As a professional coach, you’ve no doubt invested a great deal of time, energy and perhaps even financial resources in building your personal brand, both off- and online. However, all of your work may be for naught if you don’t have a positive reputation to back it up.
In their book, Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online (Wiley, 2008), reputation-management experts Andy Beal and Judy Strauss, Ph.D. define reputation against what it is not: “Reputation is not what the company or individual thinks about itself, but what others think. It is pure perception that may or may not be based on fact. It is the esteem that an entity has in the eyes of its stakeholders.” Although a positive reputation can be your greatest asset, Beal and Strauss’ definition illuminates an important truth: You don’t control your reputation.
The good news, however, is that you can manage your reputation. In your offline life, reputation management entails elements such as conducting your affairs with authenticity and integrity; soliciting honest feedback from clients, colleagues, family and friends about how they perceive you; and delivering high-quality coaching services that your clients are eager to recommend to others.
Demonstrating your credibility by association with a recognised credentialing body such as the International Coach Federation, the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, the Association of Coaches or others is also an important part of managing your reputation. These bodies all require members to abide by a set of ethics which are available for your clients to peruse. Further than membership, obtaining a credential with one of these bodies demonstrates that you have undergone appropriate training and have demonstrated your competence as a professional coach. http://ow.ly/V7Ils
Work place coaching or Executive coaching is increasingly recognised as one of the most effective ways to create dynamic, focused organisations and foster executive development. Executive coaching gives people the freedom to use their talents, skills and experience – while at the same time ensuring clear goals are in place and outcomes are achieved. Specifically, executive coaching can assist managers in becoming more effective leaders of their people and helps significantly progress their executive development.One on one, or individual coaching is a highly customised service. Our professional coaches are fully trained and accredited in the delivery of tailored development programs for leaders at all levels of organisations, in coaching and other workplace conversations. Through the use of adult learning framework our coaches help executives and business professionals identify and remove those interferences that limit executive development. Executive coaching is a three-way relationship between the coach, coachee and the coachee’s organisation.
The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment. Coaches honour the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to:
Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
Encourage client self-discovery
Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
Hold the client responsible and accountable
This process helps clients dramatically improve their outlook on work and life, while improving their leadership skills and unlocking their potential.
