ICM sees coaching as a collaborative partnership between a leader, his or her organization (usually represented by line management), and a certified executive coach.

A manager always engages in a coaching process on a voluntary basis. He/she does so because at a given moment he/she may face some difficulties and obstacles slowing his/her development. The coach is there to challenge and stimulate the manager to evaluate alternatives, define objectives, and structure decisions that are manageable so they can be realistically handled.

This process, comprised of face-to-face meetings, enables the beneficiary to accelerate the development of critical competencies within an agreed timeframe. It focuses on how the person interacts with others to achieve goals. The benefits of successful coaching are:

• The resolution of the problem at hand;
• Better self-knowledge and self-control;
• Increased effectiveness in daily actions.

In the ICM coaching process, the manager coached must buy into the process and wish to be advised. Then, in a joint meeting at the start of the process, the manager, his/her boss, and the coach all agree to common coaching objectives: this forms the basis for the contract. The same three people jointly establish the number of sessions during this meeting, in function of these objectives.

Coaching sessions last 2 to 3 hours and take place away from the company environment. The process can include diagnostic assessments such as questionnaires on management skills, personality profiles, emotional intelligence, 360° feedback, or others.

At the end of the process there is a debriefing session with the same three people who initiated the coaching.

ICM Coaches:

All coaches selected to work with ICM are certified; most of them work freelance. They are chosen on the basis of their professionalism, rigor, character, and extensive international experience.