However, in every challenge there lies opportunity. When the ‘baggage’ is acknowledged and confronted upfront in a coaching relationship, it can expedite the coaching relationship. In my experience, this can be a powerful in bringing up the level of authenticity and candor in the exchange.
Whose Agenda is at the Heart of Coaching?
Being an internal coach, the advantage is that s/he is likely to have good knowledge of the business and the organisation, as compared to an external one. However, the coach can focus too much on organisational issues, drawing on personal experiences to support the coachee. Additionally, the internal coach may also run the risk of prescribing solutions, citing personal encounters in the organisation and direct the
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The flipside of many of the challenges discussed above, when skillfully and thoughtfully leveraged, can be turned into key benefits. This can be achieved by a conscientious assertion of ethical and professional practice.
Coaches’ Relevance & Familiarity to the Organisation
Internal coaches are seen to have a greater understanding of the business/ industrial context, culture and dynamics of the organisation as compared to external coaches. Internal coaches have internal context and an intimate understanding of how things work (ICF, 2013). They are felt to have an inherent knowledge and understanding of the company culture, which is something that the external coaches could not provide (ICF, 2013). They are also likely to have higher accessibility to the ecosystem where the coachees operate in, hence can challenge and support in a more targeted way. As compared to their external counterparts, an internal coach can display stronger credibility, especially when he or she is a highly visible leader in the organisation. There is also a good foundation for the coach and coachee to relate with each other at the onset of the coaching relationship, given that there is a proximity, or intimacy, in terms of shared background and commonalities. Namely, the relationship does not start ‘cold’. Therefore, this can increase the trust between the coach and the