Designers of the original survey proposed that the respondents would benefit in two ways. These two benefits made this truly a collaborative effort between those who designed the questionnaire and those who completing it. Following is a statement offered to those considering completion of the second survey:
You can sign up to receive the report findings from this study when they become available. . . These reports will also be made available at no charge to the general coaching public through the Library of Professional Coaching. The reports will identify which modes of development have been found to be the most effective. . . . [Furthermore, results from this survey may] increase the credibility of the coaching profession. As Francine Campone, one of the creators and initiators of the original survey has indicated, a culture of research and evidence needs to be created in the field of professional coaching. The more we learn from one another about professional coaching practices, the more collectively knowledgeable we will become. The more knowledgeable we become, the greater the opportunity for building evidence-based coaching strategies and tools. The better the strategies and tools the more effective we will be as coaching professionals. The more effective we become as a profession, the greater the demand will be for our services.
Having set the stage for review of the results obtained from these two surveys, it is now time to begin reviewing and speculating on the implications of results obtained. I begin by reflecting on findings regarding general coaching tactics and strategies.
Coaching Tactics and Strategies
There was a high level of concurrence between the two studies. The means are often quite similar and the rank order of means for both studies is similar. Even the variance scores are similar with regard to both amount of variance in responses to a specific item and with regard to the rank order of the variance scores for each item. Both surveys seem to be replete with optimism and a positive attitude. Taking the absolute scores as “reality,” there seems to be an “up” to almost every self-perception of the coach respondents. It is only the one negative item (“How much do you regard this [change] as a decline or impairment?”) that gets a low rating — actually a very low rating. The other items on question one were rated consistently high by respondents to both surveys:
How much do you regard this as progress or improvement?
How much have you succeeded in overcoming any part limitations in your coaching skill and knowledge?
How much have you realized your potential as a coach?
