| The purpose of this book is to help human resource professionals
and their clients become more savvy consumers of coaching services.
With the wide array of coaching services now available in the
marketplace, HR professionals need information to allow them to
sort through options, ask discerning questions, and understand what
constitutes successful coaching engagements.
This book is written for human resource professionals who need to
know what coaching is and how it can be helpful. Some of you are
responsible for bringing coaching services to your clients.
Another group that may find this book interesting is the
prospective clients themselves, since they need to know what
they’re getting into and how to use coaching to best effect. We are
aware that the term “client” is used by some people to refer to the
employer generally, or to the HR professional, or even to the boss.
In certain ways, of course, they are clients as well as the person who
is the focus of the coaching. These people certainly receive value
from a successful coaching assignment. For the sake of clarity, and
because we believe he or she should be the primary client, we use
that term to refer to the individual who receives the coaching. The
“executive breakaway section” (found in the Appendix) contains
information specifically tailored for prospective clients of coaching
services.
For HR professionals: This book will serve as your guide as you
decide if and when to use coaching to help a client. The book contains
very practical chapters on selecting a coach, setting up the
relationship, supporting the process, and evaluating the outcome. |
