Why Top Performers Need A Coach

Tiger Woods has always had one. Most serious atheles, entertainers, movie stars and politicians have one. And a maority of senior executives have one. A coach. Coaching has become the hottest new profession in the past decade and it's growing. There are all kinds of coaches--from mom's working at home coaches to career coaches to CEO coaches.

 So can anyone benefit from having a coach? What can they do for you?

In my articles in the National Post, and the Vancouver Board of Trade,Sounding Board, I argued executive coaching, also called business or corporate coaching, is an outgrowth of leadership development programs. According to the Harvard Business Review, executive and business coaching is worth $1 billion annually in North America.

Although coaching has been gaining widespread acceptance by organizations in the l990’s, it has only been in recent years that it has flourished. Companies have hired professional executive and business coaches because:

•  of the increase in executive stress and failure;
• corporate leaders require more complex skills today;
• executives and managers face more stringent performance assessments;
• the old command-and-control style of leadership is out of sync with the younger, more inner-directed and culturally diverse workforce;
• the economic realities of short-term financial success and failure of the current model of capitalism has put executives under stress.

Recently, Diane Coutu and Carol Kauffman in an article in the Harvard Business Review, conclude that most companies have moved beyond using coaches to fix problem employees to now developing the capabilities of high performing achievers. While executive or business coaches are often hired to deal with leadership or business issues, the most effective coaches invariably delve into the client's personal life from an integrated holistic perspective.

The criteria used to choose a coach is important. Because coaching has no regulatory professional standards, the knowledge, skills and experience of coaches vary widely, with their fees ranging from pro bono to thousands of dollars per hour. Professionals in other more traditional professions such as psychologists, accountants, financial advisors and others are now gravitating to the coaching profession, as well.

Coaching training is not a guarantee for an effective coach, as the quality of coaching training programs varies widely. In my view, an in-depth knowledge of human behavior and performance, combined with actual leadership experience is a prerequisite for providing the kind of coaching expertise that a high performing executive, business owner or professional needs. And the coach needs to have the knowledge of how to inspire, motivate and challenge a top performer by expanding their strengths, rather than focusing on weakness, and having the confidence and courage to confront an already successful individual, so they can both achieve that next level of excellence, or address issues of work-life balance and personal growth.

There is no doubt that a highly skilled coach can be a trusted adviser and mentor, and provide for the client an oasis of calm where the individual can share dreams, share fears and concerns and cooperatively develop a plan to reach greater levels of success and happiness.

So now the question is if coaches are of great benefit for senior executives in organizations, with clear evidence of their positive impact, why don't companies make available coaches for all employees as a more effective method of delivering training and improving performance? It may be a better ROI decision that traditional training.

And in the absence of organizations making that commitment, the smart employee can use a personal coach as a most effective means for personal and professional growth. 

Ray Williams is Co-Founder of Success IQ University and President of Ray Williams Associates, companies located in Phoenix and Vancouver, providing leadership development, personal growth and executive development services. www.successiqu.com