. In the past, the offer of coaching was sometimes seen as code for telling an employee that they needed someone to help them improve their performance – with an implied suggestion that they were not meeting required standards. However, today, it is more likely to be offered to senior staff or ‘high potential’ talent and is therefore often regarded as a status symbol or a perk of management. ‘This has been the greatest gift the company ever gave me. They can give you a bonus and you’ll just blow it on something, but this is a gift that will stay with me. When this started, my new boss was ready to fire me. Now he’s promoted me’ (10) ‘Coaching helped me move forward with my goal of working out how to tackle a new role. My coach challenged me to be more bold and strategic and often guided me down unexplored paths which made me think more about how to raise my profile whilst remaining true to my own values’ (11) Case Studies Before starting a coaching assignment, the client should have an idea what area they want to work on and how they will know when they’ve achieved their coaching goal. A couple of examples, based on my own experience of working as a coach, will help illustrate how reaching the target can provide benefits to the individual, and ultimately, to the organisation for which they work.
i. Leadership and Influencing My client had recently moved into a more senior management role but was lacking in
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confidence. Her stated goal was to increase her leadership and influencing skills. During the coaching sessions, she realised that she did already have a wide range of skills had but was in the habit of down-playing them. Also we identified that she was using leadership and influencing skills successfully outside of work in a completely different context. Coaching helped her to start bringing those skills into the workplace, to have more self- confidence and better powers of persuasion. The result? On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high) she increased her skills significantly in both leadership and influencing as judged both by herself and by her manager ii. First 90 Days in a new Role A marketing executive in a new role was concerned about how he was going to handle some new challenges as well as a demanding manager. It had taken him a while to find this job and he was excited but anxious to make sure he could keep it and progress within the company. During coaching sessions, we talked about how he could ‘go the extra mile’ and how he could overcome his fear of asking for feedback so that he could be aware of how well he was performing and where he might need to make improvements. We also ‘rehearsed’ conversations with his manager so that he could make a positive impact. As a result my client passed his probationary period and received some very positive feedback about his performance and future prospects
4. How Business Coaching can help Information Professionals We have seen how coaching can provide both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ benefits for business. These benefits will, of course, be attractive to people working in information, knowledge and library disciplines. In addition, Information Professionals have some unique challenges: they need to develop specific capabilities, their career ladder is not well defined and demand for their services is changing in the current economic climate. Business coaching can help address these issues Professional and Personal Development CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) has identified the professional and technical skills required across the library, information and knowledge profession (12)
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In order to develop the core professional expertise in the diagram (Information Governance, Research etc.) the most appropriate methods of development are probably training and on-the- job learning. For the ‘generic skills’ - like Leadership, Strategy, Marketing, Customer focus, Communication - training can provide the theory but coaching provides a more individually focused approach. Coaching can help the Information professional to look at what is required in their own work context, to try out new ideas, building on their own strengths and finding ways to overcome weaknesses. For example, coaching provides an ideal ‘safe space’ for the Information professional to talk about their leadership style – how to be more inspirational or work more collaboratively. ‘Strategy’ is a concept that is much talked about in the Information world but, in practice, many find it hard to get their hands around: how to create and ‘sell’ an information strategy could be a fruitful coaching topic. Marketing and communication do not always come naturally to the more traditional information worker with more of a library, archive or research background and here again coaching can help. In fact, almost any personal development goal can be supported by coaching, including building confidence, improving presentation skills, being more assertive at work, building stronger relationships with customers. The coaching space is also a good place to think through the ‘ethics and values’ at the centre of
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the CILIP diagram. Often these considerations are what motivate people in their working lives and help them make decisions about the services that can be offered. Likewise if an employee feels that their values are being flouted, they make become demoralised, less able to perform and start thinking about moving on There is another area of professional development where Information Professionals might benefit from coaching. Traditional working patterns are changing. Individuals providing information support to sectors like as Finance, Legal and Pharmaceuticals may be required to work long hours, to cover different time zones, to handle fast-changing priorities and tight deadlines. For others, working from home, part time working and job sharing are more common. Typically a high percentage of information professionals are female and therefore more likely to go on maternity leave and then re-enter the workplace. All of these working patterns can cause additional challenges, stress – and opportunities -and coaching is an effective way to think through how to handle them. Career Progression Coaching is an excellent way of managing career progression. The client may choose to focus on ways of expanding their current role, planning their career path, exploring their aspirations or thinking about a complete change. Coaching can help the client to raise their profile within an existing role and be more pro-active in discussing development plans with their manager. For those who are about to start in a new role, especially a more senior one, it provides the opportunity to identify the key players, anticipate possible pitfalls and establish priorities during the early days and weeks. Career progression within the Library & Information field is harder than it used to be: career paths are less clear, there are more forks in the road. Although in some businesses and academic institutions it’s still possible to work up gradually to a senior role, some organisations, especially in the public sector are more cautious about hiring and promoting Information professionals. Organisations tend to be ‘flatter’; there are fewer graduate trainee roles; there is a greater use of interim managers, volunteers and temporary staff. In addition, services such as Research and Information Management may be outsourced. Against this backdrop, the Information professional who is keen to progress may encounter the following hurdles:
• fewer roles and more competition for those roles • senior people whose jobs have been eliminated applying for less senior roles or temporary positions
• the need for new skills (such as vendor management and service management) • a greater focus on self-development and less time available for discussion with line
managers • feeling ‘stuck’ in the current role because there is nothing more senior to aspire to or because any change of role may involve a ‘sideways move’ or pay cut
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Today’s graduates have grown up in this climate and the more successful ones are learning how to handle it, as this example from the UK Graduate website demonstrates: ‘My advice for other students and graduates who would like to get into this career is not to feel restricted to the generic notion of a library. Our skills can be utilised across many sectors and used for a variety of things’ (13) With these changes in the profession, Information professionals have to be more creative, brave and self-promoting. More than ever, they need to prove that what they do provides value, to fight their corner and at the same time, find ways to apply information skills in new fields and ‘reinvent’ themselves. Coaching can help with all of this. Leading through Change The information world has seen many changes in the last few years. For example:
• the explosion of social media • new technologies for organising, storing and sharing data • the prevalence of mobile computing, wifi and search engines like Google • an increase in collaborative working e.g. via Sharepoint • changes in relevant legislation
As well as impacting roles and career development for Information professionals, these changes require Information leads have the ability to manage change. This means identifying what is changing, who will be impacted, where there will be benefits or disruption and working with stakeholders to help embed new ways of working. Those affected are likely to include the information experts driving the change, introducing new policies or implementing new technology as well as business colleagues who must adapt to organisational changes, adhere to new policies, use new IT systems. Information professionals can show leadership here by working with business partners to align changes in the information sphere with changes in business strategy. Leadership skills such as business change management, advocacy, influencing, marketing and communication can all be tailored to the individual and enhanced by coaching. Maximising Effectiveness in the current Economic climate As the business world continues to suffer from recession, all leaders are having to manage turbulence and uncertainty. This journal publishes the results of the annual Business Information survey based on in-depth interviews with leading corporate information and knowledge managers. In recent years the interviewees highlight the need to ‘do more with less’, save money and respond to downsizing and reorganisation whilst still adding value to the business. As part of business change management efforts, leaders may have to deal with a
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demotivated workforce. They may have to handle low morale, high stress and communicate appropriately with staff who are being made redundant as well as those ‘left behind’ (with more work to do). Coaching can be a stabilising influence in times of change and can help employees feel valued and supported, especially if line managers are busy fighting fires or attending yet more budget meetings. With reduced budgets, organisations are often tempted to cut back on employee development. The HR Services group, Penna disagrees with this approach: ‘We work with organisations who occupy the extremes in reaction to the recession. One extreme is…driving down costs and removing every penny of spend in training and development. At the other extreme is the organisation that is investing in its people through coaching and development to respond to the new order of doing business. With this investment comes that degree of discretionary effort we are all capable of giving and which is so desperately needed during this recession’ (14) Coaching can help leaders manage these scenarios, offering them space and time to think about how to:
• make wise decisions about budget reductions and where to compromise • share bad news • create some optimistic messages that will paint a vision for a better future • maintain resilience • retain core skills and knowledge for when the organisation is able to bounce back (15)
5. How Business Coaching works – some Frequently asked Questions As we have seen, the use of business coaching is increasing. It provides a number of benefits, both for the organisation and for the individual and there are a number of specific situations where it can serve Information professionals especially well. But how does it work? Below are the key questions that organisations and clients ask about the coaching process. How do you know if you or a member of your staff would benefit from coaching? Ideally coaching is built into the employee development cycle. Some organisations have a well structured process for developing people, including goal setting, performance review and action planning as well as agreed ‘core competencies’ or required ‘soft skills’. Where an individual has gaps or areas for growth, training, coaching or other development opportunities will be recommended. It is preferable that the employee and their line manager discuss where they need to develop and agree that coaching is a desirable option rather than the manager imposing this. The client, their manager and the organisation should all see some benefit from the coaching engagement. Whilst the content of coaching sessions is always confidential, within a corporate context the client’s line manager or sponsor will have a vested interest in seeing positive outcomes. Ways can be found to agree the coaching ‘goal’ and to review progress without discussing the details of how this will be or has been achieved.
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What are the typical scenarios in which corporate coaching is beneficial? Coaching can be part of an organisation’s ‘People’ strategy. For example, a company might make the decision that all ‘key talent’ will have a coach in order to make sure they realise their full potential, or, coaching may be included in the induction of new managers to help them deliver as expected in the first 90 days. Certain roles may benefit from coaching, such as graduate trainees or leaders who have recently been promoted. Most organisations provide executive coaching for the CEO and other Board members If a manager or a member of staff is aware of the benefits of coaching, they may spot opportunities on a more ad hoc basis. For example if an individual is anxious about giving an important presentation, embarking on a new high profile project or moving to a new site bringing in a coach could help them prepare and adapt more quickly. Finally, a coach can support someone who is feeling ‘stuck’ or looking for a change in direction Can internal staff provide coaching? Some of the larger corporates are now building in-house coaching functions and training selected leaders with the appropriate roles and skills to become coaches. This strategy can work well, although it is not a ‘quick fix’ and needs strong sponsorship and significant budget. Organisations or their Library & Information departments often have line managers, HR professionals and other senior personnel who can adopt a coaching style. However, there can be drawbacks to using these people as leadership coaches. Line managers are often too busy to dedicate the time for this, especially when under stress themselves. They may find it hard to be objective about their colleagues and direct reports and the person being coached may not want to admit to weaknesses and difficulties to someone who is ultimately responsible for their career progression. In addition, leaders are often selected for their ability to solve problems and provide direction and don’t easily switch into a mode of listening and helping people find their own answers. A trained coach may well understand the industry sector and this will enable them to ask the right questions. But they will also be trained not to answer those questions themselves! An external coach can also take a wider perspective and won’t be influenced by the politics of the organisation – they give the client permission to challenge themselves, think outside of the corporate box and explore different ways forward. What is the best way to find a high quality coach? Many free-lancers call themselves coaches or include coaching within their offering, whether or not they have any recognised qualifications. Sadly, as the industry is not regulated yet, a coaching ‘certificate’ can be gained in a weekend, a ‘diploma’ in a week. However, this has been
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changing in recent years. At the end of 2012, the three main bodies that work to uphold standards and professionalism - The Association for Coaching (AC), the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC), and the International Coach Federation (ICF) - teamed up to create the Global Coaching & Mentoring Alliance. The Alliance will now work towards promoting best practice, high ethical standards and independent certification for practitioners (16) A high quality coach will be ‘accredited’ i.e. have completed approved training - typically 20 days or more - carried out at least 100 hours of coaching and undergone supervision including observation and feedback. Many corporates now only use accredited clients: the ICF reports that 84% of those surveyed who had experienced a coaching relationship said that it was important for coaches to hold a credential (17) Accreditation ensures that coaches have the necessary experience, understand the techniques of coaching and adhere to ethical standards such as respecting confidentiality and conducting professional relationships with clients. Organisations looking to engage a coach should also consider choosing someone with relevant subject matter expertise. So, Information professionals may prefer a coach with an understanding of the characteristics and challenges of the industry. Finally, because each coach has their own personality and style and because successful coaching is based on a positive relationship between the coach and client, it’s important to find a coach where the ‘chemistry’ feels right. How does the process work? At the start of a coaching engagement, a client will work with the coach to agree a goal. This might be specific and measurable: ‘In 3 months time I will have increased my sales by 10%’ or more about a change in behaviour: ‘I am more confident about selling the value of what I do to my business partners’. The coach would then work with the client to establish how the goal can be achieved and how both coach and client and, potentially, the client’s sponsor, would know when the desired outcome had been reached. The length of the coaching session depends on the preferences of the client, the nature of their coaching topic and how much time they can make available. A lot can be achieved in 30 minutes – GSK asks its internal coaches to restrict sessions to this. Often sessions are 45 minutes or an hour. The meeting is completely focused on the coaching topic and, whilst the client may not be aware of it, follows a structure with a beginning, middle and end. The coach listens attentively, provides a mix of support and challenge and encourages the client to explore options and find their own best solutions. The session ends with learnings and actions and these are reviewed at the following session. Both coach and client commit to keeping the time clear and free of interruption and the content of the coaching conversation is completely confidential. Coaching can take place face- to-face and, increasingly, by phone or Skype. Some clients prefer to meet in person. For others, coaching by phone saves time, provides more flexibility and can feel surprisingly intimate and ‘safe’.
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Conclusion The use of business coaching is increasing because organisations are becoming more aware of the benefits it offers. ‘Pure’ coaching, as distinct from 1x1 training or mentoring, enables leaders and managers to step out the day job, name difficulties, explore possibilities and then take action and see results. For Information professionals, it provides a way of dealing with today’s challenges – ‘doing more with less’, collaborating effectively with business partners, demonstrating value, developing additional skills, jumping over career barriers. Ultimately, coaching helps library, information and knowledge professionals to improve their performance, progress their careers and therefore to support the businesses and communities they serve in meeting their information needs. References 1) International Coach Federation Code of Ethics, definition of coaching
http://www.coachfederation.org/ethics/ 2) Williams, R. Canada National Post. April 2007 3) Global Coaching Study Final Report – International Coach Federation 2012 4) CIPD Annual Survey report – Learning & Talent Development April 2011 5) CIPD Annual survey report - Learning & Talent Development April 2010 6) McGovern, J. Maximizing the impact of executive coaching: Behavioral change,
organizational outcomes and return on investment. The Manchester Review, 6(1), 1-9 2001 7) Gyllensten, K. Can coaching reduce workplace stress: A quasi- experimental study.
International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 3(2), 75-85 2005 8) Grant, A.M. Using coaching and positive psychology to promote a flourishing workforce: A
model of goal-striving and mental health. In P.A. Linley, S. Harrington, & N. Page (Eds.) Oxford handbook of positive psychology and work (pp. 175-188) 2010. Oxford University Press
9) Arakawa, D. Optimistic managers and their influence on productivity and employee engagement in a technology organisation: Implications for coaching psychologists. Coaching Psychology Review, 2(1), 78. 2007
10) Quoted in McGovern, J. Maximizing the impact of executive coaching: Behavioral change, organizational outcomes and return on investment. The Manchester Review, 6(1), 1-9 2001
11) Quote from one of the author’s clients 12) CILIP Professional Knowedge and Skills Base:
http://www.cilip.org.uk/jobs-careers/professional-knowledge-and-skills-base/What-is-in- the-PKSB/Pages/What%20is%20in%20the%20PKSB.aspx
(13) Miller, J. Case Study : Senior Media Assistant July 2012 Prospects, Graduate Careers Website (14) Quoted in: Sparrow, S. Measuring coaching ROI: the importance of being measured. Personnel Today. March 2009
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BUSINESS COACHING FOR INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS: WHY IT OFFERS SUCH GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY IN TODAY’S ECONOMIC CLIMATE
Lesley Trenner, PhD Abstract Coaching is still a fairly young profession. Definitions of what constitutes business coaching are not universally agreed. There is little validated academic research about the benefits coaching provides. However, there is growing evidence that the use of business coaching is increasing and that coaching is now seen as a highly cost- effective way to enhance professional and personal development. This article looks what business coaching is, why its use is increasing and how introducing coaching provides hard and soft benefits both for individuals and for organisations. Like other professionals, those in the Information industry need to develop skills in areas like leadership, communication and customer focus. In addition they have some unique challenges: demand for their services is changing; there are more hurdles for career progression; information professionals need to ‘do more with less’, whilst still adding value to the business. More than ever, library, information and knowledge workers have to fight their corner, find new ways to apply information skills and ‘reinvent’ themselves. Coaching can help them to do this. The article concludes with some ‘frequently asked questions’ about how coaching works within organisations. It concludes that, in the current economic climate, there appear to be a range of benefits that Information professionals seeking to develop and motivate themselves and others would find it hard to ignore. 1. What Coaching is and is not Say the word ‘Coach’ and a number of different pictures come to mind: the sports coach behind a successful Olympic athlete; the voice coach who helped King George VI to inspire a nation in the film ‘The King’s Speech’; the Life Coach guiding someone through a ‘mid-life crisis’. In business, the term ‘coaching’ is used in a variety of ways from ‘on the job training’, rehearsing pre-prepared answers ahead of a difficult meeting, to learning from the experience of colleagues. Pure coaching contains some elements of these ideas but the key focus is on the relationship between the coach and the ‘coachee’ (client). Pure coaching is not about ‘telling’ or ‘advising’. Rather, clients grow and develop by learning to find their own solutions to problems. The ICF (International Coach Federation) defines coaching as ‘partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential’ (1). In other words, it’s about helping people solve problems, think through and implement ideas and get from where they are now – feeling ‘stuck’ or energised but not sure of the way forward – to where they want to be. Business coaching has the same
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purpose but with a focus on encouraging the client to achieve their goals within the context of how they can contribute to the goals of the organisation, business or institution for which they are working. A coach helps people identify and implement new ideas, get ‘unstuck’ and make improvements. The emphasis is on drawing out knowledge that the client already has and offering both support and challenge to think through and implement an action plan. By contrast, a mentor will provide advice and guidance based on their own experiences, lessons learned and ‘war stories’. Counselling or psychotherapy are less common in a business setting, although may be offered via employee support programmes. The counsellor or therapist usually helps the client to understand how events earlier in their lives are now making them depressed or less able to function. The focus is on talking and unravelling the past, where coaching is action-based, future-facing and results orientated Although definitions of coaching are clear and well understood by those in the profession, within business, the boundaries are often more fuzzy. Today’s leaders are often implicitly expected to have skills in leadership, management, consulting, mentoring, coaching and training, to know which is the most appropriate in any given situation and to be able to utilise those skills effectively. This asks a lot of business leaders and in reality some do not have the resources to meet this challenge. 2. The Rise and Rise of Coaching in Business It is difficult to get accurate data about how much coaching is taking place within business, partly because of the confusion over definitions and what should be included. Some impressive claims have been made but are not always backed up by data. For example, in 2007, the Canada National Post stated that coaching is the ‘second fastest growing profession in the world, growing by 18% per annum’, but provides little evidence (2). More convincingly, in 2011, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PCW) carried out a survey on behalf of the ICF. PWC interviewed over 12,000 coaches representing 117 countries and concluded that: ‘The study shows that people everywhere are turning to professional coaching for the positive difference it can make in their lives and communities’ (3) Many major companies are now using external coaches or developing in-house coaching functions and using coaching as an acknowledged way of developing staff. This applies to a whole range of organisations in different sectors, from major multinationals like GlaxoSmithKline and Diageo, to local councils and government departments (e.g. Birmingham City council, the Ministry of Defence), to charities such as Cancer Research UK and Plan International. According to the CIPD (Charted Institute of Professional Development) annual survey 2011 - coaching is seen to be ‘one of the most effective learning and development practices’. Coaching is taking place in more than four-fifths (86%) of organisations, a slight increase on 2010 (82%).
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This is consistent across sectors, although larger companies are most likely to use it (89% of organisations with more than 250 employees compared with 76% of medium or small enterprises) (4). Certainly, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence about the increasing use of coaching in business and a growing recognition of its effectiveness. 3. Why Coaching is so Effective in Today’s Economic Climate It is difficult to prove, definitively, the benefits of any employee development activity, including coaching. Few organisations have rigorous processes for measuring individual productivity and it’s not straightforward to link the performance of an individual to the output of their function or the company’s bottom line. Only a third of organisations that utilise coaching have a system for evaluating its effectiveness (5). However, where data does exist – whether hard or soft – it always indicates that coaching provides value for money. The main ways that are used to assess the benefits of coaching are:
• Return on investment (ROI) for the organization • The contribution of coaching towards the company’s strategies for developing people • The impact that coaching has on the client in terms of changing their ways of working
and achieving their coaching goals • Feedback from clients about the effectiveness of coaching and their overall satisfaction
levels Return on Investment The most convincing way to calculate ROI is in business situations where measurement is already taking place. For example, a Process Improvement effort that includes coaching may be able to show direct savings over time in terms of reduced costs; sales personnel receiving coaching may be able to point to an increase in sales targets achieved. However, in both examples it may not be clear exactly how much benefit is attributable to the coaching per se. A wide range of figures has been quoted for ROI from coaching, ranging from around 200-700%. One of the most quoted sources (6) is a comprehensive review based on 100 executives from 56 organisations who were coached for 6-12 months. The authors’ theory is that:
i. Coaching translates into doing ii. Doing translates into impacting the business iii. This impact can be quantified and maximised
For example, one of the study participants is quoted as saying:
‘We invested about $10m in a venture that was not making progress, and the company had considered terminating this project. I began managing this initiative and saw turnaround opportunity. I convinced our management to put another $3m into this project and it’s now
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successful. Had we decided not to go through with this project, we would have lost our $10m investment. The coaching played a key role in this because it helped me to walk through political landmines and gain consensus among key stakeholders to go forward with this venture’
Across this study, ROI was calculated to be on average 570% or 5.7 times return on the original cost of the coaching. Improvements were reported by participants in the following areas:
• Productivity 53% • Quality 48% • Customer Service 39% • Reduced Complaints 34% • Cost reductions 23%
Intangible Benefits
In addition to hard financial benefits, coaching can provide a number of intangible, but perhaps just as important benefits. For example, participants in the study quoted above also reported:
• Improved relationships (with direct reports – 77%, stakeholders – 71%, peers – 63%,
clients – 37%) • Improved teamwork (67%) • Increased job satisfaction (61%) • Reduced conflict (52%) • Increased commitment to their organisation (44%)
Other studies have identified a further range of ‘soft’ benefits, such as:
• Decreased stress, depression and anxiety at work (7) • Increased resilience and well-being (8) • Increased workplace engagement (9)
Executives and managers will often refer to increased capability and changes in behaviour after receiving coaching, such as:
• better time management • faster induction into a new role • greater ability to prioritise • better decision making • knowing when and how to delegate
Development strategies for employees often focus on activities like training and teambuilding. Whilst these can be effective, the advantage of coaching is that it’s completely tailored to the needs of the individual, their current responsibilities and the environment and culture in which
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they are working. Coaching helps clients to understand their blocks and ‘blind spots’, face their own challenges – which may or may not be the same as the rest of the team - and understand how to minimize risks, solve problems and come up with strategies that they can use going forward. This is all highly beneficial to the individual and to the organisation but is hard to quantify. At the organisational level, coaching is sometimes linked to corporate HR strategies such as morale, engagement and retention. For example the coaching function at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was set up in 2010 as part of a new People strategy, with the aim of improving leadership, employee productivity and individual empowerment. The measurement of success GSK used was via responses to the annual Global Leadership Survey question: ‘our leaders act as teachers, coaches and champions of development’. Improvements in the survey results could be linked to a number of development initiatives which included the promotion and use of coaching. How do Clients rate the Coaching Experience? The most persuasive ‘soft’ measures relate to clients achieving their stated goals as well as providing enthusiastic feedback about the coaching process. In the past, the offer of coaching was sometimes seen as code for telling an employee that they needed someone to help them improve their performance – with an implied suggestion that they were not meeting required standards. However, today, it is more likely to be offered to senior staff or ‘high potential’ talent and is therefore often regarded as a status symbol or a perk of management. ‘This has been the greatest gift the company ever gave me. They can give you a bonus and you’ll just blow it on something, but this is a gift that will stay with me. When this started, my new boss was ready to fire me. Now he’s promoted me’ (10) ‘Coaching helped me move forward with my goal of working out how to tackle a new role. My coach challenged me to be more bold and strategic and often guided me down unexplored paths which made me think more about how to raise my profile whilst remaining true to my own values’ (11) Case Studies Before starting a coaching assignment, the client should have an idea what area they want to work on and how they will know when they’ve achieved their coaching goal. A couple of examples, based on my own experience of working as a coach, will help illustrate how reaching the target can provide benefits to the individual, and ultimately, to the organisation for which they work.
i. Leadership and Influencing My client had recently moved into a more senior management role but was lacking in
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confidence. Her stated goal was to increase her leadership and influencing skills. During the coaching sessions, she realised that she did already have a wide range of skills had but was in the habit of down-playing them. Also we identified that she was using leadership and influencing skills successfully outside of work in a completely different context. Coaching helped her to start bringing those skills into the workplace, to have more self- confidence and better powers of persuasion. The result? On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high) she increased her skills significantly in both leadership and influencing as judged both by herself and by her manager ii. First 90 Days in a new Role A marketing executive in a new role was concerned about how he was going to handle some new challenges as well as a demanding manager. It had taken him a while to find this job and he was excited but anxious to make sure he could keep it and progress within the company. During coaching sessions, we talked about how he could ‘go the extra mile’ and how he could overcome his fear of asking for feedback so that he could be aware of how well he was performing and where he might need to make improvements. We also ‘rehearsed’ conversations with his manager so that he could make a positive impact. As a result my client passed his probationary period and received some very positive feedback about his performance and future prospects
4. How Business Coaching can help Information Professionals We have seen how coaching can provide both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ benefits for business. These benefits will, of course, be attractive to people working in information, knowledge and library disciplines. In addition, Information Professionals have some unique challenges: they need to develop specific capabilities, their career ladder is not well defined and demand for their services is changing in the current economic climate. Business coaching can help address these issues Professional and Personal Development CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) has identified the professional and technical skills required across the library, information and knowledge profession (12)
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In order to develop the core professional expertise in the diagram (Information Governance, Research etc.) the most appropriate methods of development are probably training and on-the- job learning. For the ‘generic skills’ - like Leadership, Strategy, Marketing, Customer focus, Communication - training can provide the theory but coaching provides a more individually focused approach. Coaching can help the Information professional to look at what is required in their own work context, to try out new ideas, building on their own strengths and finding ways to overcome weaknesses. For example, coaching provides an ideal ‘safe space’ for the Information professional to talk about their leadership style – how to be more inspirational or work more collaboratively. ‘Strategy’ is a concept that is much talked about in the Information world but, in practice, many find it hard to get their hands around: how to create and ‘sell’ an information strategy could be a fruitful coaching topic. Marketing and communication do not always come naturally to the more traditional information worker with more of a library, archive or research background and here again coaching can help. In fact, almost any personal development goal can be supported by coaching, including building confidence, improving presentation skills, being more assertive at work, building stronger relationships with customers. The coaching space is also a good place to think through the ‘ethics and values’ at the centre of
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the CILIP diagram. Often these considerations are what motivate people in their working lives and help them make decisions about the services that can be offered. Likewise if an employee feels that their values are being flouted, they make become demoralised, less able to perform and start thinking about moving on There is another area of professional development where Information Professionals might benefit from coaching. Traditional working patterns are changing. Individuals providing information support to sectors like as Finance, Legal and Pharmaceuticals may be required to work long hours, to cover different time zones, to handle fast-changing priorities and tight deadlines. For others, working from home, part time working and job sharing are more common. Typically a high percentage of information professionals are female and therefore more likely to go on maternity leave and then re-enter the workplace. All of these working patterns can cause additional challenges, stress – and opportunities -and coaching is an effective way to think through how to handle them. Career Progression Coaching is an excellent way of managing career progression. The client may choose to focus on ways of expanding their current role, planning their career path, exploring their aspirations or thinking about a complete change. Coaching can help the client to raise their profile within an existing role and be more pro-active in discussing development plans with their manager. For those who are about to start in a new role, especially a more senior one, it provides the opportunity to identify the key players, anticipate possible pitfalls and establish priorities during the early days and weeks. Career progression within the Library & Information field is harder than it used to be: career paths are less clear, there are more forks in the road. Although in some businesses and academic institutions it’s still possible to work up gradually to a senior role, some organisations, especially in the public sector are more cautious about hiring and promoting Information professionals. Organisations tend to be ‘flatter’; there are fewer graduate trainee roles; there is a greater use of interim managers, volunteers and temporary staff. In addition, services such as Research and Information Management may be outsourced. Against this backdrop, the Information professional who is keen to progress may encounter the following hurdles:
• fewer roles and more competition for those roles • senior people whose jobs have been eliminated applying for less senior roles or temporary positions
• the need for new skills (such as vendor management and service management) • a greater focus on self-development and less time available for discussion with line
managers • feeling ‘stuck’ in the current role because there is nothing more senior to aspire to or because any change of role may involve a ‘sideways move’ or pay cut
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Today’s graduates have grown up in this climate and the more successful ones are learning how to handle it, as this example from the UK Graduate website demonstrates: ‘My advice for other students and graduates who would like to get into this career is not to feel restricted to the generic notion of a library. Our skills can be utilised across many sectors and used for a variety of things’ (13) With these changes in the profession, Information professionals have to be more creative, brave and self-promoting. More than ever, they need to prove that what they do provides value, to fight their corner and at the same time, find ways to apply information skills in new fields and ‘reinvent’ themselves. Coaching can help with all of this. Leading through Change The information world has seen many changes in the last few years. For example:
• the explosion of social media • new technologies for organising, storing and sharing data • the prevalence of mobile computing, wifi and search engines like Google • an increase in collaborative working e.g. via Sharepoint • changes in relevant legislation
As well as impacting roles and career development for Information professionals, these changes require Information leads have the ability to manage change. This means identifying what is changing, who will be impacted, where there will be benefits or disruption and working with stakeholders to help embed new ways of working. Those affected are likely to include the information experts driving the change, introducing new policies or implementing new technology as well as business colleagues who must adapt to organisational changes, adhere to new policies, use new IT systems. Information professionals can show leadership here by working with business partners to align changes in the information sphere with changes in business strategy. Leadership skills such as business change management, advocacy, influencing, marketing and communication can all be tailored to the individual and enhanced by coaching. Maximising Effectiveness in the current Economic climate As the business world continues to suffer from recession, all leaders are having to manage turbulence and uncertainty. This journal publishes the results of the annual Business Information survey based on in-depth interviews with leading corporate information and knowledge managers. In recent years the interviewees highlight the need to ‘do more with less’, save money and respond to downsizing and reorganisation whilst still adding value to the business. As part of business change management efforts, leaders may have to deal with a
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demotivated workforce. They may have to handle low morale, high stress and communicate appropriately with staff who are being made redundant as well as those ‘left behind’ (with more work to do). Coaching can be a stabilising influence in times of change and can help employees feel valued and supported, especially if line managers are busy fighting fires or attending yet more budget meetings. With reduced budgets, organisations are often tempted to cut back on employee development. The HR Services group, Penna disagrees with this approach: ‘We work with organisations who occupy the extremes in reaction to the recession. One extreme is…driving down costs and removing every penny of spend in training and development. At the other extreme is the organisation that is investing in its people through coaching and development to respond to the new order of doing business. With this investment comes that degree of discretionary effort we are all capable of giving and which is so desperately needed during this recession’ (14) Coaching can help leaders manage these scenarios, offering them space and time to think about how to:
• make wise decisions about budget reductions and where to compromise • share bad news • create some optimistic messages that will paint a vision for a better future • maintain resilience • retain core skills and knowledge for when the organisation is able to bounce back (15)
5. How Business Coaching works – some Frequently asked Questions As we have seen, the use of business coaching is increasing. It provides a number of benefits, both for the organisation and for the individual and there are a number of specific situations where it can serve Information professionals especially well. But how does it work? Below are the key questions that organisations and clients ask about the coaching process. How do you know if you or a member of your staff would benefit from coaching? Ideally coaching is built into the employee development cycle. Some organisations have a well structured process for developing people, including goal setting, performance review and action planning as well as agreed ‘core competencies’ or required ‘soft skills’. Where an individual has gaps or areas for growth, training, coaching or other development opportunities will be recommended. It is preferable that the employee and their line manager discuss where they need to develop and agree that coaching is a desirable option rather than the manager imposing this. The client, their manager and the organisation should all see some benefit from the coaching engagement. Whilst the content of coaching sessions is always confidential, within a corporate context the client’s line manager or sponsor will have a vested interest in seeing positive outcomes. Ways can be found to agree the coaching ‘goal’ and to review progress without discussing the details of how this will be or has been achieved.
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What are the typical scenarios in which corporate coaching is beneficial? Coaching can be part of an organisation’s ‘People’ strategy. For example, a company might make the decision that all ‘key talent’ will have a coach in order to make sure they realise their full potential, or, coaching may be included in the induction of new managers to help them deliver as expected in the first 90 days. Certain roles may benefit from coaching, such as graduate trainees or leaders who have recently been promoted. Most organisations provide executive coaching for the CEO and other Board members If a manager or a member of staff is aware of the benefits of coaching, they may spot opportunities on a more ad hoc basis. For example if an individual is anxious about giving an important presentation, embarking on a new high profile project or moving to a new site bringing in a coach could help them prepare and adapt more quickly. Finally, a coach can support someone who is feeling ‘stuck’ or looking for a change in direction Can internal staff provide coaching? Some of the larger corporates are now building in-house coaching functions and training selected leaders with the appropriate roles and skills to become coaches. This strategy can work well, although it is not a ‘quick fix’ and needs strong sponsorship and significant budget. Organisations or their Library & Information departments often have line managers, HR professionals and other senior personnel who can adopt a coaching style. However, there can be drawbacks to using these people as leadership coaches. Line managers are often too busy to dedicate the time for this, especially when under stress themselves. They may find it hard to be objective about their colleagues and direct reports and the person being coached may not want to admit to weaknesses and difficulties to someone who is ultimately responsible for their career progression. In addition, leaders are often selected for their ability to solve problems and provide direction and don’t easily switch into a mode of listening and helping people find their own answers. A trained coach may well understand the industry sector and this will enable them to ask the right questions. But they will also be trained not to answer those questions themselves! An external coach can also take a wider perspective and won’t be influenced by the politics of the organisation – they give the client permission to challenge themselves, think outside of the corporate box and explore different ways forward. What is the best way to find a high quality coach? Many free-lancers call themselves coaches or include coaching within their offering, whether or not they have any recognised qualifications. Sadly, as the industry is not regulated yet, a coaching ‘certificate’ can be gained in a weekend, a ‘diploma’ in a week. However, this has been
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changing in recent years. At the end of 2012, the three main bodies that work to uphold standards and professionalism - The Association for Coaching (AC), the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC), and the International Coach Federation (ICF) - teamed up to create the Global Coaching & Mentoring Alliance. The Alliance will now work towards promoting best practice, high ethical standards and independent certification for practitioners (16) A high quality coach will be ‘accredited’ i.e. have completed approved training - typically 20 days or more - carried out at least 100 hours of coaching and undergone supervision including observation and feedback. Many corporates now only use accredited clients: the ICF reports that 84% of those surveyed who had experienced a coaching relationship said that it was important for coaches to hold a credential (17) Accreditation ensures that coaches have the necessary experience, understand the techniques of coaching and adhere to ethical standards such as respecting confidentiality and conducting professional relationships with clients. Organisations looking to engage a coach should also consider choosing someone with relevant subject matter expertise. So, Information professionals may prefer a coach with an understanding of the characteristics and challenges of the industry. Finally, because each coach has their own personality and style and because successful coaching is based on a positive relationship between the coach and client, it’s important to find a coach where the ‘chemistry’ feels right. How does the process work? At the start of a coaching engagement, a client will work with the coach to agree a goal. This might be specific and measurable: ‘In 3 months time I will have increased my sales by 10%’ or more about a change in behaviour: ‘I am more confident about selling the value of what I do to my business partners’. The coach would then work with the client to establish how the goal can be achieved and how both coach and client and, potentially, the client’s sponsor, would know when the desired outcome had been reached. The length of the coaching session depends on the preferences of the client, the nature of their coaching topic and how much time they can make available. A lot can be achieved in 30 minutes – GSK asks its internal coaches to restrict sessions to this. Often sessions are 45 minutes or an hour. The meeting is completely focused on the coaching topic and, whilst the client may not be aware of it, follows a structure with a beginning, middle and end. The coach listens attentively, provides a mix of support and challenge and encourages the client to explore options and find their own best solutions. The session ends with learnings and actions and these are reviewed at the following session. Both coach and client commit to keeping the time clear and free of interruption and the content of the coaching conversation is completely confidential. Coaching can take place face- to-face and, increasingly, by phone or Skype. Some clients prefer to meet in person. For others, coaching by phone saves time, provides more flexibility and can feel surprisingly intimate and ‘safe’.
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Conclusion The use of business coaching is increasing because organisations are becoming more aware of the benefits it offers. ‘Pure’ coaching, as distinct from 1x1 training or mentoring, enables leaders and managers to step out the day job, name difficulties, explore possibilities and then take action and see results. For Information professionals, it provides a way of dealing with today’s challenges – ‘doing more with less’, collaborating effectively with business partners, demonstrating value, developing additional skills, jumping over career barriers. Ultimately, coaching helps library, information and knowledge professionals to improve their performance, progress their careers and therefore to support the businesses and communities they serve in meeting their information needs. References 1) International Coach Federation Code of Ethics, definition of coaching
http://www.coachfederation.org/ethics/ 2) Williams, R. Canada National Post. April 2007 3) Global Coaching Study Final Report – International Coach Federation 2012 4) CIPD Annual Survey report – Learning & Talent Development April 2011 5) CIPD Annual survey report - Learning & Talent Development April 2010 6) McGovern, J. Maximizing the impact of executive coaching: Behavioral change,
organizational outcomes and return on investment. The Manchester Review, 6(1), 1-9 2001 7) Gyllensten, K. Can coaching reduce workplace stress: A quasi- experimental study.
International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 3(2), 75-85 2005 8) Grant, A.M. Using coaching and positive psychology to promote a flourishing workforce: A
model of goal-striving and mental health. In P.A. Linley, S. Harrington, & N. Page (Eds.) Oxford handbook of positive psychology and work (pp. 175-188) 2010. Oxford University Press
9) Arakawa, D. Optimistic managers and their influence on productivity and employee engagement in a technology organisation: Implications for coaching psychologists. Coaching Psychology Review, 2(1), 78. 2007
10) Quoted in McGovern, J. Maximizing the impact of executive coaching: Behavioral change, organizational outcomes and return on investment. The Manchester Review, 6(1), 1-9 2001
11) Quote from one of the author’s clients 12) CILIP Professional Knowedge and Skills Base:
http://www.cilip.org.uk/jobs-careers/professional-knowledge-and-skills-base/What-is-in- the-PKSB/Pages/What%20is%20in%20the%20PKSB.aspx
(13) Miller, J. Case Study : Senior Media Assistant July 2012 Prospects, Graduate Careers Website (14) Quoted in: Sparrow, S. Measuring coaching ROI: the importance of being measured. Personnel Today. March 2009
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