Good question, maybe we can find part of the answer in Ferguson's quote:

“The difference between transformation by accident and transformation by a system is like the difference between lightning and a lamp. Both give illumination, but one is dangerous and unreliable, while the other is relatively safe, directed and available.” Ferguson

Like the effects from a bolt of lightning, development left to chance is unreliable. What good leaders really need is to turn good intentions into action. Yet, many leaders admit that coaching is frequently a low priority in their organisations and give many different excuses:

• Managers around here don’t take the time for coaching...
• Coaching takes second place...
• There is too much emphasis on results to spend much time on development...
• We talk a lot about coaching, but there isn't any real commitment...

However, coaching shouldn't be limited to any specific areas of the company because the following realities make coaching an imperative for every leader in your organisation:

Change is inevitable. Even the most successful organisations must keep on their toes. They must continuously improve or risk falling from glory. IBM was Fortune magazine’s most admired corporation for four years before plummeting into the bottom half of the ratings, so don't count on today’s excellence because this is no guarantee for tomorrow’s success.

People must learn and adapt quickly. Your people’s skills will become obsolete—in the same way technologies become outdated—if you rely solely on today’s capabilities to lead your organisation into the future. You can't just hire talented people, teach them to do their jobs, and then leave them alone. Changing demands requires a workforce that can learn new skills and adapt quickly. Experience and time alone are slow and inefficient teachers.

Employees want to grow. Lifelong employment in the same job is becoming a career path found only in history books. Some experts estimate that the career of the average university graduate today will include at least eight jobs in four different industries. Many job changes will be voluntary, because of the growing desire to find personal growth and satisfaction in work. People who feel underutilized will leave. Unfortunately for companies, the people who depart are almost surely the best recruits. To prevent talented, motivated people from being recruited by a competitor with better opportunities, you need to invest in their continuous growth and satisfaction.

People are the real source of competitive advantage. Versatile people—those who learn better and faster than the competition—sustain the edge in the marketplace. People are your most important assets and coaching is the investment vehicle for long-term payback. With coaching people become competent, self-directed, flexible and identify to the company's goals.

One problem you may be thinking in is whether or not the coach is really good at what they are coaching. But is this really a problem? Who plays better tennis Federrer or his coach? I haven't had much experience with coaching, but I suspect that a good coach has to be able to bring out the best in each of us and motivate us to reach our true potential. Coaches aren't consultants. The big difference between a consultant and a coach is that a coach develops the employee so that he performs at their best where as a consultant provides solutions to problems.

What would you want a coach for?

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