Like other professional coaches, Krause, a former human resources manager with Hyatt Hotels, believes coaching fills a need in the corporate world for human contact, professional advice and old-fashioned mentoring. There are many companies that are being proactive in bringing in coaching and mentoring programs. Krause says coaching by its very nature is a highly personalised service. Clients' expectations vary widely from those looking purely for a motivational tool to others who are wrestling with deeper life issues. Audrey McGuinness, the founder and a managing partner of DIVA Coaching in Sydney, says most of her clients need help in personal areas rather than in improving work performance or decision-making skills.
DIVA employs two full-time and seven contract coaches.
A mother of two and former merchant banker, McGuinness also practices what she preaches, employing her own coach and personal trainer. They are the two people I have regular contact with each week. McGuinness believes coaching helps individuals to deal with the increasing pressures from new technology and tougher, global competition. So you take the big global picture and help the client chunk the situation or life story down to help the client not feel so overwhelmed. A lot of it is also about prosperity.