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.

Writing is indispensable in an online or blended (combination of off- and online) coaching process. Of course, it is necessary to be able to express yourself via mail, chat or text message, and this way of coaching also yields so much more than regular face-to-face coaching. A lot of research shows that writing about experiences and thoughts has a liberating effect and that writing increases your coachee's self-awareness. For you as their coach, this approach requires additional skills.

Not every great coach is a great online coach. Using emails and chat apps, but also specific online coaching tools like Pluform, requires certain skills. Being able to read analytically and write strategically, are great skills to have when you are coaching people online, where the communicative power of the written word plays an important role.

On the 12th of April eCoachPro was present at the 24th edition of the EMCC (European Mentoring & Coaching council) conference in Amsterdam. During this conference Anne Ribbers and Marco Tieleman were invited to speak about a VUCA programme which is designed by eCoachPro and Groupmapping for the leadership of a big governmental organization in the Netherlands.