Dear Readers,
Welcome to the first edition of Coaching for Growth, our monthly newsletter! As the Managing Director of ProVeritas Group, I am very proud of the research, analysis and coaching we provide to our clients in their customised programs. And as a dedicated ally in your learning, development and growth, I am excited to share some of our tools, knowledge and suggestions to help you and your team thrive in the 21st Century.
I would like to start with one of the most frequently asked questions by new clients seeking to improve their career choices, job performance or any other major area of their professional lives. Why would you engage an Executive Coach instead of simply doing a leadership training course (hundreds of public management/leadership courses come up on a Google search) or complete an MBA? I would like to briefly answer this question from two perspectives: financial/business and learning & development (L&D) according to the evidence.
From a financial perspective, a recent global survey of coaching clients by Price Waterhouse Coopers and the International Coaches Federation concluded that the mean ROI for companies investing in coaching was 7 times the initial investment, with over a quarter reporting an ROI of 10 to 49 times. From the L&D perspective, business schools all over the world have been embracing new concepts in Adult Education and Psychology. It is now generally accepted that the most effective leadership and organisational development programs are those which are experiential, person-centred, individualised, reflective and iterative i.e., they follow the conceptual model of the coaching process described on our website.
Once you’ve decided to engage a coach, it is important to choose carefully. As with any service or product, you need to look beyond the marketing hype and your own biases. In the article What to Look For In a Coach, I offer 3 questions to begin with in your search for someone to help you navigate today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) workplace. And if you’re wondering how the coach can help you identify, crystallise and encourage you to achieve your goals, you might want to take a look at the article How to Achieve Career Goals Successfully. As you’ll be able to glean, there is a whole science to goal setting and achievement, which we unlock for you during the coaching conversation.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the first issue of Coaching for Growth and that you’ll forward it to your colleagues if you believe it may be of interest to them. Feel free to give us feedback via social media and let us know how we can help you and your team learn, grow and thrive.
Wishing you the very best,
Ruby
