coaching in the workplace...coaching in the workplace page 5 a great summarisation of this new...

COACHING IN

THE WORKPLACE

by Corinna Kingston

Noble Manhattan Publishing

Corinna Kingston

Simply Your Best Coaching www.simplyyourbestcoaching.com

The views and opinions expressed in this eBook are strictly those of the author. Any views and

opinions may not represent those of Noble Manhattan Coaching and its affiliates.

Noble Manhattan Publishing is a resource offered to all Noble Manhattan Coaching Ltd. students. We aim to share our students’ theses with the world and to encourage continual learning throughout the coaching and personal/business development sector. The views and opinions expressed in this thesis are solely those of the original author’s. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Noble Manhattan Coaching Ltd. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. For more information about Noble Manhattan Publishing, Noble Manhattan Coaching Ltd. and its’ divisions, please see final page, or contact info@noble-manhattan.

Coaching in the Workplace Page 1

INDEX

Introduction…………………………………………………………….. 2

What is workplace coaching……………………………………………. 3

Workplace environment………………………………………………… 4

The new generation of employees……………………………………… 5

Role of coaching in todays working environment……………………… 6

Company Culture………………………………………………………. 7

Employee engagement………………………………………………….. 8

Definition manager as coach…………………………………………… 9

Designed Alliances…………………………………………………….. 10

A relationship of Equals ……………………………………………… 11

Priorities of the line manager…………………………………………. 12

One size fits all………………………………………………………… 12

Qualification……………………………………………………………13

Company Knowledge…………………………………………………..14

Reputation……………………………………………………………… 14

Being effective in an organisation………………………………………. 14

Cost Implications………………………………………………………. 15

External coaches……………………………………………………….. 15

Research in the field of neuroscience………………………………….. 16

Mindfulness…………………………………………………………….. 17

What is the future for coaching in the Workplace……………………… 17

Conclusions…………………………………………………………….. 19

Bibliography……………………………………………………………. 22


Definitions :

For the purpose of this paper the terms:-

• “Internal Coach” and “coaching Manager” or similar are interchangeable.

• “Leader/manager or subordinate” as the “coachee”

INTRODUCTION

Coaching in the workplace is a relatively young and dynamic industry but has been embraced

with open arms in the last two decades or so particularly in the corporate context to the point that it

is now recognised as a legitimate and valuable asset for optimising performance and growth within

organisations with the statistics to prove it with its fast pace of change.

“ Its heartening, as someone who believes passionately in the transformative power of

coaching, to learn that 73% of the organisations surveyed expect to increase their spending on

coaching over the next two years.

Currently 39% of coaching hours consist of one-to-one internal coaching, while 42% are one-

to-one external coaching. Its welcome news that internal coaching not only continues to contribute

to the broader development of a coaching culture but that it is also often used to widen the

availability of coaching to less senior executives. Internal coaching continues to grow…” Foreward

Ridler Report May 2016. This excerpt makes compelling reading and there can be little doubt that

the coaching business in the executive and corporate sector is thriving bringing with it huge

opportunities as well as challenges.

In this paper I intend to explore the use of coaching in the workplace in all its forms and what

internal coaching looks like as well as its pros and cons. Some key points I will be delving into will

cover topics such as;-


1. Change in culture in the workplace and the necessity for Leaders to approach in another

way.

2. Skills of the Internal Manager as coach

3. Growing trends within this Area

4. How coaches will need to position themselves going forward

WHAT IS WORKPLACE COACHING?

So to enable to us to better understand the role of coaching in the workplace we must first

breakdown and define both coaching in a workplace context, followed by looking at the workplace

environment and the significant changes it has undergone in recent times.

As defined by The Integral Business Leadership Group “Coaching promotes creativity,

breakthrough performance and resilience, given organisations a competitive edge and an effective

way to flow and operate within an environment of continuous change.”

Having myself built a twenty year career in International Companies in both commercial and

managerial functions, I remember a time when coaching wasn't a known service. In fact I remember

a specific case back in the early 90s working in a Commodity Trading Company when one of our

particularly successful traders having some personal issues which was impacting his work and the

company elected to send him to a psychologist.

Apparently it didn't work as he ended up leaving the Company shortly after and going to a

competitor. A big part of me actually feels that were such a case to arise today the employer would

probably call a coach as the first step in supporting their sub-ordinate

Essentially coaching in the workplace looks after the development of Executive and senior

Leaders or high potential managers and some key players to excel in their performance

and lead their team to do the same but in recent years it has become more accessible to all

levels of the Company and notably team coaching is forecast to grow significantly in coming years.


WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT

The workplace environment has changed phenomenally in the past decade since the financial

crisis. The old motivational ethos of “command and control” are outdated and micro-managing staff

has clearly been identified as an ineffective and inefficient way in which to draw the best

performance from the team. Yet there is even more focus and pressure on performance than ever

before and in the backdrop of the Financial crisis employees are working harder than they every

have done to bring the result expectations of the Management Team sometimes to the detriment of

themselves and not necessarily improving bottom line results howsoever they try. Clearly adding

pressure to employees is not only counter productive by increasing stress and resentment but it also

has been proven to reduce performance and employee interest (engagement). Indeed in Switzerland

we are experiencing a huge increase in workplace burnout. In her article “Burnout: phenomenon or

reality?” Claudia Kraaz records that “one-quarter of the workforce in Switzerland believe they are in

danger of suffering a burnout….this is because chronic stress and buyout cost the swiss economy

around CHF5.6 billion each year.” Burnout has become a real threat to Employers to the extent that

some Companies are putting in place measures to counteract this epidemic not only to protect their

good reputation but also keep the exorbitant costs of paying a sick employee under control. In

Germany the Company Volkswagen took it one step further back in 2012 when it announced that

they would close down their blackberry service out of work hours so employees could genuinely

have downtime from work and generally employers are looking into other such initiatives to reduce

the incidence of workplace burnout.

In the age of VUCA (acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) we are

being forced to solve problems differently and draw on all resources to ensure the best way forward

is found. Gone are the days where the manager/leader/CEO have all the answers and herded their

teams to follow through on a set of instructions, now based on research and the pressures of the

ongoing market turbulences which are more volatile than ever witnessed. More and more

Management/Leadership Teams have the foresight of looking towards joining forces with their

teams and utilising the collective ability of every team member to come up with innovative solutions

to solve todays workplace challenges.


A great summarisation of this new workplace environment comes from Judith Heerwagen. “In

todays World, you will also be working for an organization that is like to be very different due to

competitive pressures and technological breakthroughs. Organisations today are:

• leaner and more agile

• more focused on identifying value from the customer perspective

• more tuned to dynamic competitive requirements and strategy

• less hierarchical in structure and decision authority

• less likely to provide lifelong careers and job security

• continually reorganising to maintain or gain competitive advantage”

In short todays environment requires rapid response, leveraged creativity, resilience and

individual effort and performance in order to remain competitive. Employees who are coached to

performance rather than managed to performance are more committed to and invested in the

outcomes of their work and achievement of organisational goals and finally Companies are

beginning to see that the value of coaching has a big part to play in this process.

THE NEW GENERATION OF EMPLOYEES

A study carried out by PWC in 2011 (Millennials at work Reshaping the workplace) focussing

on the millennials sector of the workforce crystallises this in its findings. PWC focussed their survey

on millennials (i.e. people born between 1980 and 2000) Worldwide. noting that “millennials

already form 25% of the workforce in the US and account for over half of the population in India.

By 2020, millennials will form 50% of the global workforce”. This sector of the workforce are noted

to be different from those who have gone before in that they are tech savvy and are seeking different

benefits from an Employer by comparison with its predecessors. Namely we are talking about faster

career progression, the study found that “career progression is the top priority for millennials who

expect to rise rapidly through the organisation. 52% said this was the main attraction in an employer,

coming ahead of competitive salaries in second place (44%). With this work/life balance also played

a key role for millennials although the study also observed that due to the Economic downturn there


had been a change of attitudes and a lowering of expectations in this generation with many siting

having taken jobs below their expectations”.

Todays employees are experiencing the new employment “covenant” which developed in the

80s and is not a part of corporate life. Career self-reliance is a critical employee competency under

the new covenant, in which employees trade skills and contribution for development and

opportunity. Managers and Leaders must coach their employees, as they become career self-reliant

and engage in continuous career development and not all people in leading positions have the natural

ability to coach their people hence the growing demand for internal and external coaches.

ROLE OF COACHING IN TODAYS WORKING ENVIRONMENT

There is little doubt that the workplace culture has changed and will continue to change at a

faster pace than previously witnessed. Both employers and employees will need to be able to adapt

to survive these changes and develop skills that allow them to flourish in the new workplace

environment. It is the writers belief that coaching will be instrumental in navigating these waters of

change as we go forward. There is already a growing trend towards using coaches as evidenced

above in the excerpt of the 6th Ridler Report.

At the same time echoed by the 10th Annual Coaching Survey produced by Sherpa Coaching

LLC shows that the trend is towards an increase of internal coaches being hired and creating a

coaching culture within the organisation. “Internal coaching is on the rise. … four years ago, just

seven percent of coaches were internals. this year, that number has risen to ten percent. That may

appear to be a modest increase, but it is relative rise of over forty percent. The number of internal

coaches signing now to take this survey has doubled in recent years.” source : Sherpa

“Coaching is no longer just about fixing performance issues. Companies are turning to internal

coaching to create a pipeline of leaders and to develop managers who can coach their teams”,

according to the findings from The Conference Boards Global Executive Coaching Survey

(https://www.conference-board.org/executive-coaching/)2016 released Sept 6. The increase in the

number of internal coaches being hired speaks for the value Companies are placing now on the

https://www.conference-board.org/executive-coaching/


coaching profession as well as the recognition to work in a different way to attract and retain skilled

staff.

COMPANY CULTURE

“The opposite of a non-coaching culture is an empowered culture where coaching permeates

every interaction whether with staff, suppliers or customers. In a coaching culture, people behave

differently……Essentially, a coaching culture is one where coaching is the predominant style of

managing and working together”.

Source Manager as Coach The new way to get results Jenny Rogers with Karen Whittleworth

& Andrew Gilbert 2012

A healthy coaching culture across the group is fundamental to the success and power coaching

can have within the organisation. It must come from the top down. By this we mean that Leaders see

the value in their people and adopt a coaching philosophy and continuous actions to grow and

develop them through encouragement and open positive communication. Such are the invaluable

benefits of coaching a coaching culture is of course so much beyond this explanation and can even

be described as a journey for the organisation as a whole as opposed to a destination one in which

the positive results are endless. Suffice to say where coaches have a good coaching culture in an

organisation their work becomes very quickly more effective and better understood otherwise

conversely where no coaching culture exists then employed coaches tend to end up working in silos

and their results have a limited benefit.

A new culture is steadily evolving whereby Companies are developing their Leaders to draw

the best out of human capital. Some of the leading Companies in terms of adapting to the changing

workplace environment is Google for example, who are reported to have a “Guru program” “Google

launched Career Guru in 2010 and has broadened it into Guru-plus with 350 internal coaches in 60

Offices around the World. Coaching is accomplished virtually using Google Hangouts. Depending

on the topic, the one-on-one sessions can range from one to eight sessions”. source SHRM Society

for Human Management, author Kathy Gurchiek 19/09/16.


The Coaching culture is as much or as little as the Company are prepared to place emphasis on

the practice however needless to say the more a Company adopts the coaching culture the higher the

chances are of success as every individual, team and leader all have a vested interest in its success

whilst at the same time getting their individual professional and also on some level personal needs of

satisfaction and security met in the process to mention but a few.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Given the backdrop described above it is vital for Companies to have a fully engaged

Workforce on all sorts of levels as founded by Peter Hawkins in his third edition of Leadership

Team Coaching : “The UK Governments Employee Engagement Task Force explored all the best

available evidence of the impact of employee engagement on organisational performance (Rayon et

al, 2012). They found that not only do low levels of staff satisfaction and engagement strongly

correlate with poor performance, low customer satisfaction, low quality of work, high levels of

health and safety issues, low innovation and poor financial returns, but that low staff engagement is

one of the strongest predictors of poor performance in the following year, and rising staff

engagement a strong predictor that performance measures will increase the following year”.

Latest research show that earlier thinking of leaving home problems at the door and focussing

fully on work during working hours just isn't realistic so to say departmentalising ones life. People

are human beings and need to feel that they are being treated as such also in the workplace. Making

the workplace a more friendlier yet professional environment is what its all about which is again

connected to staff retention particularly of the good people who contribute ideas and solutions and

this is the experience that many of the larger multinationals, the likes of google and apple, are

seeking to give their employees.

“Gallup research supports this notion. We've found that employees who feel strong social

connections at work have higher levels of well-being and engagement than those who do not. Their

engagement propels them to be more productive and give more of themselves to their job and their

company.” GALLUP BLOG OCTOBER 19, 2017 It's Not You, It's Me: Supporting Workplace

Inclusion by Jane Miller

http://workplace.gallup.com/215924/evolve-programs.aspx?utm_source=link_newsv9&utm_campaign=item_220649&utm_medium=copyhttp://workplace.gallup.com/215921/employee-engagement.aspx?utm_source=link_newsv9&utm_campaign=item_220649&utm_medium=copy


Supported by this evidence we can conclude that without employee engagement coaching is a

wasted resource.

Indeed during my own career in Trading some of my most successful times were when

employee engagement was at its highest in the Company where people worked hard yet socialised

together too because such was the culture which was built out of genuine good colleague

commardiere and genuine friendships which to this day still exist.

DEFINITION MANAGER AS COACH

When we talk about the “Manager as coach” it can have one of two meanings which can

impact the manner in which coaching is administered and its effectiveness.

a) Manager as Coach can translate to mean line managers, human resources managers as

well as Leaders someone whose function has coaching as a component of their workload.

or

b) Dedicated Professional Coach

A person who has done extensive formal study in the field of coaching and works in the

arena full time. These coaches can be hired on an internal or external basis.

It is the writers belief that these terms are currently being used inter-changeably in the

workplace and in fact the two are quite different as we will learn throughout this document.


DESIGNED ALLIANCES

In its publication on “Being an Internal Coach published by The Coaches Training Institute in

2012 its states that “its important to design your (the coach) alliance with the Company up front

when you first start your position so you are clear on what the priorities are and what is and isn't

confidential with your clients.”

For the internal coach it is often a tricky balance as to how they manage themselves within the

Company. There are many challenges an internal coach can have but one of the biggest challenges is

gaining the trust of the employees which is fundamental to the effectiveness of the coaching

relationship.

In his article back in 2003 Mackintosh writes “My advice to any internal corporate coach…. is

to ensure that at the onset, you make time to ensure that you contract your coaching role. Sit down

with your manager, your team, any other employees that you will be coaching, and ensure that they

realise what coaching is all about, how a coach operates , what your expectations are (check theirs!)

anyhow coaching can benefit them personally. Make sure you manage the “authority bit” and be

brave in terms of challenging higher authority behaviours where they need challenging”. If the

coaching relationship is not set up from the outset and expectations are not defined then it will

undoubtedly be very hard for the coach to build up the relationship with all parties and gain the trust

of the coachee to confide in them. Same time authority figures, who hold on to some old school

thinking, may hold the belief that they can impose their influence on the coach to extract information

about the employees process, which is obviously not the design of the relationship and would only

serve to deem it ineffective. The coach must stick to the principals of good coaching practice to

avoid this basic yet critical pitfall. An external Coach has advantages in this regard coming into a

Company with a truly neutral outlook on the person or people they will coach.


A RELATIONSHIP OF EQUALS?

It is important to know that coaching is a conversation of equals and that coachee must be able

to feel comfortable to talk to a peer (e.g. a line manager) serving in the role of Coach about more

sensitive topics such as weaknesses, frustrations etc. Again this comes back to a high level of trust

and also the coachees belief in the coaching process itself and its benefits. Indeed if the Coachee is

in anyway sceptical about the use of coaching it can undermine the value the coaching session(s)

will have on the coachee.

Brilliant Coaching Julie Starr refers to the “adult to adult” conversation

When the manager comes with the topic - it is important for the manager to raise the topic and

not seek to have the employee “so I was wondering how you thought the meeting went yesterday”

pg131 Julie Star Brilliant Coach.

The coachee must feel that the Coach is neutral in their observations of the discussion which is

often difficult to convey through the process of sitting down and entering in a coaching conversation

bearing in mind that the Coach is also an employee of the Company and assumed to be acting in the

interests of the Company in the first instance so if the Coach is to learn for example that the

employee is planing to leave to set up their own company then as counterintuitive as it might appear

it is the coachees role to coach the individual on that topic in an unbiased manner. Since coaching is

about the coaches agenda the outcome can never be clearly assumed. In this instance the coachee

may recognise that through coaching it would be better for him to stay in the Company or that what

he is actually after is a promotion and abandon the idea of setting up his own Company. Frankly it is

the writers opinion that (a) it is highly unlikely that a coachee would be so open in such a scenario

with a line/HR Manager and that (b) the line/HR Manager would struggle to remain impartial with

such information because it is instinctive for any good employee to protect the Company. I would

venture to say that here is where its worth the Line/HR Manager having their own coach/mentor to

help guide them through such scenarios.


In the 6th Rider Report it was quotes “Another talent manager was quoted as saying “it is

difficult for a line manager to be totally objective as a coach and suspend his judgement when they

know some of the people so well. Listening is an issue in a fast-paced organisation like ours -

people are too solution focused and no one is available to get to the underlying reasons why the

coachees behaviours are as they are.”” The ideal is that the coaching relationship is one of equals

however the realities are quite different in practice when more often then not coachees hold a strong

belief that there is always a danger of whatever they say to their internal manager /coach goes back

to a leader in the Company and so they better censor their works and feelings. This does not help the

coaching process for any party. The only way for internal managers/coaches to overcome this is to

work heavily on building up the trust of the coachees and be able to demonstrate it just like

Mackintosh did in the previous paragraph.

PRIORITIES OF THE LINE MANAGER

Often is the case that Line Managers have a number of different functions and priorities to

perform within their role and the description of these duties may result in coaching taking a lower

ranking of importance owing to more urgent matters. A dedicated Internal Coach who is hired solely

for that function has a completely different set of priorities and is focused solely on the function in

hand.

Manager as coach/line Manager is likely to have a set of measurables that are usually

connected in some way to performance results. This being the case understandably coaching goes

down the pecking order as the Manager as Coach has also justify his existence in the Company and

demonstrate tangible results. In this context it may take time for coaching employees to bring about

results hence becomes a secondary mission of the Manager as Coach particularly as the coaching

conversation between Manager and coach is non-directive.

ONE SIZE FITS ALL

Where an Internal Manager is acting as coach it is clear that the Manager can not have the

same level of rapport with everyone. For different reasons there may be an internal conflict about the


person they are set to coach perhaps based on what they have heard from others or perhaps based on

how they look. Coaches are human beings too. It is however very critical that the Internal manager

(coach) listens to themselves and takes the appropriate course of action so as to not coach that

person directly. We must accept that not all personalities are compatible and that alternative

arrangements may need to be made upon recognising that fact. The level of seniority the internal

Coach has may also play a factor where a Senior Manager nominated for coaching may not be

comfortable with discussing aspects of his job with an internal manager/coach his junior.

“Internal coach

Internal coaches are often effective with mid-level managers in the organization. These coaches

need to be able to establish a relationship of trust with the participants so that there is no concern

that what is discussed will be used against the participant. Coaching skills do not come naturally to

most people. Internal coaches should be skilled at providing coaching and developing others. These

abilities are often the result of solid training and practice”. Human Resources Today

QUALIFICATION

Usually the dedicated Coach has done extensive coaching studies over a minimum 1-2 year

period whilst conversely sometimes the Manager (often the Human Resources Manager) as coach

may have attended a 1-2 day coaching workshop to equip them to handle internal personnel issues.

The results of which make for very different outcomes in the workplace since the tools the dedicated

Coach learns through their studies are extensive and allow the Coach to handle lot of different

situations with different tools. However I am not suggesting that coach training must always be an

extensive study but it important for both Coach and Company to acknowledge what sort of coaching

programmes they want to offer staff and what skills are necessary to ensure their successful

implementation. As coaching is becoming more mainstream in the corporate sphere many

Companies are taking the training more seriously especially when on-boarding dedicated internal

coaches although from personal experience we understand that professional experience and or good

references tend to be the most influential factor.


COMPANY KNOWLEDGE

It is advantageous that Internal coaches have good basic knowledge of the company and its

culture as well as a good insight of the business and political landscape within the organisation. At

times it can benefit the coachee to work with a coach who has specific and relevant knowledge about

the job the coachee does and can cut through a lot of time wasting. In this instance an external coach

may end up many dead ends in terms of solutions simply because they don't have in-depth

knowledge of the inner workings of the Company.

REPUTATION

“To be an effective coach, it is essential to believe in the potential of your staff allowing

individuals to be heard and appreciated. This will have an amazing impact on their self-esteem and,

ultimately, on their personal growth and job performance”. (pg. 6 Coaching skills for leaders in the

workplace Jackie Arnold). This being the case coaching is a very valuable tool in the workplace to

better and campion individuals, teams and leaders, all for the better good and continued success of

the Company.

It is important that the coach builds a good and positive reputation in the organisation, Without

this the coach will not be taken seriously. Confidentiality and trust are key elements of this. Same

time a certain maturity is also desired. Coaches with maturity understand the political nuances of the

workplace and have the awareness to recognise situations that create

BEING EFFECTIVE IN AN ORGANISATION

Whether internal or external the following areas are important for any coach to maintain so as

to not only be effective within an organisation but also to uphold their status as a professional and up

to date trained coach.


1. Good quality accredited training for the coaching pool — this ensures that coaches feel confident

are equipped to coach internally. Since coaching is currently not a regulated profession there are

many charlatans out there professing claims they can not meet giving the coach sector a bad

name.

2. On-going continuous professional development and supervision — it’s really easy for good

practice to slip, regular development will maintain and increase the quality of coaching as well

as provide a forum for sharing and building a community. This is beneficial on many levels to

keep the coach “honest” to himself and his ability to offer the best coaching consistently.

3. Adhering to coaching ethics and standards from a professional coaching body — reputation is

everything for the coach, once ones credibility is gone there is no going back and if your clients

don’t trust you, one cannot coach them.

4. Clearly communicating the purpose and audience for internal coaching — as mentioned earlier

this can be defined through a coaches business case for coaching. Once this is clear there are no

doubts around favouritism or exclusion.

5. Having a consistent and transparent coaching process — all coaches should be using the same

documentation and process, this presents a professional process and one that can be more easily

evaluated thereby evidencing effectiveness.

COST IMPLICATIONS

Many Companies like to have an internal coach(s) as it is the most cost effective solution

however it is important to measure effectiveness on a regular basis so as to identify whether this cost

saving is founded in conjunction with the quality of coaching. Since it is difficult to calculate ROI

(return on investment) many are factoring on the basis of ROE (return on expectation).

EXTERNAL COACHES

Despite the fact that the use of internal coaches are on the rise it is the writers belief that

External Coaches will always also have a legitimate role in the corporate World. Their experience is

different to that of internal coaches. The fact that they have exposure to a variety of different


Companies in different industries gives them a more global perspective which can be of benefit to

the coach when he/she can not identify his own solution. The External Coach is also a neutral party

who has not connection the Company or its people and so there is no “hidden agenda”. Whilst at the

same time the coachee feels that the coaching is more objective and he often feels less like he has to

censor information. Its a truly safe environment in which he/she can speak about what is holding

them back.

It has been recognised that the trend is internal coaches are being utilised with in-house

managers and staff but for CEOs and very senior Leaders the expertise of external coaches is being

brought in. Indeed such leadership positions can be a very lonely place with little scope to explore

ideas and thoughts. Here external coaches play a very valuable role of acting as sounding boards and

the vulnerabilities of the Leadership is not exposed on any other level expect within the coaching

conversation which remains confidential between coach and Leader.

RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF NEURO-SCIENCE

There is no doubt that the body of new research the has been developed in the neuroscience

field is and will continue to have a massive impact on the coaching profession as we going forward.

If nothing else the basis of neuroscience gives coaches the ability to prove that coaching works

through the scientific explanations of whats happening in the brain both on an electrical and

chemical level and how we as coaches can use this information to pose more effective questions

through this better understanding of brain function. It is a fascinating area of study. Essentially

neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system including the brain, the spinal cord and

networks of sensory nerve cells, or neurons, throughout the body. Research is ongoing in this area

but we already know since a very long time that the brain is an extremely under-utilised however the

new science coming out on the unconscious part of the brain will change coaching and the way

Coaches work going forward.


MINDFULNESS

A lot has been written about stress and how it is the enemy of both the mind and the body as it

sets out to restrict and impair both. In recent years we've seen the growth of mindfulness which

helps to quiet the mind and allow more subtle connections to be formed. In this age of information

overload, mindfulness practice is becoming another valuable tool in the coaches kit to practice for

themselves but also to introduce to coachees that express an interest to develop the skill and

introduce more mental balance in their lives for the benefit of of aspects of their lives.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR COACHING IN THE WORKPLACE

In a recent publication from the World Economic Forum identifying the skills necessary for the

future of the working space it is interesting to observe the shift in ranking of critical thinking and

creativity from the results in 2015 to 2020 (see below).


It is clear that given the conditions of the working environment coupled with the economic

situation the expectations on the employees ability to contribute are different to previous times. We

are entering the fourth Industrial Revolution. The demands of the workplace have changed but the

way in which people interact with one another have not altered hugely. There is a need for this to

also move with the times as more critical thinking will be called upon to solve new and challenging

questions that form part of this revolution and where technology is quickly changing everything we

do especially with forthcoming developments on artificial intelligence.


CONCLUSIONS

There is little more rewarding then to see employees flourishing in their roles and adding value

to the Company in a motivated manner where the motivation and engagement comes truly from

themselves however it takes a lot to be a good coach manager/internal coach and really what it

comes to to is sticking to the basic and fundamental skills of any coach in any role such as deep

listening, building a good rapport, non-judgemental, always having the coachees agenda as

paramount, applying good questioning.

The old models of hierarchical command and control has proved to be rather ineffective, and

with the rapidly changing business environment we now live in it has been necessary for Companies

to look at how they operate and address the challenges within the organisation. The obvious first

challenge was decline in profits but underlying that were keys elements that together could make up

a formula for more successful business results. Many of which were and still are simple and cost

free to change such as employee engagement, team building, addressing internal conflicts, employee

values, employee career progression and many more. The old carrot and stick method of just paying

a good salary in exchange for performance is no longer what employees are looking for. In fact I

would dare to say that whilst a good salary is important, Companies who are addressing the

aforementioned issues through the use of coaches in their companies are getting a good reputation in

the market for it and are furthermore getting better results from employees as well as better staff

retention. Overall a win-win scenario.

“Employers need to work much harder on understanding this generation and appealing to their

needs to attract and retain. However they also need to accept that a rate of millennial churn may be

inevitable and build this into their manpower planning.” source PCW survey : Millennials at work

Reshaping the workplace. There is little doubt that the workplace will continue to be a difficult

environment in the coming years and that coaches will have a role to play in navigating Leaders and

Managers through these choppy waters whether they are internally or externally recruited.


I personally believe that the coaching industry will become regulated in the next decade and with

that will come a higher standard in the quality of coaching. Same time coaching will become even

more mainstream serving the Corporate environment in particular and with this I believe that greater

resources and funding will be dedicated to coaching all tiers of the workforce which will in turn

build a very different sort of Company however one that is more encompassing of the values of

individuals and communities which will in turn create an environment of satisfaction for the

individual, more motivation to succeed not only for him/herself but for the Company at large.

More than that I believe that coaching is still a relatively new phenomenon and Employers and

Employees don't yet fully understand how powerful it really can be. As such we as coaches are

pioneers in our field and as the industry is expected to grow even further I expect to see coaches

having a responsibility to educate the public at large. Coaches need to unite together and work on a

collaborative basis to share expertise and experiences for the sake of building the professional image

of coaching and a network of fellow-minded coaches is important for us to exchange ideas and keep

us constantly staying honest to ourselves about our skills and whether we are offering the best level

of coaching at any given time. with the backdrop of the fourth industrial revolution, VUCA and new

findings on the brain the speed at which information and its relevance is changing is extremely fast

which highlights even more the necessity to have the opportunity to collaborate with deep thinkers

in our profession.

We are living in extremely exciting times. We are on the verge of a technological explosion

the likes of which has never been witnessed before. The first self-drive cars are being tested and will

shortly come into circulation. How this one invention will change how so many industries

fundamentally operate is phenomenal e.g. insurance sector. We need to draw on the resources and

creativity of all our talent to find solutions for these new challenges and simply the old business

models will not work. Here in Switzerland there are a number of Companies that are already

embracing such change and finding the results phonenomal. e.g. SwissRe, SBB (national rail

service). The big risk is to unprepared Employers however will be as soon as we see economic

conditions improve there will be an increase of de-motivated employs and of course an increased

risk of staff turnover since loyalty is also much more fluid with this generation.


In closing coaches in the workplace have a bright future as the workforce realign to new ways

of interacting and bring results to their company going forward. It is the writers belief that both

internal and external Coaches will continue to be in high demand to serve all tiers of the Company

structure suitable to their talents and ability but fundamentally to enhance Company performance

and employee engagement. This will not be without challenge however where the Company culture

supports the coaching ethos the opportunity for success will be a great reward for all parties.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

6th Ridler Report May 2016, Strategic Trends in the use of Coaching by Clive Mann

The Integral Business Leadership Group, http://www.businessintegral.com/what-is-coaching/

Stress and Balance, Claudia Kraaz, Burnout: Phenomenon or Reality? 12 May 2016

http://www.stressandbalance.ch/en/2016/05/12/burnout-phenomenon-or-reality/

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-16314901

Judith Heerwagen, article dated 10-05-2016 https://www.scribd.com/document/293231366/The-

Changing-Nature-of-Organizations-Work-and-Workplace-Whole-Building-Design-Guide-pdf

www.PWC.com study from 2011, Millennials at work Reshaping the workplace

Sherpa Coaching LLC, 10th Annual coaching survey

The Conference Boards Global Executive Coaching Survey, Sept 6, 2016

https://www.conference-board.org/executive-coaching/

Manager as Coach, the new way to get results, Jenny Rogers with Karen Whittleworth & Andrew

Gilbert 2012 ISBN-13: 978-0-077-14018-2 (pb)

SHRN Society for Human Management, author Kathy Gurchiek 19/09/16

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/organizational-and-employee-

development/pages/does-your-organization-use-internal-coaches.aspx

Leadership Team Coaching, Developing Collective Transformational Leadership, 3rd Edition 2017,

Mr. Peter Hawkins ISBN: 978 0 7494 7849 0

https://www.scribd.com/document/293231366/The-Changing-Nature-of-Organizations-Work-and-Workplace-Whole-Building-Design-Guide-pdfhttps://www.scribd.com/document/293231366/The-Changing-Nature-of-Organizations-Work-and-Workplace-Whole-Building-Design-Guide-pdfhttp://www.pwc.com/https://www.conference-board.org/executive-coaching/https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/organizational-and-employee-development/pages/does-your-organization-use-internal-coaches.aspxhttps://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/organizational-and-employee-development/pages/does-your-organization-use-internal-coaches.aspx


Gallup Research, blog Its not you, its me : supporting workplace inclusion, author Jane Miller dated

19/10/17

http://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/220649/not-supporting-workplace-inclusion.aspx

The Coaches Training Institute 2012, Being an Internal Coach http://www.coactive.com/learning-

hub/fundamentals/res/FUN-Topics/FUN-Being-an-Internal-Coach.pdf

Mackintosh 2003, http://www.coachingnetwork.org.uk/information-

portal/Articles/ViewArticle.asp?artId=37

Brilliant Coaching, Pearson Education 2008, Julie Starr ISBN: 978-0-273-71735-5

Human Resources Today

http://www.humanresourcestoday.com/coaching/examples/?open-article-id=4729973&article-

title=leadership-coaching--what-type--who-gets-it--who-does-it-&blog-domain=decision-

wise.com&blog-title=decision-wise

Coaching Skills for leaders in the workplace, 2nd edition 2016, Jackie Arnold

ISBN: 978-1-84528-568-5

World Economic Forum,

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-10-skills-you-need-to-thrive-in-the-fourth-industrial-

revolution/

http://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/220649/not-supporting-workplace-inclusion.aspxhttp://www.coachingnetwork.org.uk/information-portal/Articles/ViewArticle.asp?artId=37http://www.coachingnetwork.org.uk/information-portal/Articles/ViewArticle.asp?artId=37http://www.humanresourcestoday.com/coaching/examples/?open-article-id=4729973&article-title=leadership-coaching--what-type--who-gets-it--who-does-it-&blog-domain=decision-wise.com&blog-title=decision-wisehttp://www.humanresourcestoday.com/coaching/examples/?open-article-id=4729973&article-title=leadership-coaching--what-type--who-gets-it--who-does-it-&blog-domain=decision-wise.com&blog-title=decision-wisehttp://www.humanresourcestoday.com/coaching/examples/?open-article-id=4729973&article-title=leadership-coaching--what-type--who-gets-it--who-does-it-&blog-domain=decision-wise.com&blog-title=decision-wise

About Noble Manhattan Coaching Ltd.

As the longest established company that trains Professional Life Coaches and Executive Coaches in the world

(first registered 1993 ) and well-established leaders in the field of personal development. We have, for years,

worked with both individuals and companies to raise their level of self-empowerment and achievement. We

are delighted that Starting in October 2010 we have begun working with strategic partners and licensed

distributors worldwide and are now delighted to be trading in 27 countries around the globe.

Our motto is “fortune favours the prepared mind” and all of our courses, presentations and products are

aimed at providing you with the mindset you need to make the most of the life ahead of you. We firmly

believe everyone has the ability to be, do and have anything they desire. So if you have the willingness to learn

we can provide the rest.

If you are interested in getting an international qualification to become a qualified coach, please get in touch –

[email protected]

Noble Manhattan Coaching Ltd. Divisions and Opportunities

Noble Media –

Noble Media is here to help all coaches (both aspiring and practicing), personal development

specialists, business owners/managers and everyone involved in the professional and personal

growth sector enhance their practices. We offer two sections; ‘Market’ and ‘Improve’. If you are

looking to market yourself, or your business, we have teamed up with a number of media outlets that

may suit your needs. If you are looking to improve yourself or your business, we have teamed up with

two of the most successful training, and peer-to-peer networking groups.

Noble Media is always searching for regional managers to sell products in their areas, for more

information please contact [email protected]

The International Coaching News –

The International Coaching News is an online magazine created by leading figures in the coaching

world. It has been developed to aid everyone in all areas of coaching and personal development;

provide essential information for any practicing or future coach; and encourages visitors and

subscribers to interact with us on general points of interest and suggestions.

International Coaching News is a quarterly online magazine which caters to a person’s need for self-

development. ICN also delivers the latest news about the coaching world where coaches, future

coaches and subscribers are always updated. With ICN, one will have the chances to read different

perspectives in coaching, how and why coaching is disparate from counseling and therapy, and the

profit one can gain with coaching not only as a way for personal development but also as a business

advantage.

The International Coaching News has a number of opportunities, from advertising to submitting

articles. For more information, please get in touch – [email protected]

Coach Radio International –

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

Coach Radio International is the worlds’ largest online radio platform for the coaching and

personal/professional development world. Coach Radio International streams a number of pre-

recorded radio shows 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each recording can be listened to again, both

online and offline.

Anyone in the personal/professional development world is able to purchase their own show and

become a Coach Radio International presenter.

Coach Radio International has a number of opportunities, from jingles/advertising to submitting your

own show. For more information, please get in touch – [email protected]

Coach Finder –

Coach Finder is one of the worlds’ largest online coaching and personal/professional development

directories in the world. Registration is completely free, or you have the option to upgrade for just

£2+VAT a month.

For more information, or to register for your free listing, head to www.Coach-Finder.com

The Coaching Blog –

The Coaching Blog, run by master coach, Gerard O’Donovan.

Within this unique blog, you will come across thoughts and postings from the worlds’ leading thinkers

in the coaching, leadership, management, personal development and fulfillment world.

We understand how difficult it is to keep up with countless blogs and newsletters and actually keep

track of them all, which is why The Coaching Blog will deliver an aggregation of all the top thinkers’

thoughts and posts.

By marketing in the Coaching Blog, you will reach a wide audience of business professionals, many of

whom are looking to receive professional and executive coaching for their businesses.

The Coaching Blog is now accepting sponsored submissions, for more information please contact

[email protected]

Ebooks For Coaches –

E-books for coaches is an initiative and idea created by Gerard O’Donovan, the owner and founder of

Noble Manhattan Coaching and the CEO of the IIC (The International Institute of Coaching).

As part of his vision and quest to help coaches to be all that they can be, and to assist them both on

the road to mastery within the profession and to build a large sustainable and financially rewarding

practice, he wanted to create a site where coaches could easily access information that would be of

huge interest and benefit to qualified coaches and student coaches alike.

You are welcome to place an Ebook on the website to be sold, or to give away for free as part of your

marketing scheme. For more information, please contact [email protected]

The Alpha Group –

The Alpha Group consists of peer-to-peer mastermind advisory boards targeted at business owners

and managers helping them continue to thrive and make it to the “next level” wherever that may be

for them.

mailto:[email protected]://www.coach-finder.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

The Alpha Group brings together entrepreneurs for peer-to-peer exchange and support in a unique,

member-driven experience. Business owners and Managing Directors worldwide can be part of an

exclusive group of qualified executives to brainstorm strategies, and realise the potential of increasing

profit and growth.

Top professionals have teamed up with Noble Manhattan, a well-established leader in the coaching

industry, and are anxious to take your success to the next level. Our Alpha Group Directors are

specifically trained through The Alpha GOLD™ business growth strategies which can be applied to

every aspect of any business.

For more information on the Alpha Group, including how you can get involved, please contact

[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]

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