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What is the impact of coaching?

Guest post by: Tracy Gibson  (tracy@gibson.name)

"If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living." ~ Gail Shelly


Long-term results are the impact of coaching. We all want to improve our life in an area of career and work, money and wealth, people and relationships, health and wellbeing, and/or learning and growing. Yet how often have we vowed to change and sooner or later, the resolve that we have to start has waned or the methods chosen seem too hard. That wavering moment is where coaching steps in and strengthens our resolve.

A good coach is someone who is an expert at helping others create positive change in their lives. For some clients, the positive change they most want may be focused on personal goals such as relationships, time management, work-life balance, stress reduction, simplification, health, etc., but other clients may be more interested in professional or business goals such as leadership, getting a promotion, starting a business, etc. An effective coach works with the client to help them live a better, richer life - regardless of their type of goals.

As it turns out, working with a professional coach is probably one of the smartest decisions you can make. According to a Visually infographic created for the International Coach Federation (ICF), 99% of people are satisfied with the overall coaching experience – and 96% would do it again.

Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

That’s because the coaching process helps people: unlock their potential; increase productivity and effectiveness; increase creativity; improve problem-solving skills; increase resiliency; gain self-confidence and trust in oneself.

While some of those benefits sound vague, many of them can be measured. Of those surveyed by the ICF, 80% said they became more confident, 70% said their work performance improved, 72% said their communication skills improved, and 61% said business management improved.

Many company leaders benefit from coaching as they seek to improve business outcomes. Employees are also vital to company success, and coaching can help maximize their talents. In fact, 86% of companies who hired a coach for employees reported that they made back at least their investment (IFC).

Done right, professional coaching can drive sales, employee engagement, creativity, workplace satisfaction, and bottom line results. The Chicago Tribune reports wellness programs have been shown to provide approximately a 300% return on investment (ROI). In other words, companies who spend $1 in a wellness program (e.g., exercise clubs, personal trainers, smoking cessation workshops) earn $3 as a result of decreased turnover, fewer sick days, reduced health insurance costs, etc. It is a no wonder wellness programs have experienced such tremendous growth; it makes financial sense.

“The ROI from professional coaching is even more astonishing. According to a Manchester Consulting Group study of Fortune 100 executives, the Economic Times reports "coaching resulted in a ROI of almost six times the program cost as well as a 77% improvement in relationships, 67% improvement in teamwork, 61% improvement in job satisfaction and 48% improvement in quality." (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/)

 -- Article by Tracy Gibson

See Also:
35 Reasons you should Work with a Coach
The New Yorker - Annals of Medicine,  PERSONAL BEST Top athletes and singers have coaches. Should you?  by Atul Gawande
Performance Appraisals what have we learned in 50 years?  Where GE in the 1960's studied management's coaching effort to increase employee performance.
What is the ROI of Agile Coaching - by Payton Consulting




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