Top professionals who feel trapped in their positions, middle managers who are ready to ascend to the top and fatigued go-getters who are in search of a change of pace could make things happen by finding themselves executive coaches.
Nowadays coaching appears to be the hottest tool to tackle personal growth and develop challenges in the workplace across the globe.
“Coaching is the fastest growing industry in the world,” says Bryan Hattingh, CEO of Cyan, a strategic talent management company based in Sandton.
Executive coaching is different from therapy, mentoring or counselling in that it is not remedial. It is about creating a self-awareness that would enhance performance in a person’s personal and work life.
Hattingh explains: “Coaching is about helping people to catch a glimpse of what they can be. It is not about telling people what to do; it is about helping them to discover themselves. I can tell you all kinds of things about yourself, but the fact that you agree does not mean you will act on it. Until you have a revelation, you are not going to change your behaviour.”
“What you want to do [through coaching] is to introduce meaningful behavioural change. It could be a catalyst to rethink our lives. People should not have to become disabled or encounter death or crime to reconsider their lives,” says Hattingh.
A prerequisite for the changes that coaching brings about, adds Hattingh, is to have a true coach: someone who has the interests of the person being coached wholly at heart and who is completely selfless.
Does this sound a bit airy-fairy?
Hattingh quickly debunks the notion. Coaching must have clear-cut business outcomes, he says, which could include goals for the employee such as becoming more assertive, heightened emotional intelligence, tackling change, understanding your role in the company better or improved communication.
“You can coach someone out of perfectionism, which may inhibit their growth. This could lead to an inability to delegate and overshooting deadlines,” he explains.
Besides the direct benefits for the company, in terms of enhanced performance levels and profitability, the positive outcomes reach beyond the workstations and offices of those participating. It does affect people’s personal lives, strengthening marriages and family relationships.
Testimonials from executives following a coaching experience suggest the wide-ranging impact that coaching could have. A top executive at Mutual & Federal wrote:
“[The coaching] has undoubtedly affected my personal life and career in a most positive way I would never have thought possible at the outset. This journey to date has been most insightful and has had a deep effect on my outlook on life and my future career in general. It has reinforced my confidence and has brought about change in a way that has been so easy to accept and adapt to.”
In her testimonial, another executive at Deutsche Bank said: “Throughout the programme you walked alongside me and gave me enough light through your probing and giving feedback, which helped me navigate the valleys and hills of the being that I am.”
Cyan has been providing coaching to professionals in a wide range of sectors, including mining, banking, retail, IT, health and engineering.
Hattingh believes the focused nature of coaching could have greater benefits for the individual and the company than business education such as short courses and MBAs.
However, he says there is a role and a place for an MBA as it does not necessarily turn people into better employees unless they are very clear about why they are doing them.
He also questions the ability of business schools to teach some of the qualities that companies are looking for. Leadership, for instance, demands qualities such as integrity and passion.
These cannot necessarily be developed through education, but through coaching, employees are given the opportunity to look inward to understand why they make certain choices, ultimately making them better leaders.
“Coaching is a phenomenal programme for accelerating leadership,” says Hattingh.
Moreover, compared to the cost of an MBA and the potential loss of income if you pursue a full-time qualification, finding your own executive coach may be more affordable.
An MBA at an institution in South Africa can cost up to R100 000, excluding international travel, and an international MBA could be more than double that amount.
Hattingh believes the return on investment on the R60 000 is 500% if not 700% when one considers the indirect “life” and “psychological” benefits for the employee.