20
Apr
2010
| Coaching accreditation - worthwhile or not? |
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Anyone can offer their services as a coach. The UK and international coaching bodies are pushing regulation for professional coaches. In a recent article in the UK trade publication People Management, Daniel Wain argues that in the absence of regulation, businesses hiring coaches need to be careful about who they hire.
Coaching cowboys give the profession a bad name, so industry regulation is a long time coming
"Once upon a time, coaching’s natural home was the sports arena. Within the corporate world, it was seen as the preserve of the screwed-up or self-important. Today it’s commonplace. According to CIPD research published last September, coaching occurs in 90 per cent of organisations.
Clearly, the industry has mushroomed – so all the more reason to select suppliers like funghi: with absolute care. Get it right and you strike the developmental mother lode. Get it wrong and, in the hands of the incompetent or unscrupulous, that well-known coaching acronym “Grow” all-too easily becomes “Shrink”: Scout around; Hype yourself; Research a bit; Invoice up front; Network wildly; Keep moving. This rise of coaching is down to many factors, including: - the growing need for targeted, individual development; - organisational downsizing leading to larger step-changes in skills and responsibilities; - employees demanding ever more development, particularly in the absence of pay rises; - more awareness of the financial costs of poor staff performance. Even in deep recession, the CIPD found 70 per cent claiming their coaching spend was increasing or being maintained. External coaches were used by 60 per cent of respondents. At present, anyone can legally offer their services as a coach, without training, experience, or, indeed, competence. I know many for whom turning coach was the easiest of career decisions and marketing ploys. Indeed, several that I’ve stumbled upon show coaching can be catnip for the emotionally unintelligent. Ironic, yes. And scary. Coaching cowboys harm clients, organisations and the embryonic profession itself. Yet, says the CIPD research, most firms hire in an ad hoc manner. Only a third insist on certified coaches licensed by such professional organisations as the Association for Coaching (AfC), European Mentoring and Coaching Council, International Coach Federation or Association for Professional Executive Coaching. Perhaps the presence of so many bodies goes some way to explaining this apparent lack of care. Think of the many-splintered “Judean People’s Front” in Monty Python’s Life of Brian. No wonder the Romans found them such a pushover. So it was timely that the AfC (UK) hosted its first debate on the possible regulation of the coaching profession at the end of last year. Those in favour argued that regulation would protect clients, the industry and aspiring coaches, while promoting the value of coaching: useful, certainly given that nearly half of the CIPD’s respondents admit they aren’t bothering to measure it at present. Those against regulation ask if a stamp of formal approval makes sense in such an eclectic profession, when the most effective solutions are by their nature customised and the most crucial success factor is the fit between coach and client. Does regulation run the twin risks of infantilising buyers and detracting coaches away from their clients’ needs toward ticking compliance boxes? The AfC’s meeting thought so, with the audience voting nearly three to one against regulation. Still others, such as the British Psychological Society, believe that government and client pressure mean it’s a case of “when”, not “if”. Whenever and however it may happen, the responsibility for preserving coaching’s good name must be shared between those who sell it and those who buy it on behalf of their organisations. Certainly, in the absence of regulation, I strongly counsel caveat emptor."
Personally, I advocate accreditation. Having recently fulfilled the requirement to achieve my ACC accreditation with the International Coach Federation, I think accreditation sets the professional coach apart, ensures that they work from a set of ethics and requirements and that they are experienced in their field of work.
What do you think?
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