Did you know that we here at FutureDecisions corporate headquarters have written a book on workforce/succession planning? Well we have and the amazingly clever title is:

” FutureDecisions: Workforce Succession Planning for the Perpetually Busy”

The book is a comprehensive guide for creating a complete workforce and/or succession plan for your organization. We will share more about the book as we get closer to having it available for distribution. It should be in the publishers hands within a couple of weeks and available for purchase on our website and elsewhere within the next couple of months!

Stay tuned to this blog for additional information over the coming weeks.

The Harvard Business Review recently ran an article that was the outcome of a survey that was conducted with 140 coaches and a handful of “experts”.
The top three reasons coaches stated they were engaged:
1. Develop High Potentials within an Organization
2. Act as a Sounding Board
3. Address “Derailing” Behavior

Here at FutureDecisions we would agree with 1 and 3 and not so much number 2. Our experience has led us to believe that the top reasons a coach is engaged are more related to preserving a valued employee and assisting them in being successful in what may be a difficult situation. After all, it is much less expensive to hire a coach and save an employee than to lose that employee and incur the cost of replacing them.

While acting as a sounding board is a great reason to hire a coach and can be a very valuable tool for a leader it is not one that seems to be very compelling, at least not for those clients that contact us.

Finally, if you happen to read the HBR article please know that the rates FutureDecisions charges are considerably less than the median of $500.00 quoted in the article. Not sure if we are undercharging or the individuals that were surveryed are overcharging….

Here is an interesting tidbit of information that our friend and colleague Kit Stookey of Practical Matters recently brought to our attention!

According the U.S. Census Bureau by 2050 the population of those 65 and older will have tripled (that is 1 in 6 people)!!! The news for the US is even more dire, 1 in 5 people will be 65 or over by 2030!

The country with the highest aging population, China where almost two-thirds of the population will be 65 or over by 2050.

Given these numbers it should give one pause, who will take care of all these individuals, will the infrastructure be in place, who will be around to work? The questions go on and on and no one seems to have answers.

You run a business. You and/or your partners have decided that you need some outside, objective help with some sticky problems that you know are costing you a good deal of money. Some people tell you to hire a consultant. Others tell you to hire a coach. This begs the question: What is the difference between consulting and coaching? Is there really a difference in the first place?

At FutureDecisions LLC we are involved in both consulting and coaching so we think it is important to differentiate between the two- so here it goes!

Although some people will tell you that there is no difference between coaching and consulting other than semantics, there are plenty more who disagree. A coach’s objective is to challenge clients to become better leaders by drawing forth clients’ own wisdom and enhancing their own capabilities.  Coaches do not tell clients what to do, as a consultant might. Coaches do not set up clients’ plans for them.  A coach facilitates clients in creating their own plans. The coach’s job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that clients already possess.

Business or leadership coaches are similar to those who coach in the sports or personal training world. They work with you to bring out your inner abilities. They want to see you performing at the highest level. Consultants are focused on making an organization run more “perfectly” by sharing their expertise in a particular area or areas. Coaches are focused on bringing an individual to peak performance; the enhanced skills realized by an individual through the coaching process will provide long-term benefits to both the client and his/her organization.

Perhaps the difference between consulting and coaching can be summed up like this: A consultant’s efforts involve sharing his/her expertise with a client in order to assist the client in improving business operations. A coach partners with his/her client in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the client to maximize personal and professional potential.

The next time you consider bringing in someone from outside your business to assist with an issue, think about this: Would a coach or a consultant better serve me? Each has their place, choosing the correct role up front can save you both time and money in the long run and lead to superior results.  At FutureDecisions we offer both consulting and coaching services and work with each client to assure he/she is receiving the right service that best meets his/her needs.

This coming Friday, June 19, 2009 Kevin Williams of FutureDecisions and Kit Stookey of Practical Matters Consulting will be presenting the Sacramento Area Organization Development Networks June Program.

For details click here!