Coaching Practice - Value & Credibility of Coaching is Highly Rated Especially Experience

Corbett, K.A. (2006). A day in the life: Results from the global Sherpa Coaching Survey. (Available from Sasha Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio.)

Four hundred executive and personal coaches as well as 130 HR personnel, mostly from US locations, completed an online survey prepared by Sherpa Coaching in partnership with a business newspaper and local university. Some of the results described in this paper include: (1) value and credibility of coaching is highly rated; (2) a discrepancy exists between what coaches say they charge and what HR personnel actually pay; (3) coaching is used for people in transition, leadership development, and individuals with specific problems; (4) while training and certification is important for coaches new to the field, a large number of coaches and HR professionals reject the International Coach Federation as the most qualified to train and certify coaches; (5) one-third of those surveyed deliver in-person coaching, while another one-third delivery coaching by phone and one-quarter use email, yet, the majority of HR personnel believe in-person is more likely to effective; (6) "as needed" coaching appears more popular than regularly scheduled sessions; (7) veteran coaches believe coaching typically requires six months or more, whereas novice coaches say coaching should require six months or less; (8) businesses that hire coaches typically rate experience as the most important qualification; (9) hourly rates and yearly earnings depend on amount of experience and coaching focus; and (10) formal monitoring of coaching outcomes is rare. The study concludes with some comments about certification, the role of academic institutions, and a specific suggestion about how to unite the coaching industry.