The Chronicle of Coaching provides a snapshot of what’s happening in the coaching profession, and is updated weekly. Compiled and edited by Linda Ballew and Ruth Ann Harnisch.

In this week’s Chronicle: In coaching news, one magazine surveyed its readers and reports that although 70% said their company offered some form of coaching, only 13% track return on investment. An opera company fires a soprano who says she never saw it coming – were the coaches brought in to help her too “nice” to mention her bosses were going to fire her if she didn’t make dramatic improvement? A coach donates a life-saving kidney to fellow coach’s wife.

Press this week for coaches working with a variety of clients, including a restaurant owner, a person with cerebral palsy, divorcing couples, and people with ADD. One article suggests that successful people use coaches to stay successful. Another discusses a shortage of minority coaches in the NCAA. Bloggers offer tips to help readers recharge, boost self esteem, and look for the epiphanies to be found in confusion and uncertainty.

Coaches help clients overcome their miserable childhoods and learn how weaknesses complement strengths in a useful way, and are therefore not weaknesses.

We, however, being only human, do indeed have weaknesses and we need your help. The Chronicle of Coaching strives for 100% accuracy and regrets any deviation from that standard. Our policy is to correct errors promptly and prominently, in the next edition and in the online archive. Please tell us immediately if you see something wrong.

And as always, if we missed anything, let us know at info@thefoundationofcoaching.org

Few Companies Measure Bottom Line Return on Coaching Investment
June 5, 2007, Personnel Today (UK)
In a survey of 500 Personnel Today readers, only 13% of companies cited any formal measure of ROI from coaching services, even though 70% said coaching was offered in some form in their workplace.

Opera Singer Fired: Were Her Coaches Too Nice?
June 2, 2007, The New York Times (NY, USA)
The San Francisco Opera fired a soprano after providing extra coaching for her role in Don Giovanni. She was shocked, saying coaching was “offered” and not imposed. The Opera manager says perhaps the misunderstanding came because coaches tend to “accentuate the positive and move people in the right direction, very gracefully,” avoiding the brutal frankness that might undermine a singer.

Define Your Own Race by Defining Your Own Goals
June 5, 2007, American Chronicle (California, USA)
This coach says “With the proper preparation, coaching and conditioning, you can improve your results to achieve anything you want in life.” She offers a free goal setting CD.

Coach Gives Gift of Life
June 1, 2007, Salem-News (Oregon, USA)
OSU’s assistant football coach’s wife underwent living-donor kidney transplant surgery last week. Her donor was the team’s offensive coordinator. Both are doing well.

More Companies Should Identify, Coach, Mentor Potential Leaders
June 4, 2007, Business Times (Malaysia)
This article suggests that companies should identify leaders when they are relatively young, strategically help plan their careers so they can accelerate their development, and provide mentoring and coaching by senior managers.

With a Life Coach, Woman Learns Value of Grandmothers’ Wisdom
June 2, 2007, Jamaica Observer (Kingston, Jamaica)
Now she uses proverbs, cards and storytelling to teach underachievers the principles of collective responsibility, the secret to success, and survival in the circle of support.

Coaching Helps Restaurant Owner Open Third Business
June 2, 2007, The Edinburgh Evening News (Scotland, UK)
He learned how to organize the different processes involved in running a business and how to delegate.

Anger Coach Lists Three Steps to Forgiveness
June 2, 2007, Content4Reprint (California, USA)
He says that forgiveness takes time and patience, does not condone the actions of the offender, and refocuses on the positives in life.

Live Better and Longer with a Health Coach
June 2, 2007, Bend Weekly (Oregon, USA)
The health coach's role ranges from helping a client remember to take medicine properly, keep appointments with doctors, develop better eating habits and add exercise. Most are also trained to answer questions about insurance benefits or help with a medical care decision.

Man with Cerebral Palsy Uses Coach to Focus on His Strengths
June 1, 2007, Cambridge Evening News (England, UK)
Working with a life coach helped him to appreciate his own kindness, compassion, and sense of humor, presenting himself in a more positive light.

Divorce Coach Keeps Couples Focused, Respectful
June 1, 2007, Earthtimes.org (USA)
She coaches couples through traditional divorce, divorce mediation, or collaborative divorce using a practical results-oriented approach drawn from her many years as an executive coach and business consultant.

Successful People Use Coaching to Stay That Way
May 30, 2007, Bizcommunity.com (Cape Town, South Africa)
Executives use coaching to improve business acumen, financial management, leadership, organizational skills, analytic and innovative thinking as well as an ability to inspire trust and commitment to action. Coaching is the second fastest growth industry, after IT.

NCAA Expert Coaches Academy Will Discuss Shortage of Minority Coaches
May 29, 2007, SJSUSpartans.com (Indiana, USA)
New three-day summer program will address the critical shortage in Division I Football. The Academy assists coaches with career advancement, networking and raising awareness regarding the pool of talented and qualified coaching candidates.

How to Stay Professionally Recharged
June 5, 2007, Life at the Bar (USA)
From a recent coaching conference, this coach for lawyers highlights topics that piqued her interest. Included were environmental and social sustainability, the concept of “feedforward” instead of feedback, and learning what behaviors will support leaders and which undermine them.

Plagued by Adult ADD? Read about Mutual Life Coaching
June 4, 2007, About.com: ADD/ADHD
Read this successful account of mutual life coaching, which uses a partner and is based on a model similar to the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step program.

Free Self-Esteem Coaching Consultation Offered on Blog
June 4, 2007, Aurelia Williams
Blogger chats about low self esteem which may cause women to think only of others and put their own hopes and dreams on the back burner.

Life Coach Notices “Storm before the Calm” in Client Sessions
June 2, 2007, adaringadventure.com (USA)
In the first few weeks, clients seemed to feel more confused and unsure about what they were doing than before they hired a coach. This phase of uncertainty was usually followed by significant breakthroughs.

Take Time for Your Life
Cheryl Richardson
June 5, 2007, Business Day (Nigeria)
Take action with these seven steps: practice self-care, take control of your time, eliminate things that drain your energy, invest in your financial health, find new, healthy energy sources, invest in high quality relationships, and connect to your inner wisdom.

Bangkok Executive Coach Reviews Bestseller
“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith
June 3, 2007, Bangkok Post (Bangkok, Thailand)
The book suggests executives learn to apologize to employees hurt by behavioral flaws, and ask those same people to help him identify more effective management skills. He should also tell his employees that his management behavior will improve.

Book Features Interviews with Personal Growth Industry Leaders
“You’re Invited” by Manny Goldman
June 2, 2007, PR.com (New York, USA)
Along with leaders in the personal growth industry, the author features over 40 individuals who have experienced profound life changes. One of those people offers to donate 25% of the purchase price to charity if you buy the book through her.

Coach Encourages Couples to Think about Marriage in a New Way
June 4, 2007 NewsReleaseWire.com (USA)
Clients learn the basics of a new marriage model and how to communicate more effectively. They are also assigned homework between sessions.

Personal Coach’s Documentary is Dark but Hopeful
May 31, 2007, Emediawire (Washington, USA)
His message is that a miserable upbringing does not necessarily mean an unsuccessful life.

“The Power of Opposite Strengths” Slated for Annual Coaches Conference
May 31, 2007, Emediawire, (Washington, USA)
This theory was presented at the annual International Coach Federation conference on June 1st. Dr. Tommy Thomas, co-developer of this approach, explains that “perceived weaknesses are actually supporting strengths that can be balanced along with lead strengths, and once realized, executives become much more adept at bridging the gap in communications."

By Vikki G. Brock

The roots of business-focused coaching from the decade of 1960s include the National Training Laboratories (NTL) in the US and Tavistock in the UK, which focused on sensitivity training and organization development.

Management theories abounded with Douglas McGregor’s “Theory X, Theory Y,” Edgar Schein’s “Process Consultation,” Richard Beckhard’s “Organization Development,” Peter Drucker’s “The Effective Executive,” Warren Bennis’s “Revsionist Theory of Leadership,” Blake & Mouton’s “The Managerial Grid,” and Hersey & Blanchard’s “Situational Leadership”.

Edgar Schein’s description of process-consultation parallels current descriptions of coaching. In fact, Schein views coaching as an organization development (a form of consulting) intervention.