LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 26, 2011 — Joey Restaurant Group and BC Housing of Canada were named the 2011 ICF International Prism Award winners at the ICF Annual International Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The award recognizes organizations that have profited through their commitment to coaching as a leadership strategy.
"The International Prism Award has become the industry's epitome of coaching excellence for companies using coaching," said ICF President and Professional Certified Coach Ed Modell. "Joey Restaurant Group and BC Housing have demonstrated that coaching used as a leadership strategy can pay off greatly."
The Canadian-based Joey Restaurant Group began a coaching initiative with the strategic selection of the most senior leaders in their organization, so they could be coached and be trained as internal coaches while running their restaurant regions. In the last 30 months, they experienced more than 30 percent revenue growth, reduced turnover, and made the Top 100 employers list for the first time. JOEY calculates a 682 percent return on investment from their coaching initiative.
"The International Prism Award is an amazing acknowledgement," said Joey Restaurant Group Vice President of Human Resources Andrew Martin. "To be recognized by the coaching community, for taking on an innovative approach to leadership development, causes us to take a breath and celebrate what we have accomplished to date."
BC Housing of Canada partnered with MICA (now Knightsbridge) in 2007 to create its Leadership Development Program in an effort to develop its leadership talent and create a coaching for performance culture. The initiative was first introduced at the executive level and was soon expanded to include all leaders throughout the organization. As a result, BC Housing closed the leadership gap, increased the pool of competent leaders, and is estimated to have experienced a 70 percent return on investment.
"We are honored to receive this award and this recognition of BC Housing's commitment to providing development opportunities for our employees," said BC Housing CEO Shayne Ramsay. "As a public sector employer, creating a coaching culture within our organization has been fundamental in helping us achieve organizational goals and support our people as they carry out our social mandate. Our coaching program is designed to have long-term impact, creating and maintaining both personal and organizational effectiveness."
BC Housing's investment in coaching continues, having most recently launched the "Coach2Coach" program for its senior leaders to deepen their coaching skills, broaden their leadership perspectives and build a community of practice.
Past winners of the ICF International Prism Award include: Genetch, TINE Group, Solaglas Windowcare, ibm.com North America, SYSCO, the BBC, MCI, University of Texas at Dallas, Verizon Business, IBM, and NASA.
The International Coach Federation is the leading global organization for coaches, with over 17,000 members in more than 100 countries and over 7,800 credentialed coaches worldwide. ICF is dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high ethical standards, providing independent certification, and building a worldwide network of credentialed coaches. Coaching is a distinct service and differs greatly from therapy, consulting, mentoring, or training. ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.coachfederation.org.
ICF HEADQUARTERS CONTACTS:
Sam Elliott, +1.859.219.3550
Email
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