Your business is experiencing some sticky problems that you know is costing you a good deal of money. You have decided you need some outside objective help. 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 any 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 other than semantics, there is no difference between coaching and consulting, there are many more who disagree. Let us further examine the two roles and then you can decide.

Consultants assist you and your organization in achieving the highest possible level of performance. Consultants are focused on supporting an organization to run more “flawlessly” by sharing their expertise in a particular area or areas. To provide an example of consulting, FutureDecisions is expert in the area of workforce/succession planning. We help organizations to bridge the skills and knowledge gaps that can occur when long-term employees retire taking with them critical skills and institutional knowledge that newer, less experienced employees have not yet developed. We offer solutions such as mentoring programs, creating depositories of knowledge, structured succession-planning programs, and a host of other options to deal with the complexities of a changing workforce. Thus, consultants can play a critical supportive role in building an organization’s success by introducing new ideas, concepts and tools which the organization may not have been previously familiar.

By contrast, a coach’s objective is to challenge clients in a way that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The coach’s role is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already possesses. A coach facilitates a process so that clients can create their own plan of action. Business or leadership coaches are much like those who coach in the sports or personal training world. Coaches are focused on bringing an individual to peak performance; the enhanced skills obtained by an individual through the coaching process will provide long-term benefits to both the client and his/her organization. Coaches work with clients to bring out their inner abilities. Coaches, like consultants, assist clients in performing at the highest level.

The next time you are considering bringing in someone from outside your business to assist with an issue, ask yourself this: Will a coach or a consultant better serve my needs/purposes? Each service has its place. Choosing the correct service upfront can save you both time and money and lead to superior results.  FutureDecisions offers both consulting and coaching services; we work with clients to assure they are receiving the services that best meet their needs.

As you already know FutureDecisions LLC is involved in leadership/executive coaching. In the past we have discussed benefits of coaching for those being coached. What about the organizations that are often paying for the coaching, what is in it for them? Well here you go:

Any company that is looking at investing in executive coaching wants to make sure that it is worth their investment.  All you need to do is take a look at a study that was done by Manchester Consulting Group that proved that companies saw a return on their investment in executive coaching worth 5.7 times what they paid. Here are a number of other benefits organizations gain.
•    Strategic Thinking – The organization has a better grasp on risk management and strategic planning and thinking so that they are able to more creatively and effectively communicate company goals and visions.
•    Commitment and Loyalty – When employees feel as though they are of value to the company it establishes an increase in loyalty and commitment to the company. Even when demands and responsibilities are increased, executives focus remains on improving the company.
•    Interpersonal Skills – any organization that takes advantage of executive coaching also reaps the benefits of having executives that are more adept to use their personal power more effectively. Which means they are able to motivate their teams and accomplish more tasks successfully.
•    Trust and Responsibility – executive coaching also helps to improve the culture of the company whereby enhancing trust in the company and personal responsibility.
•    Team Effectiveness – an executive and a company that has gone through coaching is able to better develop team spirit and unity, working together to help others see their strengths and use those strengths to break down barriers and embark on new possibilities.
•    Learning and Development – an organization also benefits from executive coaching because it allows that company to recognize new competencies in their executives which will make them more effective leaders.
•    Systemic Learning -  One of the greatest benefits of executive coaching is that it also opens the eyes of the organization so that they can see where their weaknesses are and also if they are able to strength those weaknesses.
As you can see there are numerous benefits to an executive and an organization for executive coaching. Companies that truly want to move to the next level and make sure that their executives are able to help them get there will make the investment.

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….

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.

Steve (not his real name) was at the end of the line with his employer. While his technical skills were highly valued by his employer his interpersonal relationships with the other employees was setting him up as an outcast and seriously undermining his ability to effectively lead his team. His employer decided his last ditch effort to salvage Steve would be to provide him with an executive coach. A few months later Steve was back in the good graces of his employer and his employees and has gone on to be a successful and valued member of the organization and perhaps, most importantly, he is happy in his job.
Steve had the ability to be an effective leader; he simply needed a coach to assist him in realizing his full potential, which is exactly what happened.
Coaching is something that anyone can benefit from if he/she has the right frame of mind. A coach can only be successful with a client if the client is willing to be coached, as Steve was for instance. Often this requires experimenting with new ideas, stepping out of comfort zones that have become obstacles to success, or dropping old beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that no longer serve you and your vision. Steve had been convinced by those around him that he was a poor leader despite the fact he had been an effective leader in the past with other organizations. His coach assisted him in drawing upon those past successes and leveraging them in his current work environment.
If you are in a leadership role in either your own company or working for someone else you constantly encounter challenges in the work place that require your intervention. A coach can assist you with how to best handle various situations, not because the coach has all the answers, but rather because an effective coach knows that you have all the answers and their role is to assist you in uncovering them. A coach does not tell a client how they should resolve an issue or proceed with a problem; a coach helps the client discover for him or herself the best solutions. A coach will never know your business as well as you and if you find a coach who tells you different you should be very skeptical. Unless they have walked in your shoes they cannot possibly know your business as well as you.

Here are some common questions that I ask of potential clients to help discover if they ready to be effectively coached.

What is your motivation for working with a coach?

What are you passionate about?

What are you proud of?  What are you not proud of?

What is an experience that defined who you are today?

How you answer these questions can assist in determining if you are a good candidate for coaching, the main thing is did you answer them honestly? Only you can make that call, be honest with yourself, there is nothing worse than wasting both your money and your time and if you hire a coach and you are not ready to be coached that is exactly what will occur!

Should you decide that you are a good candidate for coaching what you can you expect? Of course the results will depend in great part on you and your willingness to participate, but if you are willing and you work with an effective coach then some benefits you can expect are:

•    Performance Improvement – Coaching will help an executive that is not living up to his/her fullest potential get in touch with what is holding him/her back.

•    Leadership Development – Here the coach will take the feedback they have received from managers and develop an intensive feedback program that focuses on ways for the executive to enhance his/her leadership role and abilities.

•    New Roles and Responsibilities – Companies promote people that they believe will help the company grow; top level executives want executives that have insight not only into how to improve the company, but who know how to improve themselves. Often times an executive coach is brought in to help an executive that is being groomed for a promotion prepare for the new responsibilities.

•    Crisis Management –An executive coach will help executives learn how to trust their instincts and tap into their intuitive knowledge.

•    Team Development – Executive coaching helps executives work as a team by teaching each executive how to use his/her individual strengths and abilities to accomplish goals.

Finally, interview potential coaches and find the one who best fits your philosophy and personality and one with whom you can easily engage.

For more information please visit our  coaching page “http://www.futuredecisions.com/services/coaching” !