Business Coaching
Introduction
A group of part-time MBA students of the Hong Kong University, participating in a research on the prospect and market potential of Business Coaching in Asian countries, wrote to this Personal Coach / Organisation Coach, for assistance in providing them some information and insights on "Business Coaching". This is an interesting discussion (Coaching!?). Hence it is posted here to share with the Internet Community.
My Reply ....
You have asked a string of long questions. These questions may take me quite a while to answer, while most of the clues to your questions can be found in various articles of this homepage of mine. (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5621).
I have in mind a few more articles to address some of your questions e.g.
- a) The Psychology of Coaching Fee
- b) The Psychology of Coaching recipients
- c) The Motivation of the Coach and those being Coached - What driving force?
There are many other of my insights (e.g. Coaching Principles) derived from numerous coaching sessions in the Knowledge database of Outsights (See also What is Outsights?)
A few of important issues raised by you:
" Many bear-foot tycoons are found in Asia they did not receive much education but successfully established a sound business under their effort and good chances in Asia in the past. Due to the growing complexity of business world, however, they need to train up themselves to cope with the fast changing world. "
I think many organisation will perish (whether Chinese, or American, or others). All will go through a stage like war-torn scene, with a few (very few) strong organisations emerging to show and lead the ways for others. The factors behind such mental model are described in some of my articles in my homepage (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5621)
When Organisations perish, so do employee - what remains is Learning Individuals and Learning organisations. And Learning Society is still a long long way to go. (Refer my article on Employee Paradigm : How applicable in the 21st century? and Reflection on Explosion
Western companies are looking for best buys among the Asian companies after the economic turmoil here. We expect that the family-ruling style will be phased out and American management concepts will be booming in Asian companies. It requires the new management generation to be well adapted to leadership and self-improvement training. These opportunities post the needs of executive coaching.
The fundamental assumptions of the above need verification!
- a) American Management will over-ride the rest!?
- b) Hence the need for executive coaching, as a result of a)!?
That is, I have different theories to the above, hence my understanding of the concept of Business Coaching is totally different with different basics or foundation.See of my articles in this homepage
Project Goals: Define Executive / Business Coaching by reviewing the most popular programs currently offered in the world Identify the benefits to both organisation and individual executives, in light of world-wide change in managerial requirements as well as specific demands in Asia Pacific Evaluate the cost of coaching executives, and the major issues for introducing the program in Asia.
There is the danger of making purely academic comparison study, from which some conclusions are made. There is need for some underlying theories on "What is Business Coaching?" for "What Purpose?" and in "What CONTEXT" or "What Current Management Paradigm"?
A good thought in the above direction will path the way for the rest of your intended project work.
I pick up a few interesting questions from you for discussion" (as most of others questions are addressed in my homepage articles)
What do you think are the major criteria / reasons for your customers to choose your service instead of the competitors?
Main reason is the "customers' own current paradigm" - entanglement in their current management MESS, can't see or blind to any source of light, all the more wanting quick fixes and short cut for quick profit. All the more they go after the "competitors - one after another", the so called Management fads, guru, consultants, some called themselves "Coaches"......
How do your customers pay for the fee, personal money or company sponsorship? On effort basis or result basis the cost structure?
My customers pay me fee based on their own perception and judgement as how much the coaching is worth to their personal being or organisations, towards they own defined goal, mission or vision. As you have stated earlier on increasing business complexity, there is blurred line between personal and organisational domains : hence overlap and fusion between personal money or company sponsorship.
If we would sell your services to our own organisation, how do you think we should approach?
Start with a single entity : a person, or a group of people, or an organisation, ... when he or she or they see the need of a Personal Coach / Organisation Coach, in order to realise self actualisation : for personal or the entity concerned.
Project Motivation: In our understanding, most Asian executives in his/her 40�s are lack of leadership training. We believe that this is an era to work smart instead of to work hard. How can we make these people to be aware of the need to improve themselves? How can we convince them that �Executive Coaching� can help them?
My views:
It is more than an issue of Leadership Training.
I encourage your to think deeper on your statements " How can we make these people to be aware of the need to improve themselves? How can we convince them that �Executive Coaching� can help them?", i.e.
- a) There is a tendency to divide the world in two groups : Aware-Group and Un-Aware-Group : Next important Question : "AWARE of what exactly and in What" context?
- b) You used the word "convince them", try "INFLUENCE them".
Compare executive coaching against other popular programs that aim to develop and enhance leadership's capabilities
Seem overly focus on Leadership's capabilities - a skewed and tilted emphasis and not aiming to strike a balanced harmony of all aspects of human capacity and capabilities..
Most of the questions below are addressed in my homepage articles.
- What is the background of your current clients ? (education, position in the companies, income level, age group etc.)
- How do you describe coaching?
- What do you provide in terms of service?
- What are the values that your services can add to an executive or his/her firm?
- Why do they need coaching?
- Why did they choose your services?
- In your view, what concerns / anxiety would your clients have when they chose your service (secrecy, lack of self-confidence, face,�.)
- How long does the package of service usually last for?
- Your average customer retention rate?
- Can you share with us your view and vision on the market this year world-wide and in Asia Pacific?
This page will be appended with more information if there are further interesting discussions taking place. Please come back and re-visit.
End.
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By Andrew Wong, 16th March.1998
COPYRIGHT @ 1998
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