We report on the International Coaching Federations 'Business and Coaching Day', which introduced the concept of coaching and how it can contribute to a company's bottom line to HR professionals and other people managers.

Coaching helps people to solve their own problems.

'Why should I have my staff coached?', 'How does coaching contribute to the bottom line?', 'Is coaching just another of those fads that come and go?', 'Can coaching make a sustainable, positive difference to my business?', are just a few of the common questions businesses often have about coaching. 

Sylviane Cannio, President ICF Belgium, and her team made a good start at answering these questions during the Business and Coaching Day in Brussels on 18 May 2006, which took place before the ICF European Coaching Conference.

The attending managers, HR professionals and senior executives benefited from a day of presentations by multi-cultural speakers who explored many aspects of the benefits corporations can expect from using external and internal coaches.

The first obstacle could be you

Chef d’orchestre (conductor) Philippe Fournier began the day with an outstanding presentation about the power of the music within us; how music motivates us, inspires us and helps us discover our possibilities. 

Fournier showed us how "nous sommes notre premiere obstacle"; we get in our own way.  He stressed that all human relationships are based on "comment je parle et comment vous ecoutez"; what I say and what you hear.

Communication skills, including effective listening skills, are the foundation for coaching and managing successfully in the corporate environment. This was a good lead into the remainder of the day where we explored these themes further.

Helping your senior managers develop their people skills

David Rock, CEO, Results Coaching Systems, shared ASTD findings that the biggest challenge in organisations is the people skills of senior leaders.  His definition of coaching is "facilitation positive change by improving thinking in line with organizational goals." 

He believes that through coaching—helping people to solve their own problems instead of giving advice and solutions—we will see improved thinking at all levels of the organisation.

Bridging the gap, just-in-time

Maryvonne Lorenzen from Korn Ferry International shared the results of their work around coaching and leadership styles.  She used the example of an executive who had been through a variety of assessment tools and realised that for continued success there were some “gaps to be bridged”.  Coaching was the method used to successfully allow this executive to develop the needed skills. 

In fact coaching is often referred to as “just in time training” i.e. the ability to work on the particular development objective at the time that the skill is needed.

Accelerating entry into new roles

Stephan Oberlie, EMEA Managing Director, Lore International Institute—leaders in corporate talent development and coaching—discussed how to create a coaching culture at all levels of the organisation.

Organisations lose valuable people, time and productivity whenever someone moves, whether internally or externally.  This 'transition' is disruptive to all levels of the organisation. 

Together with Dr Michael Watkins, Lore is showing companies "how to create sustainable competitive advantage by figuring out how to accelerate everyone into their new roles." The impact this acceleration has on the bottom line is immense.  One of the Lore key coaching programs focuses on the 'first 90 days'.

Developing trust

Closing keynote speaker Robert E Quinn, known internationally for his books such as 'Deep change', spoke about the importance of trust in the success of leaders.  In today's business environment "we need to go where we've never been before and 90 percent of the people won't follow me….but…10 percent will if they trust me." 

Quinn spoke about excellence requiring 'deep change' and that excellence is a form of deviance….a moving away from the norm to be successful.

Avoiding the 'opium' of action

"Deep change means building the bridge as you walk on it," said Quinn, speaking about the number of people in organisations today who in his view are dying a "slow death."

There are people in the corporate system, who are resigned, feel powerless, who are addicted to the "opium of action", said Quinn who asked attendees to "think about your own day full of meetings, emails, phone calls and 'being busy'.  Are you addicted to action and what are you really accomplishing?"

Quinn went on to say that there are people in organisations who are "starved for vision."  He showed us that coaching in business can aid with the deep change needed for success and resuscitate these people; prevent them from 'dying the slow death'.

Five points to take home

How you approach coaching within your organisation can take many forms, but the speakers at the Business Day would agree on these five key points:

· A coaching culture translates into more fulfilled employees.
· Recent studies have shown that coaching increases employee retention
· A coaching culture positively affects the bottom line
· Using a combination of external and internal coaches makes good business sense in providing key skills when needed
· Coaching helps you to make the best use of the talent you have and helps you grow talent for the future.

For more information visit:

www.coachfederation.org

www.icf-ecc.org

www.lorenet.com

www.deepchange.com  or contact Dr. Quinn at requinn@umich.edu

www.kornferry.com

www.ResultsCoaches.com

May 2006

Alanea Kowalski is a Certified Coach through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI), the Lore International Coaching Certification, and ICF.  She works with international business leaders and expatriates. Alanea can be reached via www.acoachingadvantage.com.

Subject: HR conference coverage, HR and coaching