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As part of the seventh annual Sherpa Coaching Survey, let’s take a look at the way executive coaches and their clients use assessments. Almost every executive coach gets a running start with their clients by using assessments. These assessments can measure colleagues’ opinions, clients’ communication styles or leadership strengths and weaknesses. Based on what a coach wants to measure, there are several basic assessment types. Some assessments are called ‘type models’, which classify tendencies and preferences, with no good or bad types, per se. DISC and Meyers Briggs fall in this classification. Meyers Briggs and DiSC are described as assessments, rather than tests. They are used to measure behavioral patterns or tendencies, with no right or wrong answers. Other assessments are diagnostic, designed to point out problems and weaknesses. ‘360’ assessments fall under the ‘diagnostic’ label. Emotional Intelligence has been described as a way to measure both strengths and weaknesses. The market share of the assessments we asked about have remained pretty much constant over the past three years For executive coaches, ‘360’ assessments lead the pack, hovering at a 26% market share. Next in popularity, there’s a group of assessments, each with a market share around 15%: DISC, Meyers-Briggs, Emotional Intelligence, and Strengths Finder.
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There has been a trend toward the use of assessments among executive coaches. Common practice, the use of assessments, has become a standard practice. A couple of years back, 8% of coaches reported they did not use an assessment at all. Last year, that number dropped to 4%. This year, 99% of coaches reported using an assessment. If every coach has a favorite assessment, you’d expect the most popular tools to remain popular in a saturated market. The leaders are consolidating and increasing their hold on the market. Each year, fewer participants check the ‘other’ box and write in a name that’s not among our major choices. There’s one assessment that seems to have a ‘special use’ appeal: the Strengths Finder. It is used far more often by younger coaches with lower billing rates and clients whose rank is less senior. This seems to indicate that working on strengths is becoming common practice for younger coaches and clients, working on weaknesses a more common practice for senior leaders and executives. |
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There are other types of assessments. Those used to measure interests and values can prove important for an organization intent on retaining their employees. When interests match the job description and values match the organization’s values and mission, employees are happier, and more likely to stay with a job. It has been said that the use of assessments measuring reaction to stress, work/life balance, health risk and job burnout are becoming more widely used in coaching. We have not seen any information to bear that out. These assessments seem to be, more properly, the domain of counselors and therapists. |
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| Sherpa Executive Coaching | 513.232.0002 | info@sherpacoaching.com |
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This is an extended version of information contained in the seventh annual Sherpa Executive Coaching Survey. |
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