Aligning the skills of line managers

New coaching course launched at the University of Johannesburg

Johannesburg based Orion Business Solutions (OBS) recently announced that it will shortly launch its new 6-day Business Coaching Course for line management. The course, accredited and presented by the University of Johannesburg, will be run over a period of three months; two days a month with integrated practical assignments. The content is strongly experiential, with demonstration and practice of coaching during and between training blocks.

"Business Coaching has emerged as a vital activity to support individual and team development and performance and provides new directions and outcomes in customer satisfaction, productivity and overall organizational effectiveness," says Dr Sandra Perkins, Director (OBS). "The course has been developed as a result of a clearly identified need to train executive management to enable them to coach line management."

Coaching essentially focuses on the development and practical application of core personal and business skills that the manager already has, but does not fully demonstrate or utilise. Research indicates that combining training with coaching substantially increases productivity. Coaching differs from training in that training provides knowledge to individuals and coaching assists in the process of internalisation of knowledge. Coaches facilitate the transformation of skills and knowledge into positive action and results.

"The process of coaching assists in the meaningful utilisation of information and provides clarity and focus which expedites efficient and effective goal setting, strategy and action. It thus drives the achievement of positive results," explains Perkins. The executive coach collaborates with line managers to identify the specific competencies that they require for success in their institution; this assists them in defining short and long-term business, management, and behavioural goals and competencies linked to the institution's strategic business plans and the individual’s own personal long-term career objectives.

Perkins says that Coaching has become a popular mainstream way of developing individuals, teams, managers and executives in organizations. "Coaching is one of the most strategic and tactical tools available to business today."

Effective leadership requires emotional intelligence and the ability to understand and manage intentions, emotional responses and communications. "Business and line managers have more pressure than ever before to produce results, yet they are often promoted through job expertise alone without the emotional intelligence and work-life balance skills necessary to sustain them," says Perkins. "The course not only develops excellent coaches but also provides them with a clear pathway for ongoing professional development."

Orion Business Solutions will run three cycles of this Coaching Programme per annum, the first commencing in November 2006.