HONG KONG, April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Magdalena Mook, CEO and Executive Director of the International Coach Federation (ICF), begins a two-day visit today to Hong Kong where she will share observations and global trends of coaching in organizations with local HR professionals and coaching communities.
As a leading organization dedicated to advancing the art, science, and practice of professional coaching, ICF has set global standards for professional coaching for over two decades. During this time, coaching has been increasingly recognized and applied as an excellence enhancing method. Coaching can be widely used in organizations to accelerate onboarding for new roles, speed up leadership development, and improve team operations. This particularly increases employee engagement, producing many positive outcomes including decreased absenteeism, lower turnover, and higher productivity.
Due to its highly adaptive nature in organizations, coaching is now becoming an activity throughout entire enterprises. "Coaching is now considered a 'merit badge' in most organizations rather than a remedial or performance management activity," acknowledged Magdalena Mook. According to ICF's recent organizational coaching study, coaching is no longer an elite service; instead, it is cascading from the C-suite down to all levels. "ICF has witnessed a growing number of organizations who are taking bottom-up approaches over the last several years," stated Mrs. Mook.
Conforming to the global trend of an increasing acceptance and recognition of coaching, Asia is also experiencing rapid growth in this booming industry. ICF counts 20 chapters in Asia with around 4,000 credential holders and members. "The demand for quality coaches continues to grow. In the past two years, the HK chapter alone has witnessed quadruple growth," said Craig McKenzie, President of ICF Hong Kong Charter Chapter. "I think ICF plays a vital role in this developing market in creating confidence and value for consumers, coaches, and society."
About International Coach Federation
The International Coach Federation (ICF) is a pioneer in the development of global standards for professional coaching, core competencies, ethics and industry research, providing independent certification and building a worldwide network of credentialed coaches across a variety of coaching disciplines. ICF is active in representing all facets of the coaching industry, including Executive, Life, Leadership, Relationship, and Career Coaching. Its 25,050 members located in 136 countries and work toward the common goal of enhancing awareness of coaching, upholding the integrity of the profession, and continually educating themselves with the newest research and practices.
