How to prove your business value as a coach

There are two kinds of people who knows the impact and business value a coach brings. It´s the coach and the customer or coachee. But how do you as a coach prove your business value to someone that haven´t come across coaching yet?

In 2002 Googles former CEO, Eric Smith got one of the most valuable advices from one of his board members, John Dorset, that said “you need a coach”. Eric claims, in the book “The trillion-dollar coach” that without his coach, Bill Campbell, Google would not be the company it became. That´s why Bill is called “the trillion-dollar coach” by so many prominent company Silicon Valley executives that had the pleasure to be lovingly challenged and coached by him. The business value Bills coaching contributed to was perspective and goal focus to his coachee, whoms actions because of the coaching, brought increased turnover and results. But how do we prove this?

- When we look at research to find evidence on what ROI coaching brings there is more to ask for, but things are changing. Today we refer to our customers and clients’ testimonials and that’s all good, but wouldn’t it be nice to also refer to science for evidence? There are more and more research done in this area and I´m happy to read every research report published, says Anette Tandberg, founder of Go Avni.

How do we as a coach then explain the effects of coaching? After all it is a most subjective behavioral and emotional experience within the coachee that we are trying to put words on. How do we explain that action focus, new perspectives, and finding your driving force can actually prove increased revenue and results? You need to ask the right questions when evaluating.

To collect findings of the results your coaching practice brings these are some pointers that you might consider doing. Set a plan to systematically evaluate your coaching by following a few steps.

1. Make sure you have a mutual and clear understanding on the coaching objectives together with the coachee before the coaching begins. What is the coachees expectations?
2. Based on the objectives of the coaching, use a standardized questionnaire form that your coachee will fill in before you start the coaching, identifying your coachees perceived starting point.
3. Use the same standardized questionnaire form that your coachee will fill in after completing the coaching. Perceived current state.
4. Calculate the difference from the starting point results and current state results.
5. Convert these results into monetary and intangible benefits.
6. Follow up after some months to check in on the long-term results, both monetary and intangible benefits. Add these to the results of the coaching.
7. Sum up the total costs related to the coaching.
8. Calculate the ROI in monetary value. Calculate improved intangible effects.
9. Document the results, of course without giving away the identity of your coachee.
10. Create your own white paper that sums up your coachees and clients results of your coaching both in ROI and monetary effects as well as effects as stronger perceived personal development, self leadership, work place culture etc.

As coaches we take responsibility of calculating the ROI of our job and looking at the bigger perspective there are interesting ways of measuring the systemic change our work contributes to. That is something we will dive deeper into further along.

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