Praise for Coaching in Asia
“Performance improvement, leadership development, and feedback - all of these are part of executive coaching in any country. The editors of Coaching in Asia have brought together exceptional works on this subject in this significant and groundbreaking book!”
- Marshall Goldsmith
World-renowned executive coach and author of the New York Times best-sellers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
“It is inspiring to see the results that commitment and collaboration through coaching can bring - first in this book - and by extension, in the world.”
- Karen Tweedie
Partner, Point Ahead
“Coaching in Asia is a great book for those of us trying to manage in highly cross-cultural environments. The multiple perspectives of the many authors will give you new thoughts and perspectives on coaching your team.”
- Timothy P. Betsch
Director of Supply Chain, P.T. Kapal Api Global (Indonesia)
“This long-awaited Asia-focused (book is) deeply pragmatic and (offers) refreshingly insightful and transparent perspective on the coaching experience. This book uncovers successful current practices and provides a glimpse into emerging trends for the industry, within the context of the post global financial crisis and the challenges and opportunities presented to individuals, teams, and organisations.
Leveraging on the depth of expertise, practices, research, and generosity of the contributors - professional coaches and leaders in their field - each chapter offers real-time application and relevance for any coach wanting to pursue and enhance their effectiveness in facilitating individual, team, and organisational growth and development. From the cultural nuances of coaching across cultures in Asia, to managing complex individual and group coaching approaches, with a focus on return on ‘investment’ for individuals and organisations, the book ties it altogether convincingly and confidently with the final ‘what if’ chapter view on factors currently influencing coaching in Asia and beyond.”
- Lauren Houghton
Managing Director, Breakthru Leadership
“For many organisations undergoing changes, this book comes at the right time to provide the critical insight and tools to succeed in embarking on executive coaching within the organisation. I am encouraged to see that we have a book that is more related to the Asian context when we talk about executive coaching. It will certainly add a new dimension in supporting and enhancing this important area of people development.”
- Alan Miu
Managing Director, TNT Express Worldwide (Thailand) Co. Ltd
“This is a well-conceived and much needed book. It reflects several years of experience and wisdom gained from coaches working in Asia. Managing cross-cultural issues relating to all aspects of coaching and training is woven throughout the book. It is an invaluable resource for any coach working in an Asian culture.”
- Leni Wildflower
Director, Coaching Initiatives, Fielding Graduate University
“Whether you are a CEO, company executive, HR practitioner or an executive coach, you will find something of interest in Coaching in Asia. The contributors are all seasoned coaches from a variety of organisations, most of whom have lived and worked in Asia for many years. Their experiences and insights are not only helpful in confirming those commonly shared wisdoms about the cultural contexts of Asia but also in posing questions for reflection and further investigation.”
- Lynn Sadler
Head of HR Asia Pacific, Syngenta Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
“A timely coaching resource produced by coaches for coaches. The broad range of perspectives offered by practitioners with in-depth experience makes this a comprehensive and practical resource for anyone interested in the field of coaching.”
- Christian Chao
Honorary Secretary, ASTD Global Network Singapore
Assistant Director, Centre for Organisation Development, Civil Service College
“Since the introduction of executive coaching to Asia not that many years ago, there has been a growing recognition that while the predominantly Anglo-Saxon tools, techniques, and methodologies relating to coaching do have generally universal application, the context in which coaching is conducted in Asia can be quite different. Understanding the context in which coachees operate is critical to achieving successful coaching outcomes. Without it, the coach cannot help empower the coachee within the circumstances and environment in which he/she operates.
This book therefore marks an important milestone in the development of executive coaching in Asia. It provides multiple views of coaching in Asia and the many anecdotes and stories serve to highlight the sometimes subtle nuances of coaching within an Asian context.
It is also heartening to note that most, if not all, contributors to this book are either Asians or expatriates who have lived and worked in Asia for many years and therefore can claim a legitimate understanding of the Asian context.
In a book of this nature, being a collection of different views from various contributors, there is always the risk of it being too stereotypical, losing its true essence and focus. What do expatriates know of Asia culture? Can they know it beyond superficial cognitive understanding or do they really know it in their heads, hearts, and guts? Regardless of one’s view, this book is an important first-step as a tangible documentary of the evolution of executive coaching in Singapore and in Asia.
Congratulations to the Book Committee for initiating the publication of this book! It is useful in informing readers about coaching in general and perhaps more importantly, about the conduct of coaching in Asia.”
- Paul Lim
Director, Centre for Leadership Development, Civil Service College
COACHING
in Asia
THE FIRST DECADE
Editors
DENISE WRIGHT, ANNA LEONG, KEITH E. WEBB, SAM CHIA
Copyright 2010
Denise Wright, Anna Leong, Keith E. Webb, Sam Chia
Smashwords Edition
Contents
Part One: Coaching Across Cultures
1 – Group Executive Coaching in Asia: “Same Same But Different”
Jacki Nicholas & Katherine Twaddell
3 – Honouring Who, What and Where You Are
4 – Leadership Coaching: Inspiration from Asia
Elisabeth Legrain-Fremaux and Michael Fox
5 – An Adventure in Amazing Thailand: From CEO-coaching to Cross-cultural Team-building
6 – Facilitating Inspired Change Through Strengths-Based Coaching Conversations
9 – Who Coaches Whom: The Case for Internal Coaches
Coaching in Asia: Trends and Development
Acknowledgements
This book reflects a number of things about the current state of Executive Coaching in Asia. First it shows the depth and breadth of experience available to organisations from a group of very experienced coaches. This in itself is remarkable considering a Google search on “Executive Coach” just five years ago would have produced the bus timetable from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur as the top 20 hits. A similar search today provides a very different result; the names and contacts of a growing pool of skilled resources available to help leadership teams catapult themselves forward in today’s rapidly changing business environment.
It also reflects the nature of the coaching community. There are few industries where “competitors” work in such a collaborative manner to deliver value to clients. The International Coach Federation, as our global professional body, has enabled not only the development of standards for clients, but also the bringing together of independent professionals for a common cause.
This book was first conceived a couple of years ago when I was the chapter president for ICF in Singapore. It speaks volumes for the nature of the profession – that a group of independent coaches were able to come together on a project for the betterment of the industry.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the amazing leadership of Denise Wright, in being the inspiration for the project and carrying the team – Dennis Heath, Keith Webb, Sam Chia, Anna Leong, and myself – through from inception to completion.
I trust you will enjoy the mixed flavours and insights provided by our contributing authors and be inspired to seek how you can apply their knowledge to the betterment of your organisation.
Tony Latimer, MCC
Master Executive Coach
Past President ICF Singapore
Foreword
I led a breakout session at an ICF European conference called “Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Diversity” in Belgium in 2006. In one of the exercises, I asked country groups to discover what stereotypes we had about each other that were not true. Then each country group could share the stereotypes and teach the rest of the audience what was true about their culture and what they really wanted the world to know about their culture and their people.
I made a fatal cultural error.
I tried to lump together countries by regions so there weren’t any people left out of a group in the room. They rebelled. The Canadians did not want to be with the Americans, the Ukrainians did not want to be with the Russians, and the Latin American countries said they would rather work by themselves, even in groups of one.
From a distance, we may look alike. Up close, every country has its unique cultural values and beliefs. In fact, looking closer, people from different regions in a country – and from community to community – demonstrate strengths, habits, and a distinctive nature that characterises them differently.
So as Jacki Nicholas and Katherine Twaddell claim in their chapter on Group Executive Coaching in Asia, even when the problems look the same, when we coach people we must listen from the point of view that we are “same same but different”.
It takes time to know one another from the inside out. It takes time to build the trust that encourages people to share who they are with us. It takes time to fully understand the human who has come to us to help sort out their problems and their views of the future.
Yet one of the beauties of the coaching community is that we can shorten this learning curve by sharing with one another. As Tony Latimer says in the Acknowledgments, “There are few industries where ‘competitors’ work in such a collaborative manner to deliver value to clients.” At the core of the International Coach Federation is a community of coaches who have come together for a common cause – to bring coaching to the world. This book symbolises this mission. Each chapter is a demonstration of a coach spending hours to share what they know about coaching in Asia to help strengthen coaching in this part of the world for all.
This book is also a milestone in the expansion of the global coaching community. When we started the ICF, the word “International” was more of a dream than reality. There were definitely communities of coaches growing across Europe and Australia but it took another five years before the ICF could truly call itself global. Yet even in those early days, we struggled to define coaching in a way that would fit for everyone. It took the influx of coaches from across Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa to solidify coaching as truly a global profession.
I agree with Elisabeth Legrain-Frémaux and Michael Fox in their chapter on Leadership Coaching that “we believe Asian cultures may be a source of inspiration for corporate coaching to develop transcultural leadership capacity”. There is such a richness of diversity in Asia, a sense of progressiveness as opportunities are opening up, and a shift in the nature of leadership itself that with coaching, we become a part of a significant transformation in the world.
We contribute to this change by listening. Dr Margaret Wheatley, author of Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time, says, “We can change the world when we start listening to one another again.” We listen one-on-one. We listen in groups. When we listen and ask questions, we allow others to go beyond their judgments, become curious, see possibilities, and take risks to begin new conversations. Denise Wright in her chapter on Facilitating Positive Change Through Strengths-Based Group Coaching Conversations, says, “Promoting helpful interactions, be they one-on-one conversations, within teams and groups or between one organisation or country and another, can produce wide-ranging changes quickly and sustain-ably.”
I am honoured to be a part of this community, this movement, and this conversation. It is my privilege to host this book as a testament to professional sharing and the growth of coaching in Asia.
As Anne Frank said, “We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.” We can change the world by listening and coaching, and truly seeing the greatness in each person we are with.
Enjoy the brilliance and generosity of this book.
Marcia Reynolds, PsyD, MCC
Dr Marcia Reynolds has a passion for discovering and sharing how the brain works. She speaks globally on the needs and challenges of today’s leaders. In addition to Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction, she authored Outsmart Your Brain and has been quoted on emotional intelligence issues in many publications including Harvard Communications Newsletter, U.S. Business Review, and The New York Times, and has appeared on ABC World News and Japan Nightly News. Marcia is also a true pioneer in the coaching profession and was the 5th president of the ICF. She was one of the first 25 people in the world to earn the designation of Master Certified Coach (MCC). Marcia’s doctoral degree is in organisational psychology with a research emphasis on the current generation of high-achieving women in today’s global corporations.
Welcome and Overview
Welcome to this first edition of Coaching in Asia: The First Decade. It offers a collection of chapters by a collective of authors who have collaborated to co-create this book, steered by the shared leadership of our Book Committee.
Who is this book written for?
This book is a resource for all those interested in coaching in organisations, including internal and external coaches, line managers, leaders, Learning & Development, Organisational Development, Organisational Effectiveness, and HR professionals. Our aim is to demonstrate the power of coaching to create new ways of working and making a difference across cultures, for individuals, teams, groups, organisations, and communities. This is a book that would not have had a market five plus years ago and yet today we have a flourishing profession with a diverse pool of highly experienced, creative coaches, internal and external, and coaching users.
What inspired this book?
The idea to collaborate on a coaching book was first conceived two years ago when I was First Vice President of the ICF Singapore Chapter and Tony Latimer, a fellow Book Committee member, was President of the ICF Singapore Chapter. We sent out an invitation to all ICF Singapore Chapter Members to participate, by authoring a chapter. And here we are today. This book has been a wonderful living example of collaboration in action.
The vision driving this collaborative effort was a desire to celebrate the impact of the first decade of coaching in Asia. To share our stories, our learning, our wonder, and awe regarding the power of coaching to impact lives, leaders, teams, and organisations. We hope that this book will serve to generate insight, engage, inspire, and build momentum to evolve coaching in communities and organisations across Asia and beyond. Coaching in Asia is still at a fairly early stage of development. We hope this book will lead to more coaching, further impact and contribute to the next phase of development for coaching in Asia and beyond.
How to get the most from this book?
Our objective with this book is to bring you a taste of the variety of coaching approaches that Asia-based coaches are applying, plus the depth of knowledge and experience in coaching across cultures available to your organisations today.
Asia is famous for its international buffets. We encourage you to think of this book as a coaching resource smorgasbord and to find your own way of getting value from the book. Dip in at any point you feel tempted, whether it be for some bite-size morsels or for a full 10-course banquet and return as often as you like. There is much variety on offer in this buffet – many flavours, colours, and spices.
There are 10 chapters, divided into two broad sections: “Coaching Across Cultures” and “Coaching Approaches”, offering a rich array of ideas, case studies, and data. You can read the book from cover to cover or feel free to jump to any chapter that appeals to you most.
We do offer some guidance to the reader too. We recommend that you stop after each taste to reflect on the provoking questions provided regarding how you might use the ideas, concepts, and data presented.
Appendices and bibliography, located at the back of the book, are provided as resources for diving deeper into key concepts, research, and topics that particularly strike a chord.
Who has been a part of making this happen?
I would like to thank the authors for contributing their insights, sharing their experiences, and for making time to write their chapters. The biographical summaries of all 12 authors involved can be found at the back of the book.
I would also like to thank my fellow Book Committee members for their continuous generosity, support, insightful inputs and feedback, and for sharing the leadership of this project - Anna Leong, Keith Webb, Sam Chia, Dennis Heath, and Tony Latimer – thank you team. The biographies of the Book Committee team members are also located in the back section of the book.
In addition, we, the committee, would also like to express our gratitude to Kok Hwa and his team at Candid Creation Publishing for partnering with us on this exciting project.
Denise Wright
Book Committee Chair
Past Vice President ICF Singapore
Group Executive Coaching in Asia: “Same Same But Different”
Jacki Nicholas & Katherine Twaddell
Group Executive Coaching (GEC) has the potential to accelerate awareness, behavioural shifts and results in leadership development, compared to traditional one-to-one coaching. This exploratory paper highlights various methodologies that have been used successfully by seasoned executive coaches in Asia and around the world. Although by no means a foolproof map for the unpredictable terrain of GEC, it nonetheless offers readers the initial coordinates from which to begin their own group coaching journey.
Incorporating results from the first global survey in GEC, along with observations from seasoned practitioners in Asia and around the globe, this paper also illustrates typical methodologies and outcomes through case study extracts, statistics, and professional insights.
In a global GEC survey conducted in 2008 by The Air Institute (Nicholas 1–40)1, the results revealed some interesting observations in the comparison between group coaching in Asia and the rest of the world. Every time we found a common thread in the data, there was something that made it different, and every time we found a difference, there was something that made it similar. Despite a myriad of issues, complexities, and nuances, at the end of the day, group coaching in various parts of the world is, as we say in Asia, “same same but different”. Ethnographic culture is but one lens through which we can view the varied dynamics of different group coaching experiences. It provides a useful perspective but no definitive answer.
In this paper, we provide an overview of group coaching and its impact as compared to individual interventions. We discuss examples based on our 10 years of experience in group coaching executives, as well as draw upon data from the GEC survey.
Overview of Group Coaching
Although coaching has been around for centuries, it has only began to burgeon in the last 15 years. It is now one of the fastest growing human capital initiatives around the globe, including Asia. The bulk of executive coaching, however, still happens one-to-one; and group coaching, despite its power, continues to sit on the fringe of today’s coaching explosion.
In 2008, The Air Institute surveyed 176 executive coaches from 40 countries who employed GEC on a regular basis. Most respondents coached in countries and cultures other than just their own and more than 50% of them had been group coaching for at least five years. These coaches implemented GEC in the following arenas:
• Executive Leadership (71%)
• Executive Team Effectiveness (61%)
• Developing High Potentials (51%)
• Change Leadership (45%)
• Entrepreneurs (27%)
• Intercultural Onboarding™ (22%)
• Life (20%)
The GEC survey revealed that the duration of group coaching programmes ranged from one day to two years, with the most common timeframe being between three and 12 months. Each coaching session typically spanned from one hour to a full working day.
The makeup of the groups being coached was:
• Intact teams, i.e. people from the same team (61%)
• People from the same organisation but different teams (51%)
• People from different organisations working on common themes (43%)
While the jury is still out on the ideal group size, there are considerable variations in the number of coachees per group:
• 2 to 6 coachees (48%)
• 7 to 12 coachees (48%)
• 13 to 20 coachees (16%)
• Over 20 coachees (6%)
With such statistics, it is easy to see how the lines between coaching, facilitating, and consulting could potentially become blurred, particularly if the process includes the coachees also acting as coaches for one another. When executives are thrown together in a room, whether it is for an hour or a day, the temptation is for them to automatically move into task focus and problem solving – the antithesis of pure coaching. In such situations, it is important for the group coach to highlight such behaviours and help them differentiate between coaching and problem solving. The coach needs to keep the group focussed on coaching, to allow individual and group insights to emerge. They might deliberately, however, choose to step out of the coaching process momentarily to allow leeway for group problem solving. For example, one group coaching method invites fellow coachees, in the wrap up process, to share a chosen insight, question, acknowledgement or even offer a piece of advice to the executive being coached.
Future GEC research will help unravel the distinction between group coaching and group facilitation, as there is danger of these getting confused, particularly as group size increases. From our experience, we see GEC as an intervention involving traditional one-to-one coaching skills and techniques, conducted in a group setting with additional group activities. It aims to enhance the awareness and insights of each individual as they are coached, as well as the other participants as they interact with, listen to, and observe their fellow coachees. Coaching skills alone, however, are not enough. Facilitation is also required to manage the group process and dynamic for optimal individual and group benefit. This part of the role includes managing coachee expectations, agreeing on group ground rules, managing group session time, ensuring fair and equitable “airtime” amongst coachees, remaining mindful of coachee and group sensitivities, and allowing for any surfaced commonalities and polarities within the group to be acknowledged and explored where appropriate.
In addition to coaching skills, a group coach therefore needs strong facilitation skills and a good understanding of the differences and possible interplay between directive and non-directive coaching, facilitation, and consulting.
Accelerated Returns Through GEC
All coaching have the objective and potential to offer increased awareness, clarity, and support for its coachees. When it works well, the group coaching process can serve to accelerate the assimilation of these benefits, at both individual and group levels. Although individual coaching triggers insights, significant shifts tend to happen over a number of sessions. In our group coaching, we regularly witness more “aha” moments and coachees truly processing their issues as they have both direct and vicarious opportunities to do so in the session. They also benefit from the “resting” effect.
Increasing self-awareness is a core coaching outcome. This can be achieved in numerous ways including good coaching questions, 360° diagnostics, and direct feedback from others. Part of a coach’s role is to “hold the mirror up” so that individuals can see themselves more clearly and, often, how they are being perceived by others. Due to other participants being present, there are more immediate opportunities for this to happen in group coaching. The group coach’s ability to work and play with ”what’s in the room” to utilise the group dynamic is paramount.