21 March 2024
Sarah Niblock looks ahead to her talk with EMCC UK President, Ivan Beaumont, at the Business Culture Connected conference on 9 May. She shares their aim of showing ‘how investing in coaching and mentoring closes the all-too-common cultural disconnect between organisations and their employees, helping businesses not just survive but thrive.’ Register for the 9 May conference now! Email [email protected] for a 25% discount on your ticket price.
The Business Culture Connected conference is just over a month away. Our President Ivan and I are busy preparing our keynote speech to hundreds of delegates on why they should be investing in our members’ services right now.
The challenge isn’t finding things to say – that’s easy. It’s distilling our talk down to 20 minutes when there’s such a rich seam of phenomenal insight and experience to impart.
BCC delegates are already ‘bought in’ to the shortcomings of traditional management models in the face of contemporary challenges, which is why we are partnered. What they need from us is our rich repository of ways to cultivate a new breed of leaders. These are the leaders who are capable of adapting to the disrupted, digital era while remaining grounded in values and authenticity.
A key point we will be making – evidence-backed – is that we understand both the science as well as the art of cultivating a positive and productive working culture.
In terms of the science, before any medication can be prescribed to the public, it has to be rigorously tested via something called a randomised controlled trial (RCT). So I was excited to see that an international team of leadership and management researchers have published a meta-analysis of 37 RCTs into the efficacy of coaching in the English-speaking world. Their peer-reviewed article provides compelling data.
It finds that management learning and organisational development should be more tailor-made, customized and flexible, not one-size-fits-all. It confirms what we know as practitioners, but what may be news to employers: that working on the alliance, trust, and mutual influence pays off in terms of effectiveness. Anything that can be done to strengthen the co-created relationship should be worthwhile, such as careful contracting and working flexibly with a variety of requested outcomes, agreeing on client-initiated goals and tasks.
As the only UK professional body with expertise in both coaching and mentoring, our members span a huge range of specialisms for this kind of ideal bespoke approach.
We’ll be showing how investing in coaching and mentoring closes the all-too-common cultural disconnect between organisations and their employees, helping businesses not just survive but thrive.
We’ll be emphasising how in a world where – let’s face it – anyone can call themselves a coach or mentor, they should choose EMCC UK.
For a start, our members abide by a professional code of practice, which includes supervision, personal development and accountability. That’s a vital hallmark of quality and trust in an unregulated field of practice. We also foster and build fantastic local networks, with a keen understanding of regional opportunities and challenges for business.
The Business Culture Connected conference takes place in London at BMA House on Thursday 9 May, and specially discounted tickets are still available for EMCC UK members. This is a great opportunity for you to network directly with businesses. Here’s a glimpse at the programme so far.
Our partnership with BCC places your skills centre stage in the hearts and minds of companies and non-profits who recognise the key to success is in nurturing their people.
We will also be urging attendees to join EMCC UK as organisations, allowing them to garner a deeper understanding of the benefits of coaching and mentoring by immerse themselves in the very best insights, expertise and case studies. Which reminds me – do please encourage any company you may be working with to join our wonderful ranks. Imagine how wonderful the world would be if a lot more businesses invested in our talents?
About Sarah Niblock
Professor Sarah Niblock is a journalist, coach, consultant and academic leader whose work focuses on self, culture and ethics. She is volunteering for EMCC UK, managing the British Culture Awards partnership. Sarah’s work has been featured across the globe, including BBC Radio and other major media brands on both sides of the Atlantic.
She is a visiting professor in counselling psychology at York St John University, and is on the advisory boards of the Climate Cares research centre at Imperial College London, and the Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing at Edge Hill University, UK. She has a master’s degree and PhD (non-medical doctor) and, in 2022, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Edge Hill. As a leader, Sarah has worked in middle and senior management in universities and non-profits for more than 15 years, latterly as a CEO and director.
Image: Business Culture Awards