You are responsible for securing the services of an external coaching provider in order that your organisation’s ‘high-flyers’ have access to an effective and professional coach. The aim of this programme is to ensure that the ‘high-flyers’ and their teams get the support and challenge they need in order that they develop, grow and are successful. You may also be responsible for ensuring that all managers within your organisation receive effective training in coaching as having coaching skills is now a requisite for all managers who have responsibility for people.

But how do you source this external resource and how can you be sure that the coaches supplied are going to be effective?

This is a dilemma for you. There are a growing number of coach ‘providers’ with every major consultancy and training organisation claiming to have effective and successful coaches within their ranks. Add in the growing debate which argues that only those coaches who are ‘accredited’ by the various coaching associations should be considered as opposed to purely ‘experienced in business’ coaches, then the selection process can be an veritable ‘minefield’.

The following guidelines should be followed when deciding as to which organisation is going to provide your external coaching or simply your managers’ coach training.

1. What are you specifically looking for in the way of coaching? Is it executive coaches external to the organisation you are looking for in order that key personnel are given that extra support and challenge? Or is it simply a coach training provider that can ensure that your management are trained in the necessary coaching skills needed in order that they can effectively support and challenge their direct reports?

Executive coaches should have good business experience and preferably have operated at a fairly high level in business. This doesn’t mean to say that they have been perhaps, a Chief Executive, because many 1st and 2nd line managers in blue-chip companies have actually had more business experience that the CEO of a small local firm. So be careful. Having been a ‘Board’ member may not automatically mean that the person is that experienced! Check out the business experience of the coach and also check their coach training credentials. It may be that they are not ‘accredited’ as such by associations such as The International Coach Federation or The Association for Coaching but it may be that their training has been extensive. If their coach training has only been a case of them attending the odd two to three day course, or has been simply by ‘distance’ learning then you may have to ‘dig a bit deeper’ to check just how effective they are as a coach!

The best way to check how effective executive coaches are is to carefully check their references. Who have they worked with before and what have been the results? If they are effective then previous clients will tell you.

Be careful of the ‘I’m accredited’ argument. I have yet to be convinced. There are numerous centres now accrediting coaches. Yes, they have to go through lectures, case studies, do so many coaching hours, pass exams and ensure they keep their skills up to date but I have yet to hear of any accrediting centre actually failing people. If an accrediting centre would publish their pass/fail rates then I would be more convinced. Check the centre carefully. Although the bigger associations seem ‘bona fide’ there is allegedly the odd entrepreneurial individual who has set up a coach accreditation centre in order to get a slice of the interest in coaching but apparently the quality of the training is questionable. Do your homework! If an executive coach is both experienced in business and has a reputable accreditation behind them then you know at least they have been serious about developing them selves as coaches. Be careful of the executive coach who although business experienced has recently set up their own coaching business as a result of having left an organisation. It may be that their training and coaching experience leaves a lot to be desired although this may not always be the case.

2. As regards taking on training organisations to train your managers as coaches. The same applies as the executive coach. How experienced is the training organisation is delivering this type of training. Do they have an extensive list of satisfied clients and are their coaches experienced and well trained. Ask about accreditation and who they did their accreditation and training with. Again ask for references from satisfied clients. Sometimes the best executive coaches turn out not to be the best trainers!

Accreditation is growing and there does seem to be a will to ensure that everyone is accredited to the same standards. At the present time, accreditation costs a lot of money, regardless of which coaching association you train with. This is putting a lot of business coaches off getting accredited. ‘Why should I pay this amount of money to become accredited when my company spent two years training me as a coach?’ is one response I have had. Also, coaching associations who provide ‘portfolio accreditation’ in that if you detail your experience and log the amount of time you have spent coaching; you may be given the accreditation. I have looked at this route personally but found that this route is not made easy for you in terms of the amount of paperwork that is involved etc. I decided to do a ‘refresher’ diploma in Coaching and Mentoring in order to keep my skills up and also convince my clients through explaining my business experience and letting them decide for themselves if I am any good! I will, though at some point, look very closely at accreditation, provided it is cost-effective and made easier in order of time and effort.

Until such a time that accreditation of coaches is mandatory, do not discount those coaches who do not have any sort of accreditation. Check their business experience and ensure that their client references are good and also that they have a number of ongoing clients. In other words, are the clients coming back to the coach to give them more work?

About the Author:

Allan Mackintosh is Head Of Performance at Reivers Development Ltd, a specialist development company whose expertise lies in supporting and challenging teams and individuals to perform to their highest level. He is the author of ‘The Successful Coaching Manager’ and also the creator of the OUTCOMES® and CARERS™ performance coaching models.

He can be contacted on 00 44 1292 318152 or by email
www.pmcscotland.com www.reiversgroup.com
.


Previous Articles
Read our previous articles.