SUMMARY
Is cannot be denied that the coaching industry does much good in the field of executive coaching. Coaching works wonders for executives who are stuck and need a partner to broaden their awareness so that they can go from good to excellent. Currently, one of the best ways for an executive to find a coach is to receive a referral from a trusted advisor.
Yet despite the evidence that coaching makes a significant change in executive.s. business skills and personal lives, it is still seen as an unsteady industry in its infantile state. Standardization is the best way to build a strong reputation and give coaching the standing it deserves among executives. Should standardization be achieved, it would accelerate coaching from an infantile stage into a well established, respectable field stocked only with truly qualified professionals.
Standardization is not to make the coaching industry into something it is not. Standardization is to show exactly what the coaching industry is by having a consistent way of measuring how coaching positively affects those being coached. It is giving the executive world a way to distinguish a good coach from a defective coach without having to rely only on opinions (referrals) that come from partnering companies or other trusted associates.
The call for standardization starts with a few independent coaches or small coaching companies getting together to form a reliable brand of consistent coaching. A strong leader should be appointed from among this new partnership. The leader and all parties involved should then define the profession (i.e., show what coaching is so clearly that others claiming to be coaches will have to be compared to the measure that is established in this partnership). ICF is already beginning to do exactly this.
Once the definition of what coaching is all about has been established, methods for measuring this standard must be set in place. Measures could range from the tools that are used and their effectiveness to 360 degree feedback evaluations, to educational background of coaches, (psychological or otherwise) to certifications or accreditations. Some may argue that certifications and tools do not make good coaches, but rather it is the personality traits and other immeasurable internal aspects that do. This is true, but the same could be said of doctors: just because a person passes medical school does not make them a good doctor. There may be those out there that are very good at healing others that do not have a medical degree, but they cannot lawfully practice medicine in most countries. So it should be also for coaching: if an individual does not take time to go through some rigorous training to learn and meet industry standards, they should not claim the title of “coach”.
Once coaching has been defined and standards set, the next step is to measure success in the coaching process. This will be the most difficult area to set measurable standards due to the fact that so much of the outcome in a coaching session depends on the client and/or coachee. The measures for success should focus on the coach only. This suggestion instantly eliminates things such as return on investment or reduction of lag time from the list of possible measurements because those will depend on both the client and coachee. Measures should include items such as the level of confidentiality maintained, how well topics for coaching subjects are being addressed, and whether ethical and professional standards were met.
The day will come when coaching is more unified and strong due to the standardization of the industry. It may be some time off yet, but it will come as there is an increased necessity for a reliable product from coaching.
References
Berglas, S. (2002). The Very Real Dangers of Executive Coaching. Harvard Business Review, 80(6), 86-93.
Buckingham, W. (2012). Life Coaching Qualifications How to Get Them. Retrieved from http://www.all-about-becoming-a-life-coach.com/life-coaching-qualifications.html.
Coutu, D., Kauffman, C., Charan, R., Peterson, D., Maccoby, M., Scoular, A., & Grant, A. (2009). What Can Coaches Do for You? Harvard Business Review. 87(1), 91-97.Sherman, S., & Freas, A. (2004). The Wild West of Executive Coaching. Harvard
Business Review, 82(11), 82-90