Beware Executive Coaching is a Business Nightmare, Protect your Investment
On a Google search 12 March 2012 I searched on the following terms and this is what I found...
Executive Coaching Training 17,400,000 results
Executive Coaching 7,910,000 results Worldwide
Executive Coaching 4,880,000 results Australia
Good luck everyone, me included….
I’ll tell you why. I’ll also share some insights with you into the future of how to avoid the traps of hiring coaching services and coaching training. If you’re hiring coaching services or a coach please send me questions, I’ll try and answer them to protect your investment and business. I’ll even review proposals and programs.
I started my own coaching and facilitation business in 2007. I also provided team development programs as a smaller part of my business structure to increase my research base for team coaching. In the 5 years I’ve seen an enormous shift to coach training, coaching services and corporate areas providing what seems to be the same service. I commend them for getting up to speed with latest trends in people and business performance.
When I finished an accredited program in the Australian education sector, (not an online US course), I was not fully prepared for executive coaching or business coaching. When I questioned other coaches who had undergone coaching certification through big US training programs, neither were they. There has been no tertiary sector degree course offered in Business Coaching. However, Life coaching which has been cleverly marketed for just over decade. Life Coaching quickly morphed into business and executive coaching. Why? More of your money…...
Oh, it reeked of fake and phoney start-ups…. Scary and I wondered what the bleep….I had got myself into.
I aspired to being one of the best in the industry and started consulting with University of Sydney to find out more to progress the professional status. It was clear coaching, business coaching and coaching psychology was changing rapidly. It was becoming a free for all approach and here we remain today.
As a result in 2008 -09, I undertook a review of training schools through direct contact and also a meta-analysis of the literature from business, organisational psychology, organisational development, management, vocational education and coaching. My business needed a proven scientific basis. I came from a professional management and clinical background where everything needs to be proven by research and opinion was never entertained.
In 2009 -10, I conducted and independent business review of a government panel of coaching providers. Of the panel of providers credentialed or certified coaches were less than 10%, charging out rates from $250 - $695 per hour. Wow… I was shocked to think our public taxes could be used so recklessly.
Within those 2 years I developed the evidence based framework Australia Coaching Excellence Framework (ECEF).
ECEF was developed for Australian corporate, small business and not for profit sector. Have you noticed how many coaching programs use US or overseas based frameworks? Just check whatever you choose aligns to your business structure.
ECEF was developed as a scalable, replicable, transferable and measurable model to whatever organisation that you worked in.
Today in 2012, the Australian coaching industry is saturated with a lack of research, standardisation, rigorous governance and quality control. It is an unregulated industry. It is concerning that there are no state or national registration boards.
Let’s face it you wouldn’t go and get an unlicensed electrician come in and wire up your house. And, you wouldn’t send your child to school to be taught by a non-registered teacher.
If you were an accountant, physiotherapist, teacher, nurse, psychologist or architect you will be practising under tight controls of regulation, tertiary education, legislation and competency frameworks to protect the public and business sector.
Today, 2 years later as I surf the web I sense that the business perception of coaching is still a fad and business owners are wary of HR, trainers and consultants. I somewhat agree with their reticence and why the perception has come about.
Risk for your business
My concern for you is that the perception is likely to be around for some years unless the industry is radically regulated. We have many international councils, federations and such as International Coaching Federation, European Coaching Federation and a plethora of University Business and Management Schools and small training providers running coaching programs etc. scrambling for your business dollar.
Who is protecting your business from rogue coaching organisations and rogue coaches?
Bottom line folks, executive or management coaching is not the silver bullet alleged to be. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Coaching can and does work. On the flipside it also has its place and if not used correctly has no benefit at all.
Coaching is one link in your business performance process.
So why do I blog about it?
Well times are changing. The corporate world and small business needs guidance and protection. I’ve sat back and watched and seen the lack of ROI. Although you can be credentialed, and certified, I’ll be honest have a look at the ICF website it’s pretty basic, and you can still be certified and practice using non-standardised practices.
There is no watch dog in the industry…. Enter at your own risk and beware of the dogs
Okay so what now?
Sorry to be killjoy at my own party? Well what it means to you is that many consultants, facilitators, trainers now call themselves coaches or have coaching programs to offer. It means you have more risk to manage. It won’t change, it will grow, so get smart when you’re hiring. Find out from someone who can provide the risk management and protect your coaching investment.
We are so concerned about the risk to businesses that our business provides a range of services to protect your investment into coaching.
Protect your Coaching Investment
Our Consultancy Services include:
1. Qualifying prospective coaches and organisations to protect your investment
2. Acting on your behalf and risk stratifying coaching engagements
3. Assisting you select and negotiate your coaching services and fees
4. Assessing the quality, rigour and value of coaching training services that you are
considering
5. Reviewing the performance of the coach/s to ensure they deliver on agreed performance
targets
6. Reviewing, auditing and assessing breaches of professional conduct and ethics
I remain positive that coaching is a process to bring about performance. Don’t to get me wrong. It has enormous benefits. Just get the right service.
Our company continues to provide coaching services to key clients. We select our clients just like they select us. Why, because we see it as business partnership not to be entered into lightly.
All the best on your search. Remember not everyone needs a coach, but they can perform better with one….
Journey well,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12
On a Google search 12 March 2012 I searched on the following terms and this is what I found...
Executive Coaching Training 17,400,000 results
Executive Coaching 7,910,000 results Worldwide
Executive Coaching 4,880,000 results Australia
Good luck everyone, me included….
I’ll tell you why. I’ll also share some insights with you into the future of how to avoid the traps of hiring coaching services and coaching training. If you’re hiring coaching services or a coach please send me questions, I’ll try and answer them to protect your investment and business. I’ll even review proposals and programs.
I started my own coaching and facilitation business in 2007. I also provided team development programs as a smaller part of my business structure to increase my research base for team coaching. In the 5 years I’ve seen an enormous shift to coach training, coaching services and corporate areas providing what seems to be the same service. I commend them for getting up to speed with latest trends in people and business performance.
When I finished an accredited program in the Australian education sector, (not an online US course), I was not fully prepared for executive coaching or business coaching. When I questioned other coaches who had undergone coaching certification through big US training programs, neither were they. There has been no tertiary sector degree course offered in Business Coaching. However, Life coaching which has been cleverly marketed for just over decade. Life Coaching quickly morphed into business and executive coaching. Why? More of your money…...
Oh, it reeked of fake and phoney start-ups…. Scary and I wondered what the bleep….I had got myself into.
I aspired to being one of the best in the industry and started consulting with University of Sydney to find out more to progress the professional status. It was clear coaching, business coaching and coaching psychology was changing rapidly. It was becoming a free for all approach and here we remain today.
As a result in 2008 -09, I undertook a review of training schools through direct contact and also a meta-analysis of the literature from business, organisational psychology, organisational development, management, vocational education and coaching. My business needed a proven scientific basis. I came from a professional management and clinical background where everything needs to be proven by research and opinion was never entertained.
In 2009 -10, I conducted and independent business review of a government panel of coaching providers. Of the panel of providers credentialed or certified coaches were less than 10%, charging out rates from $250 - $695 per hour. Wow… I was shocked to think our public taxes could be used so recklessly.
Within those 2 years I developed the evidence based framework Australia Coaching Excellence Framework (ECEF).
ECEF was developed for Australian corporate, small business and not for profit sector. Have you noticed how many coaching programs use US or overseas based frameworks? Just check whatever you choose aligns to your business structure.
ECEF was developed as a scalable, replicable, transferable and measurable model to whatever organisation that you worked in.
Today in 2012, the Australian coaching industry is saturated with a lack of research, standardisation, rigorous governance and quality control. It is an unregulated industry. It is concerning that there are no state or national registration boards.
Let’s face it you wouldn’t go and get an unlicensed electrician come in and wire up your house. And, you wouldn’t send your child to school to be taught by a non-registered teacher.
If you were an accountant, physiotherapist, teacher, nurse, psychologist or architect you will be practising under tight controls of regulation, tertiary education, legislation and competency frameworks to protect the public and business sector.
Today, 2 years later as I surf the web I sense that the business perception of coaching is still a fad and business owners are wary of HR, trainers and consultants. I somewhat agree with their reticence and why the perception has come about.
Risk for your business
My concern for you is that the perception is likely to be around for some years unless the industry is radically regulated. We have many international councils, federations and such as International Coaching Federation, European Coaching Federation and a plethora of University Business and Management Schools and small training providers running coaching programs etc. scrambling for your business dollar.
Who is protecting your business from rogue coaching organisations and rogue coaches?
Bottom line folks, executive or management coaching is not the silver bullet alleged to be. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Coaching can and does work. On the flipside it also has its place and if not used correctly has no benefit at all.
Coaching is one link in your business performance process.
So why do I blog about it?
Well times are changing. The corporate world and small business needs guidance and protection. I’ve sat back and watched and seen the lack of ROI. Although you can be credentialed, and certified, I’ll be honest have a look at the ICF website it’s pretty basic, and you can still be certified and practice using non-standardised practices.
There is no watch dog in the industry…. Enter at your own risk and beware of the dogs
Okay so what now?
Sorry to be killjoy at my own party? Well what it means to you is that many consultants, facilitators, trainers now call themselves coaches or have coaching programs to offer. It means you have more risk to manage. It won’t change, it will grow, so get smart when you’re hiring. Find out from someone who can provide the risk management and protect your coaching investment.
We are so concerned about the risk to businesses that our business provides a range of services to protect your investment into coaching.
Protect your Coaching Investment
Our Consultancy Services include:
1. Qualifying prospective coaches and organisations to protect your investment
2. Acting on your behalf and risk stratifying coaching engagements
3. Assisting you select and negotiate your coaching services and fees
4. Assessing the quality, rigour and value of coaching training services that you are
considering
5. Reviewing the performance of the coach/s to ensure they deliver on agreed performance
targets
6. Reviewing, auditing and assessing breaches of professional conduct and ethics
I remain positive that coaching is a process to bring about performance. Don’t to get me wrong. It has enormous benefits. Just get the right service.
Our company continues to provide coaching services to key clients. We select our clients just like they select us. Why, because we see it as business partnership not to be entered into lightly.
All the best on your search. Remember not everyone needs a coach, but they can perform better with one….
Journey well,
Matt Cartwright
Inspiring People, Inspiring Business, Inspiring Results
© Copyright 2008 -12
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