UGA also trains coaches who don’t work between the hedges

Have you ever considered becoming an executive coach? If so, now is a good time to get into the field.

Executive coaching is on the rise, according to a 2008 study by Drake Beam Morin Inc., a global outplacement firm, and Human Capital Institute, a nonprofit think tank. Seventy-eight percent of the 472 human resource and business leaders surveyed saw value in investing in training and developing the leadership of executive coaches. They found it to be an effective way to improve a company’s performance, develop high-potential talent and retain top leadership.

A more recent study by Bersin and Associates, a talent management consulting firm, found that corporate training budgets increased by 9.5 percent in 2011.

Since 2008, Sherpa Executive Coaching has partnered with the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education to offer a 60-hour certification course twice a year.

Classes for the spring session will meet for two weeks (March 5-9 and April 16-19) on the Athens campus. Participants will also receive 12 weeks of expert phone support as they work with a practicum client. Tuition is $8,950 and includes materials and room and board for the residential two-week classes.

“We keep class sizes small [about 10 people] because the two weeks are intense and immersive, but students will leave prepared to become executive coaches,” said Brenda Corbett, instructor and vice president of Sherpa Executive Coaching.

“This course is for anyone who wants to start a new career or [a] coaching business, add skills to his consulting toolbox, or train to be an internal coach for their organization,” said Corbett, co-author of “The Sherpa Guide: Process-Driven Executive Coaching.” “We work with a lot of corporations to help them develop coaching cultures as a way to increase the skills and effectiveness of their managers.”

Students spend the first week learning about themselves and what it takes to be a good coach.

“Coaches provide a sounding board for their clients. They reinforce what their clients are doing right and help them alter behaviors that are holding them back from meeting their goals,” Corbett said.

The second week of the course, students learn and practice the six-phase Sherpa Executive Coaching process, which includes:

1. Taking stock: Learning about clients and hearing where they want to go with their careers.

2. Global view: Looking at client’s goals within his or her work environment to find supporters and obstacles.

3. Destination: Selecting a behavior to work on, such as communication skills, decision-making or problem-solving.

4. Charting the course: Teaching clients tips and techniques to help them achieve positive changes in their selected business behaviors.

5. Agenda: Developing an action plan for sustaining momentum after coaching.

6. The summit: Celebrating clients’ success and looking ahead to what they’d like to do next.

Those who successfully complete all assignments earn the designation of certified executive coach from Sherpa Coaching, as well as UGA continuing education units.

For information or to register, call Pam Bracken at 706-583-0424 or go to www.georgiacenter.uga.edu.

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