AMA Study Finds More Use of High-Level Coaching

I came across this article through American Management Association on coaching and thought it would be great to share.

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Thu Jul 10, 2008 6:41 pm (PDT)
AMA Study Finds More Use of High-Level Coaching
by Agatha Gilmore

Today, many organizations aim to grow by accelerating talent development as much as possible. According to a new study by the American ManagementAssociation (AMA), coaching has become one increasingly popular way to do it.

The study, "Coaching: A Global Study of Successful Practices," surveyed more than 1,000 business leaders around the world and found use of coaching as a means of increasing individual productivity was up. Nearly 60 percent of North American companies use coaching for high potentials frequently or a great deal, and about 42 percent use coaching of executives to the same extent. These percentages were higher in the international sample.

Contrarily, only 37 percent of North American respondents and less than 30 percent of international respondents said they used coaching to help problem employees.

"We're all expecting more out of individual performers," said Edward Reilly,president and CEO of AMA. "I think coaching has been found to be another effective tool in terms of talent development, and it makes sense to investin that type of development. It's also pretty clear that the reduction [incoaching for low performers] comes from trend to learner, more competitive companies with probably less tolerance for long-term carrying of people whoare not performing. Extensive amounts of intervention are probably not as common as they might have been a decade or two ago.

"The study's findings also tie into issues surrounding Generation Yemployees' entry into the workforce. These young workers are known for their social networking and their need for mentoring and guidance. Coaching is notonly desired but expected by Gen Yers, but many recognize it's something they must earn in today's marketplace.

"I think younger people see [coaching] as an important part of their long-term deal with the company," Reilly said. "Part of their compensationis the company's efforts to develop them as individuals and as managers."The AMA study also found the type of coaching offered has an impact on theeffect. For example, it appears external coaches can be more individually effective, while internal coaches tend to be more cost-efficient in the longterm.

"[I]nternal coaches often provide lower cost of services, exhibit more consistency in methods and understand the organizational culture," said theAMA study. "However, they may also be perceived as less credible. Leaders may consider internal coaches to be less confidential.

"The study's authors cite a 2007 report titled "Executive Coaching for Results," in which 59 percent of leaders indicated a preference for external coaches, while only 12 percent preferred internal coaches.

"External coaches can bring greater objectivity, fresher perspectives, higher levels of confidentiality and experience in many different organizations, industries and business environments, " they wrote.

Regardless of what kind of coaches an organization chooses, the AMA study showed, in these troubled economic times, organizations likely will find more value than ever in leveraging coaching.

"Generally speaking, our team believes that coaching will continue to expand and mature as an important leadership development practice," said the authors. "We expect that coaching will become one of the keys to developing and retaining scarce talent in the future, and we think companies that learn to leverage it well will have a significant competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

"To see a full copy of the free AMA study, visit www.amanet.org and register to view the materials.

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Reggie Waller is president of RWJ Consulting Group, LLC, which provides business and personal coaching, consulting and training services to individuals and businesses. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit www.rwjconsultinggroup.com

We all have had a Derek Redmond moment!!!

When things are not going the way you expected, will you stop and go no further or will YOU be like Derek Redmond (1992 Olympics 400m) and finish what you started?

When we set out on our journey in life, sometimes things happen that are unforeseen. At any point, we need to make adjustments as these situations occur. We can't always do it alone and need the support of others to get us back on track.

Share your Derek Redmond moment and what you did to overcome your obstacle.

xxx

RWJ Consulting Group, LLC, provides consulting, coaching and training services to individuals, entrepreneurs, not-for-profits and corporations. For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit www.rwjconsultinggroup.com

What will you discover when you focus on the journey?

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity, but in doing it." - Greg Anderson –

I came across this quote a few years ago that I still keep in front of me to remind me of the people, places and things that I have come across. Be in the PRESENT and enjoy the MOMENT!

As I converse with people throughout my journey, I find that a fair portion live their life looking to get to the destination and miss the important and valuable things that take place during the journey. What are you missing or overlooking during your journey (i.e. appreciation of the person(s) you’re sharing the experience with, the knowledge you gained, how you were affected by the experience, etc.)?

As you go through your journey, stop for a minute, breathe and take it all in.

You’ll be surprised at what you will discover.

xxx

RWJ Consulting Group, LLC, provides consulting, coaching and training services to individuals, entrepreneurs, not-for-profits and corporations.

For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit www.rwjconsultinggroup.com

Active Listening equals Effective Listening

Recent studies conducted by the International Listening Association illustrated we retain half of what we hear and forget about half of that within 48 hours. We listen at 125-250 words per minute, but think at 1000-3000 words per minute. Truly, what kind of impact does effective listening have on your customers, employees and business associates?

As people become more busy and strive to multitask, active listening becomes secondary.
If you’re a culprit of non-active listening, you probably do three or more of the following when listening to customers, employees and business associates:

- Finish others thoughts
- Tolerate or create distractions (i.e. text messaging, check email, doodle, etc.)
- Fake paying attention to what is being said
- Create early assumptions without keeping an open mind
- Call the subject uninteresting
- Criticize the speaker or the topic being discussed

Here are a few tips to help you develop your active listening skills:

Avoid distractions. Give the speaker your full attention. As people strive to multitask, we tend to answer email through “crackberry” and do things to take us away from listening to the message.

Keep an open mind. Listen without being quick to judge the speaker delivering the message. Take the time to hear the message being communicated in its entirety.

Paraphrase. Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying. Take notes to capture the main points of what is being said. There is no need to write down word for word. Paraphrasing demonstrates that you comprehend what was said and the speaker delivering the message knows you identify with their message.

Original message:

“We received our quarterly invoice which seemed to be 20% more than the previous quarter. We have not made any changes in the amount ordered and were suppose to receive a discounted rate based on a promotion presented by your sales team”

Paraphrased:

“I understand that there may be an error in the quarterly billing you received.”

Be patient and quiet your mind. Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your thoughts as this will disturb the speaker. This may seem like a challenge, but try not to finish their statements. Be at ease with silence during conversation. If the speaker pauses, silence allows them to think about what they want to say without the disturbance of voice.

Listen between the lines. Pay attention to what is and especially isn’t said – emotions, facial expressions, gestures, posture and other non-verbal cues. Also, exhibit some non-verbal cues when you’re listening:

- Face the speaker and maintain eye contact
- Nod to show you understand
- Have engaging posture

Just like paraphrasing, it lets the speaker know you are there with them.
In business, listening is an active not passive activity. Practice these tips the next time (every time) you’re listening to a speaker. Now, you have some improved tips to effective listening let me ask you my original question again “What kind of impact does effective listening have on your REVENUES?”

Active listening … Let’s make it happen!

xxx

RWJ Consulting Group, LLC, provides consulting, coaching and training services to individuals, entrepreneurs, not-for-profits and corporations.

For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit www.rwjconsultinggroup.com.

Failure is a good thing!

Christine Comaford-Lynch, CEO of Mighty Ventures said “If you haven’t been rejected, or haven’t failed before, you simply are not taking enough risks. You aren’t stretching yourself”.

I thought that this was a great statement about not stretching our limits and taking on risks. We all hate rejection no matter the situation (i.e. loss of a big contract, not getting a raise, being passed up for a promotion, not getting into the undergraduate or graduate school of our choice, etc.). Why should I be rejected when I can save myself the embarrassment? Why not take a risk and do something you’ve never done before!!! You may be surprised of the outcome especially if you don’t fail. If you do fail, you can always learn from your mistakes, but the thing is that you learned something new.

Next time, go ahead fail and take a risk. What will you learn from the outcome?


xxx


RWJ Consulting Group, LLC, provides consulting, coaching and training services to individuals, entrepreneurs, not-for-profits and corporations.For additional information call 267-254-6800 or visit www.rwjconsultinggroup.com.