A couple of years ago, when I first set up a Coaching Business, I conducted an on line survey across all of the business contacts I had amassed over 20+ years working in various roles in the corporate world. I was amazed at how many senior managers viewed Coaching as ‘wishy washy’, ‘a waste of time’, ‘touchy feely’ or ‘American hype’. Almost all thought Coaching was a concept that related more to Life (Life Coaching) than to the business environment. But is this the correct view?

From the moment you start in a new job you begin a process of learning and developing. Management call it ‘Training and Development’. While many shudder at the word ‘Coaching’ because they associate it with what they consider to be a ‘New Agey’ concept of Life Coaching, Executive Coaching can be a vital function within any organisation.

Staff management tends to be viewed as a directive process where staff are told what to do and how to do it. Staff reviews tend to focus on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and how the staff member has measured up to them rather than tapping into (or linking with) the member’s own internal KPIs.

Every member of staff is motivated to work. They have a desire (á la Mazlow’s Hirearchy of needs) for shelter, sustenance and security. This need motivates them to work for the money they need to satisfy their most basic requirements. Once these have been satisfied, each staff member changes their motivation focus to other needs such as a new car, a holiday, etc. From an internal KPI, each staff member will measure his/her performance against how they are achieving and meeting their most basic needs in their lives i.e. what’s important to them.

As a manager, you might say “so what? I need a staff who can meet the needs of the organisation and achieve their targets (KPIs) which will benefit the organisation as a whole”, and you would be correct. However there is a way to manage the core motivation of staff while ensuring they achieve their KPIs and benefit the organisation. It involves two concepts (traditionally ignored by many managers); Emotional Intelligence and Coaching.

Employee behaviour is always motivated by something. Management has long associated the behaviour of staff with their performance in their jobs. However, without an understanding of the motivation behind the behaviour, managers everywhere are left with fire-fighting the behaviour they see in their staff. Imagine, if a manager could identify the motive, they would understand the behaviour and if they could satisfy the motive, they could manage the behaviour. This concept seems radical, but it makes sense and has the potential to achieve so much.

Understanding what motivates your staff goes beyond the traditional day to day management style of many managers. In essence this theory appreciates the fact that each staff member is different. They are motivated by different things. They are not clones or robots. Management is definitely not a case of ‘one size fits all’.

Using Emotional Intelligence tests such as the iWAM (inventory of Work Attitudes and Motivators) highlights the key motivators of staff members in the work environment. On its own, this is a vital tool for management who want to understand what motivates the people who work for them. Remember, ‘if you understand the motive, you will understand the behaviour’. Understanding the motivators of individual staff members, enables management to manage the individual based on his/her unique patterns. The result is simple; if you engage with staff based on their individual motivation patterns, they will become more engaged, more motivated and achieve their KPIs more consistently. Staff reviews become more effective and the KPIs more relevant for the individual rather than the current short cut of ‘one size fits all’.

Now let’s look at the second concept; Coaching. Coaching is not a ‘wishy washy’ concept. In essence, coaching is a future focused process that seeks to achieve specific agreed goals within a given time line. That sounds very like most business plans, doesn’t it? So why are managers afraid of the concept.

I believe, one of the main reasons behind the ‘fear’ lies in the fact that the concept of coaching requires a one to one relationship with an employee or team as well as enabling the individual to set their goals. Most managers already meet with staff on a one to one basis during annual reviews in order to plan and set targets for the coming time period. The difference is, in the review meetings, it is the manager who sets the targets, not the staff member (the person who is actually doing the job every day).

What would happen if a manager was to combine a knowledge of staff motivation with a coaching approach (where the employee who, as already noted, knows their job inside out and can positively contribute to how it can achieve more). Such an approach is not something that managers can just ‘turn on’. Adopting a coaching (or developmental) approach requires training in order to be effective. Coach training is not only for people who want to set up a business in Life Coaching, it is vital for those within organisations who find themselves working with staff in a management or developmental role.

The benefits of adopting the management approach that has been discussed here include:

• Improved staff motivation and engagement
• Improved staff retention
• Improved performance
• Reduced costs in recruitment (if you understand what motivates your existing staff in a specific role, you can focus your search for new recruits using the same motivational patterns, thus attracting more suitable candidates)

For me, 2011 was a year of huge transition. I began the year with a company that wasn’t performing well and I was busy on a very intensive programme of personal and professional development. Of course, this proved to be very costly and if it wasn’t for the support of my wife and family, I wouldn’t have achieved half as much.

Now that 2011 is coming to an end I can afford myself the time to review and reflect on where I am now:

• On paper, my business still made a loss but the loss was over 90% less than in the previous year. That’s a huge improvement as far as I am concerned and sets things up for me to move into profit in 2012.

• I re-launched my company during the summer of 2011. InnoChan Solutions was born out of the lessons learned since setting up my first company and a Mentoring programme I attended. By the way in case you are wondering, InnoChan is a melding of ‘Innovation’ and ‘Change’. Since the re-launch, I have seen a much greater interest in what I do even to the point that my Mentor wants to use my services in 2012 on a number of programmes.

• Since I first left the world of the employee in 2009, my main source of income has been in lecturing for a professional institute in Ireland on the topic of Supply Chain Management. A very encouraging fact with this was that I started with one subject in 2009. That increased to 4 in 2010 and I was offered another 2 for the current Academic year. Success after success.

• I mentioned that I had set myself a very intensive programme of development. I set myself the target of completing a Masters degree in Coaching & NLP by the end of 2011 (seven months ahead of the scheduled date). I achieved this.

• I completed a Higher Professional Skills course including a Diploma in Supervision (I set myself the target of getting the assignment for the diploma submitted before Christmas. I achieved this). I also completed trainer training in the iWAM EQ test and specialised training in micro-expression. It has really been a busy year.

All of this was achieved without external financing of any type (bank, government or state body) which proves that you can set up a business on your own without external support. It isn’t easy, but it is possible.

So what does 2012 hold for me?

The first 4 months will be very busy with lecturing and tutoring. I will also (hopefully) see some of the consultancy work that has been promised coming through. Add to that the fact that I will be running my very own Coach Training programme (starting in February 2012; check out the details on this site) and I have already secured some executive coaching/mentoring clients and 2012 is shaping up to be the best yet….

Ask me in 51 weeks…

P.S. Remember, in spite of the economic situation or government actions around the world, YOU can make 2012 a great year. Let’s enjoy the ride!!

It is the time of year when people are looking for that gift for someone special. Generally, our buying practices increase substantially around now in the rush up to Christmas. In the current climate we need to ensure that we maximise the value we get for our hard earned cash.

With the increase of on-line stores, we have access to a greater choice of sellers for our products and a greater range of prices. Our High Street has become global and entered our homes through the PC. The result is that people will tend to buy on-line if they see the product they want available for a lower price than, say a local store.

Unfortunately, many people fall into a trap; they fail to consider the TOTAL COST of OWNERSHIP (TCO). The TCO takes into consideration all costs that are not included in the base price of the product you seek, but which need to be paid before you can receive the product. It includes things like Delivery Charges, Insurance, Currency Costs, Fuel Costs, etc.

We see the price of a product in our local stores and then compare it with an online price for the same product. In many cases, the price online might be lower. This drives our buying decision. But we fail to consider (or include) the fact that the product we are buying is quoted in ‘$’ or ‘£’ or another currency and there is either a conversion charge or the cost of currency is more expensive (e.g. buying in Sterling (£) from Euro (€)). We forget that there is a delivery/postal/courier charge that will be added to the price of the product. This may also be affected by a currency cost. Depending on the product you are buying, there may be an additional requirement for insurance which will also be added to the cost of your product. Once you add all of these costs up, you may find that the local price is not as expensive as you first thought.

What about traveling to another country to buy your product. In Ireland there is the huge temptation to travel across the border to Northern Ireland where products are cheaper. However, ask yourself, would you have traveled to the North if you were not looking for the product. If your answer is no, then, you should add the cost of fuel to your product as it is not money you would have spent at that time or making that trip. Again, this affects the true price you would have paid.

I am not for a second suggesting that you HAVE TO buy what you want from local suppliers. I am merely asking that you consider ALL of the costs, before making a final decision on where you should make your purchase. Forgetting to consider the TCO can result in you paying more than you expect for products and deluding yourself into thinking you have picked up a bargain (until the credit card bill arrives, that is).

Enjoy shopping, shop safe and don’t forget the TCO…

Received a good write-up in SiliconRepublic today about the SME Business Summit happening next Tuesday 29^th in Kilkenny, the event is open for all business.

According to the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) there are some 230,000 companies in Ireland employing less than 50 people. We might be small in size but together we contribute over €10 billion to the Exchequer annually and employ 900,000 people. Maybe EI should concentrate on SME growth, not just exporters. Due to increased competition and the inability of companies to compete on price,Innovation and creativity is the only way we can add value to SMEs through the products, processes and services you deliver to your customers.

The SME Business Summit on the 29^th November is designed to help you learn, network and market.

Innochan Solutions is collaborating  with The Performance Solution and the University of Derby Corporate to bring the MA in Applied Coaching to Ireland. 

The purpose of this programme is to provide students with the cognitive, critical and intellectual skills to become reflective coaching practitioners and to facilitate self-learning and development based on the work-based learning experiences offered by the Personal Development Plan, the practical assessments, logging of coaching hours and portfolio development within this award.

A specific aim of this programme is to provide a course of study that enables professional accreditation from the International Coach Federation. Ensuring that students are eligible for professional certified coach membership of the ICF is important if they are to meet the needs of the prospective employers and/or clients, especially those whose quality assurance processes require internationally professionally qualified and certificated coaches. It is a vital underpinning for the pan-European self-regulation of coaches which comes into play in September 2012.

This programme aims to provide students with the ability to develop a wide range of skills and competencies that will prepare them for a variety of career opportunities, including professional executive coaching in Ireland, and internationally. It will also provide a route for return to study and act as a foundation for those wishing to pursue a Coaching related Doctorate.

With this MA programme, not only will you finish the course with either a Post Graduate Certificate, Post Graduate Diploma or Masters Degree in Applied Coaching from the University of Derby, you will also earn Coaching and NLP qualifications through your studies along the way.

Course start date – February 2012, (Venue TBC around Ireland)

Topics/certifications included in the course:

Certificate in Professional Coaching Skills

Psychometric certificates:

• iWAM: Inventory for Work Attitudes and Motivation
• Extended DISC

Certificate Higher Professional Coaching Skills

NLP Practitioner Certificate

NLP Master Practitioner Certificate

Why not contact us to register your interest or, book your place or, for more information…