Flexible, short online coaching engangements for executives in crisis situations

Equip staff members with appropriate leadership styles and coordination skills. And cultivate collaborative approaches in a complex and changing work landscape. That was the aim when we started coaching at a large intergovernmental organization active in over 130 countries in conflictious regions. Participants were matched with a certified e-coach and received four hours of blended coaching. Coaching as a space for self-awareness, reflection and skills development. “Sometimes it is difficult to see something beyond our own contextual perspective”, one of the participants states. “Having contact with an external coach was useful to push my boundaries.” 

Online guidance and treatment using various means of communication 

You can hardly get around it. In recent weeks, several online video calling services have been offering their services at low prices or even for free. The care and support industry is jumping on it en masse. The fact that people are now reaching for online video calls is logical: it comes closest to face-to-face contact. Video calls seem to be familiar almost immediately. However, the lack of non-verbal communication is difficult to compensate for. Video calling is therefore a "poor" version of face-to-face contact. You can argue that limited contact is better than no contact at all. But a better and more intensive contact is possible: by combining image calling with other means of communication.

A-synchronicity, social anonymity and the power of writing 

You see it a lot these days. Now that face-to-face coaching appointments are not feasible anymore, technology offers an alternative to continue to communicate online. Video calls are on the rise. However, facilitating an online video connection with your client does not immediately mean the coaching engagement will end up successful. Online coaching and guidance is a discipline in our field and does require a thorough, well thought through approach. eCoachPro (eCP) is a Dutch founded company that built its expertise in this discipline in the last eleven years. Our own eCP methodology has been specifically  developed for online coaching and counselling/treatment. The online dialogue is a key element in this. A blog about a-synchronicity, social anonymity and the power of writing. 

Being an e-coach: coaching competencies and beyond

- Written by Macarena Vergara and Antonie Bors - 

What is it like to be an e-coach? What is the thinking and unique philosophy behind this modality of coaching? In e-coaching, we curate the relationship through the power of the written word. An e-coach works at cultivating trust, safety and intimacy with every written message. Macarena Vergara, e-coach at eCoachPro, talks about e-coaching and what it entails for her as a coach.

It can also be done differently: measure sustainable behavioural change 

- Written by Anne Ribbers and Antonie Bors -

The coaching profession is often topic of discussion. In the Netherlands, a recent broadcast of the Rambam research programme about coaching led to a national discussion. How do you know you have the right, professional and qualified coach? In short: how do you measure quality? A certified coach is one parameter. We also find it essential that the results of a coaching program are clear and measurable. We do this through the unique Coaching Monitor tool developed by the NOBCO (EMCC). We recently coached a large group of team leaders within the Dutch National Police and the tool made sustainable behavioural changes visible.  

The need for a well-thought leadership development program/strategy has never been direr. With the rise of collaborative platforms and organizational design that emphasizes individual initiative, employees across the board are driving consequential decisions that align with corporate goals and culture. Evidently, these employees must be equipped with the relevant technical and communication skills. From promoting workforce engagement, hiring he right talent, and redesigning management infrastructure to improving the quality of coaching and driving a culture of agility, organizations need to step up and cover these leadership trends with the aid of the latest technologies. 

Since 2010, Anne Ribbers (Director Global Coaching & Leadership Development) is specialized in a form of coaching that combines face-to-face conversations with online coaching. Within our organization we call this blended coaching or Technology Enhanced Coaching. In addition to face-to-face conversations, Anne works online with her clients through video calls and text-based coaching (written messages and exercises). Together they create a customized continuous coaching dialogue. The continuity of the dialogue makes it possible to take small development steps and to stay close to our clients in their day-to-day work environment. 

E-learning is an applied way for people to develop new skills independently and at their own pace. However, the drop out is high and participants usually have difficulty applying new skills into practice. Including an e-coach who listens, thinks along and motivates during the e-learning program, proves to be an effective way to realize real behavioral changes on the work floor. 

Nowadays, companies invest a lot of time and money in developing leadership skills by offering expensive leadership development programs to their (top) talents and leaders. However, the exact results of these programs often remain unclear. McKinsey has executed two large-scale studies[1], which included the surveying of more than 500 CEOs. The results have shown that only 7% of CEOs believe their organization is effectively investing in proper leadership development. Only 10% of CEOs state that their leadership development programs have a significant impact.

Every individual, every leader and every business is unique. Led by this idea, multinational Euroports, one of the largest port-infrastructure companies in Europe, was in search of a suitable leadership program. In partnership with eCoachPro a tailor-made leadership program for Euroports was developed. The uniqueness of this program lies in several offsite training sessions cmbined with e-coaching in between. Through this combination, the content of the training sessions is brought into practice immediately and consequently in the daily work environment. The specific learning needs of the participants and the objectives of the company were also taken into account. Formulas like the 70:20:10 model and a blended learning and development model was used to maximize the participants’ effectiveness of their learning and development skills.