Coaching
The top ten City law firms now spend 8-10% of their training budget on coaching – Law Society Gazette, 19th October 2006, The Personal Touch.
A straw poll of FTSE 100 FDs would find that most either have or are thinking about hiring a coach - Accountancy Age, 13th September 2007.
Coaching is no longer seen as a remedial intervention, but is more often sought by top performers whose firms value their legal and business growth potential. Firms such as Allen and Overy are offering coaching throughout the careers of its lawyers, because the benefits far outweigh the cost.
According to Paul Denvir and David Tovey in Accountancy Age (13.09.07) "From an FD or practice accountant’s point of view business coaching can help improve and develop a particular skill or focus. It can help manage change or personal challenges and enable an individual to be more successful and effective in their work and with those they manage or lead. It can build confidence and self-awareness and increase motivation and discipline. For those businesses investing in it, business coaching can improve the level, focus and quality of an individual’s activities and bring better results."
Some of the benefits include:-
Increased chargeable time and fee income.
Improved performance
A greater ability to market themselves and their Firms
Greater confidence and self belief.
An ability to communicate more effectively.
Improved leadership skills.
Less stress and more clarity of thought.
Plus many more.
As one Holden Morris Consulting client in Professional Services says “before coaching I was very sceptical but now realise that although my staff get a great deal of technical training they should concentrate on soft skills and personal development more”.
Read more about a client experience here - download pdf
