Executive Coaching in India: Primer

Having been a buyer of coaching, a coach myself and a facilitator/consultant for companies engaging with coaching, here are some pointers based on experiences that may be useful for others in the coaching space.

These points are, to some degree, generalisations. Some may even be controversial and contrary to popular opinion. So here goes, and I'd love to listen to your opinions, ideas and insights.

This note is meant to highlight the challenges more than other aspects as the executive coaching market evolves in India.

• The true nature of the market. Any growing market is in a bit of a chaos. Different suppliers are trying to position themselves in different ways, and tweaking their approach consistently. The buyers are not always sure what they are buying and whether the quality/value/price equation is the right one. The demand supply equation is changing by the day. In a large and varied market like India, it is even more difficult to establish any one consistent equation that can explain the market dynamics clearly. There are several factors that drive this not so clear equation, the top ones being:

1. Supplier discoverability (where can I find a coach or coaching solution that fits my specific needs?)
2. Transparency, especially on value, metrics and buyer parameters
3. Overall supplier/ buyer governance and standards

These, among others, are issues that will continue to get addressed as the market matures.

• Coachee mindsets. The average coachee is still unwilling to invest in coaching from their own pocket. A good coach can be relatively expensive and the typical buyer mentality is that of looking at cost rather than value. If their organisation pays, fine. Many coachees see coaching as 'fixing an immediate problem'. e.g. by going through coaching, I will land a better job. Our culture also encourages instant gratification in many ways and that adds to the 'short-term' ism.

Many organisations and leaders now understand that executive coaching is a great tool for uncovering hidden potential, and a long term investment that can be extremely valuable, beyond the immediate gains. But this understanding is still limited to a few, given the large scale impact coaching could have.

• Buyer mindsets. In many organisations, the buying process for executive coaching is handled by functions or individuals who have limited understanding of what it actually is. Purchase managers can sometimes be overzealous in the way they negotiate or create guidelines for buying which ultimately can prove unproductive. Suppliers (coaches and coaching consortiums) further add to the confusion by using jargon, overselling and not being able to explain or provide value. I have come across many cases where the discussion is only on pricing aspects, leaving the value aspects aside. In other cases, the buyer is often comparing coaching with training. "You are charging so much for a 1-1 session, but we have 20 people in a batch when we do training at such and such price. "
• Selling coaching. The process of selling coaching is complex. Different 'gurus' advocate different methods. 'Sell yourselves first.' 'Sell the process and benefits.' 'Sell the certification and accreditations.' 'Be flexible in selling, just see what the client wants.' All of these, and a few more, may be true in any particular context but the product/service has not evolved like other consumer products yet. It is also important to appreciate that the buyer and consumer is not always the same person.

In fact, the decision making (and therefore the selling process of coaching) becomes complex because of layers of decision makers. Business leader, HR and/or L&D head, the purchase function, the coachee, her manager, and finally other stakeholders who may need to sign off, are all part of the process. And each one may have different needs from the coaching being sought.

• Models and certifications. There is a plethora of coaching certifications of all types, sizes and shapes out there. Add to that the bodies that do not themselves train coaches but 'certify' them. Add other additional certifications like of psychometric tools, 360 and the like. The list is never ending. It is also quite bewildering for the buyer, user and those that want to become coaches.

Almost all certifications do help in some degree of knowledge, education and skill building in coaching. They also help in setting basic standards. By themselves though, they have very little value.

A couple of sayings/analogies from my parents apply to coaching and coaches quite well.

1. A good toolkit does not always make for a good plumber. So a certificate, a nice booklet, or models and knowledge, would not, by themselves, make for a good coach.
2. Cooking is as much a science as art and requires skilling and practice more than knowledge. This applies to coaching as well. It's a lot about aspects that have to be developed over time and continuously worked upon.

• Certifying Internal coaches. Many organisations are keen to certify internal coaches and use them as replacements for external coaches. Many others take the route of enabling all leaders and managers to learn coaching and mentoring skills as part of their role. In general, both are useful for raising the bar on leadership standards. However, given our culture, a need for confidentiality, and a space for a completely objective view, rarely would an internal coach be able to replace an external coach effectively. An internal leader may be required to play a role model and/or mentor role , which at times maybe at divergence to the coach role.

Having said that, an internal leader could partner with an external coach in a very effective way to help develop either one's own team or other leaders in the organisation. The internal leader will always bring perspectives that an external coach will never have, and vice-versa. A strong internal-external partnership, orchestrated well by HR or another process owner can be extremely valuable.

There are other aspects to coaching, being coached and orchestrating coaching. We'll discuss additional aspects in the next few posts. More practical and deeper aspects aimed at coaches, those hunting for coaches, and talent leaders. In the meanwhile, enjoy the start to the holiday season.

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Bimal Rath is an author and entrepreneur. He is interested in and supports the coming alive of human potential in all his pursuits. To get a hint of his professional work in "helping organisations leverage their talent better" visit thinktalent.co and leaderbuild.co