Is The Business World Arrogant About Coaching?

Andy Nicol

Why is Coaching viewed as essential for all involved in sport yet, in business, is only allocated to the elite?

Why is it in business that you only receive a 1:1 Coach when you reach the top of the hierarchical pyramid?

The world of sport functions very differently to the world of business, with coaches and coaching being integral from day one.

I was lucky enough to play rugby at the highest level and I had a coach from my very first session at Panmure Mini Rugby Club aged 6 to my last with Glasgow Warriors aged 32.

Every single training session I took part in throughout those 24 years included coaching involvement such as skill development, specialised coaching, strength and conditioning and, latterly, mind coaching.

But importantly, it was for all.

I didn’t receive special coaching as one of the better players or because I was a senior player. I received coaching because there is a constant desire in sport to be better at everything you do. From one session to the next, from one day to the next. Always striving to be better.

In professional football, Lionel Messi is probably the best footballer ever to play the game, yet he still needs that coaching to make him even better. He is still out there putting the work in with his coaches in the pursuit of constant improvement.

Coaching In Sport and Business: A World of Differences

Having moved into Business for the last 17 years, I do not see the same emphasis on coaching.

My favourite definition of a coach is;

"A Coach moves a person to a different place both physically and mentally."

Sport embraces this definition, but Business chooses when and with whom to bring this to life.

Coaching has also long been the preserve of the elite in the Business world. You only receive a Coach if you are very senior and part of the executive, or if you have been identified as 'top talent'

In Sport, if your skills are not up to a certain standard, you are given extra coaching to improve things.

In Business, we reward the talented by making them more talented.

This is good for your talent, but what about the people being left behind?

Could they improve earlier in their retrospective journeys if they received some 1:1 coaching? Undoubtedly yes, but this requires a change in attitude towards coaching. There are many reasons why this is the case, and resourcing might be top of the list.

But, by democratising coaching and making it accessible to everyone, you are empowering your people to understand their personal and professional development needs towards advancing their skillset, improving performance and meeting their goals.

Oh, nearly forgot to mention, it increases business productivity too!

Our Mission:
To Democratise Coaching

All of this is exactly why we've developed The Coaching Hub - a new model of Coaching accessible to EVERY member of the business, not just the executives.

This forms part of our greater goal as a business: To make the corporate world a fairer and better place.

Learn About The Coaching Hub