Impact: The Value of the Right Coach
I recently received a phone call from a former associate of mine. While he’d never directly reported to me, he was one I took under my wing, coached and mentored. He was like a sponge, always eager to learn and grow, both from myself and other leaders. We had not worked together for almost two years when he called, so excited to share a recent promotion he’d had. He shared that he wanted to thank me for supporting his growth, attributed this latest promotion, in part to my coaching. I was humbled beyond belief. He is a great leader, earning his way to each promotion and I felt unworthy of such praise. But it gave me pause, as a reminder of the impact we have on those we coach; either formally or informally. True impact lasts long, beyond the coaching as a rewarding gift for both the client and the coach.
There are roughly 20,000 accredited professional and business coaches currently in the industry. While these trained professionals exist, many companies have internal coaching programs or mentorships. When forced, with no connection between the coach and the person being coached, there is little impact. I remember my company had a formal mentor program about a dozen years ago, where we were paired randomly as mentor and mentee. I was assigned a mentor that I felt no connection to, that quite honestly made me feel like I was bothering him. But I loved the idea of having a mentor, so I went and found one on my own. I felt a connection to the CIO, so I marched up to his C-suite and asked him to mentor me. Bold, but thankfully he agreed. He made time for me and listened. He made me feel his full support in how he reacted and offered his wisdom while helping me draw on my own. His genuineness in every conversation we had, has had long-lasting impact on me.
According to the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Executive Coaching is close to a $20B business and is growing at an exceptional rate annually. While companies are navigating the long-term effects of the pandemic in employee satisfaction and retention, many simply don’t have bandwidth to invest their own resources to coaching. Companies are turning to outside resources, coaching experts, who work with clients all day long. A better fit can be made between the client and the coach with such a vast network.
Think about those who have had lasting impact on you professionally. They probably have helped shape you to the leader you are today. You most likely have had both positive and negative impact experiences. Are you currently surrounding yourself with people with positive impact? This is where professional coaching comes in. As an individual, finding the right coach can level up the positive impact for you as an employee and for the contribution you make to your company. As a leader, investing in your employees with coaching, has lasting impact on your commitment to them.
