Coaching in Pharma: Valuable Business Skill or Temporary Fad?
1 September 2006, NetworkPharma Ltd, Oxford, UK have published the latest in their KeywordPharma series of brand new Improving Practice reviews, intended for individuals working in and around the global pharmaceutical industry.
Coaching in Pharma: Valuable Business Skill or Temporary Fad? is now available for purchase.
The distinction between management and coaching is currently a hot topic across all industries. The recent explosion of accredited life coaches has been followed by efforts to ensure that the principles of coaching transfer to the world of business. The pharmaceutical industry is no exception. The question remains, can pharmaceutical managers use coaching skills to motivate their staff and improve performance?
A good coach aims to enhance performance through feedback, motivation, listening and questioning. Yet coaching is not always the ideal method; sometimes directive management is more appropriate. However, there are many opportunities for pharmaceutical managers to adopt coaching skills: field visits, progress reviews, team meetings and individual appraisals all benefit from the coaching philosophy.
This Improving Practices review provides advice and guidance for pharmaceutical managers looking to develop the art of coaching. It defines the differences between coaching and managing, and explains how successful managers require a balance of skills. It looks at the GROW and OUTCOMES® frameworks for coaching, and demonstrates how teams can grow and become more productive through an understanding of these approaches. It also looks at the major requirements of any training programme designed for coaches. The review concludes that coaching is an essential business skill, and that the ‘directive’ approach eventually leads to managerial suicide. Coaching is not a modern fad, but a vital component of good management.
The author, Allan Mackintosh, said: "Coaching is an essential business skill. Many managers do not possess the appropriate skills or do not use them as often as they should. Coaching is only part of the manager’s role and should be used in balance with other skills. Managers should fully understand what coaching is about and what it entails before embarking on using these skills."
All KeywordPharma publications can be purchased from ThePharmYard at www.ThePharmYard.com
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About the author
Allan Mackintosh is a Training and Development Professional with over 24 years of experience in industry. The years he spent in the pharmaceutical industry have given him experience as a sales executive, sales manager, sales coach and trainer. He latterly spent 6 years working as a Manager/Development Coach with GlaxoWellcome and GlaxoSmithKline, before branching out to form his own management coaching business in 2001. His last industry role involved coaching top-flight sales executives, first-line and senior managers, and providing support to enable them to identify and achieve their business objectives. Particular emphasis was placed on supporting new managers who had been promoted to management from the sales function.
In May 2001, Allan founded Performance Management Coaching Scotland, to promote the skill of coaching in management, and to enable and support managers to become great coaches in the workplace. Since starting Performance Management Coaching, Allan has steadily grown ‘The Coaching Manager’ brand and it now covers a book and three unique coaching models, in addition to an e-zine, e-book and several structured courses.
Written by pharmaceutical industry specialists, KeywordPharma publications are designed to be authoritative, relevant, succinct and helpful to pharmaceutical industry executives in their day-to-day work and in their longer term career development. Available to purchase individually as e-documents, they build into a specialist knowledge library for everyone working in and around the global pharmaceutical industry.
Developed and managed by NetworkPharma Ltd, ThePharmYard provides instant access to a unique database of specialist information which is particularly relevant to individuals working within the medical and pharmaceutical industries around the world. Titles from a diverse range of independent publishers are available to purchase in electronic document format for immediate access.
NetworkPharma Ltd is an independent, specialist company founded by Peter Llewellyn, to focus on novel approaches to disseminating information within the global medical and pharmaceutical industries. Peter Llewellyn previously founded and built the leading industry portal site, InPharm, which was subsequently purchased by John Wiley & Sons to manage alongside their other industry services, PharmaFile and Pharmafocus.
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For more information please contact us via our web site or directly contact Peter Llewellyn, Managing Director, NetworkPharma Ltd, email: peter@networkpharma.com, tel: +44 (0) 1865 865943
