| Leadership development in the form of Executive | | | | - Direct and honest feedback and reflection |
| Coaching has well and truly arrived in Singapore, | | | | - Discovering the root cause of an issue |
| but what is it and what qualities do you look for in | | | | - Pushing the boundaries of the client's comfort |
| a good Coach? | | | | zone |
| Four years ago a small band of qualified Coaches | | | | - Co-creating action plans with the client |
| formed a local chapter of the International Coach | | | | - Tracking goals and progress |
| Federation, a global, self regulating body for | | | | - Identifying behavioural changes that will positively |
| professional Coaches. There were just twelve | | | | impact performance |
| members and we met at the chapter President's | | | | - Providing support and encouragement over an |
| apartment. Now there are more than one | | | | extended term, typically six months |
| hundred, a mixture of Life, Career, Business and | | | | The key difference between coaching and other |
| Executive Coaches with varying degrees of | | | | forms of human development is that solutions, |
| training and experience. So what has happened to | | | | plans and ideas for positive change come from |
| bring about such rapid growth in the coaching | | | | the person being coached, not the Coach. The |
| profession and where does it fit in the overall | | | | Coach may share past experience or provide |
| scheme of human development interventions? | | | | skilfully timed prompts, but ultimately it is the |
| One of the primary drivers of coaching's arrival in | | | | client who provides answers and commits to |
| Singapore is the availability of Coach training locally. | | | | action. Another difference with coaching is that |
| Coaches no longer have to go to Australia, | | | | the Coach/client relationship is completely |
| Europe or the USA to get their basic training. | | | | confidential, to the same degree as that of a |
| Secondly, many MNCs in Singapore have used | | | | client and lawyer. It is in this atmosphere, over |
| coaching as a global management development | | | | the course of a coaching engagement that a client |
| strategy for years and until recently have had no | | | | builds the confidence to share ideas and even |
| choice but to fly Coaches in from elsewhere to | | | | anxieties or insecurities with the Coach, in the |
| assist with management development plans. | | | | certain knowledge that nothing said in a coaching |
| Companies previously unfamiliar with the benefits | | | | session will leave the room without his or her |
| of coaching are now starting to catch on and | | | | permission. |
| Singapore government agencies have also | | | | When engaging an Executive Coach, what |
| enthusiastically embraced coaching to boost | | | | attributes should you look for? Coaches come |
| leadership performance at senior levels. Hence | | | | from many different backgrounds but in order to |
| there is a ready market for those local Coaches, | | | | understand the human dynamics and politics in |
| now professionally qualified. | | | | large organisations they have typically held |
| Having said the market is growing, there is still a | | | | reasonably senior positions in major corporations. |
| certain mystique and a number of misconceptions | | | | To ensure you are engaging a competent Coach, |
| surrounding coaching and how it works. It is | | | | used to dealing with senior management, ask who |
| regularly confused with training, consulting, | | | | some of their customers are and at what level |
| mentoring and counselling. Some brief definitions | | | | they have coached. They will not tell you the |
| may help to clarify the differences. | | | | name of individual clients but they will probably not |
| Training usually takes place in a group setting and | | | | have a problem naming corporations that have |
| is designed to transfer new skills and knowledge | | | | engaged them. By all means ask about their |
| from the trainer to the participants. Training may | | | | industry background but don't be put off if they |
| be followed by various methods of reinforcing the | | | | were not in the same industry as the person |
| skills learned, but often training is short term with | | | | they will coach. Remember, coaches do not need |
| little or no follow-up. | | | | to be subject matter experts. However, ask |
| Consultants possess specialist knowledge of a | | | | about their formal Coach training and do not |
| particular industry or function. They apply that | | | | accept vague answers. If they have not gone |
| knowledge to issues within an organisation and | | | | through a formal Coach training programme, they |
| charge a fee based on time and content delivered. | | | | are not Coaches. However, if a Coach is ICF |
| A Mentor, is usually someone within an | | | | accredited then it is a sure guarantee that they |
| organisation who passes on functional and | | | | have undergone minimum levels of formal training, |
| organisational knowledge and experience to | | | | have a good degree of experience and have |
| someone internally who has less knowledge and | | | | undergone an accreditation examination. |
| experience. | | | | To find a Coach, a good source is either the global |
| A Counsellor typically assists someone suffering | | | | ICF web site, or the local chapter site, You will |
| from an emotional disturbance due to some past | | | | find a variety of Coaches on the local site including |
| event to come to terms with the past and return | | | | Executive, Life and Career Coaches with different |
| to a stable, normally functioning emotional state. | | | | levels of experience, targeting different market |
| A Coach on the other hand, assumes that he or | | | | sectors. Some work on a private basis with |
| she is dealing with a normally functioning human | | | | individuals, while others only contract with |
| being. Coaching conversations are always future | | | | corporate bodies. If you are an HR or Learning |
| orientated. Unlike trainers, consultants or mentors, | | | | and Development professional responsible for |
| they may have no knowledge of the function or | | | | engaging Coaches on behalf of your company, try |
| industry in which the client works. Coaches are | | | | to meet a number of qualified Coaches and then |
| not subject matter experts in that sense. Their | | | | let the coachee choose which one to work with |
| expertise lies in core skills designed to help a client | | | | from your shortlist. |
| achieve peak performance. They do this by | | | | When used as part of an overall leadership |
| assisting clients to discover new and more | | | | development plan Coaching can produce dramatic |
| effective ways of going about their work to | | | | upgrades in performance, better internal and |
| achieve results that meet or exceed their own, | | | | external relationships and higher levels of |
| as well as their employer's expectations. Such | | | | confidence and self-awareness in the coachee. |
| core skills include: | | | | Wise investment in coaching is ultimately |
| - Empathising and creating rapport | | | | evidenced in the goal of all businesses, a healthier |
| - Powerful questioning | | | | bottom line. |
| - Active and intuitive listening | | | | |