• Skip to content
  • Skip to navigation
Global site
  • Global site
  • Algeria
  • Botswana
  • Cameroon
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Guinea
  • Kenya
  • Libya
  • Malawi
  • Mauritius
  • Morocco
  • Namibia
  • Nigeria
  • Senegal
  • South Africa
  • Togo
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua
  • Argentina
  • Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and St. Maarten
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Canada LLP
  • Canada RCGT
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Dominica
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Mexico
  • Montserrat
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Puerto Rico
  • St Kitts
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad & Tobago
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Afghanistan
  • Australia
  • Bangladesh
  • Cambodia
  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Malaysia
  • Mongolia
  • Myanmar
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam
  • Albania
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Channel Islands
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy - Bernoni
  • Italy - Ria
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kosovo
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • North Macedonia
  • Northern Ireland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Slovak Republic
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • UK
  • Uzbekistan
  • Bahrain
  • Egypt
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Yemen
Grant Thorton Logo

Grant Thornton Logo Grant Thornton logo

  • Meet our people
  • Insights
  • Services
  • Industries
  • Careers
  • Locations
  • Business advisory services
  • Financial advisory services
  • Tax
  • Audit
  • Operational advisory
Business advisory services Home
  • NZTE support for businesses impacted by COVID-19
Financial advisory services Home
  • Asia Services Group
  • Business valuations
  • Capital markets
  • Complex and international services
  • Corporate insolvency
  • Debt advisory
  • Expert witness
  • Financial models
  • Forensic and investigation services
  • Independent business review
  • IT forensics
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Raising finance
  • Relationship property services
  • Restructuring and turnaround
  • Transaction advisory
Tax Home
  • Corporate tax
  • Employment tax
  • Global mobility services
  • GST
  • International tax
  • Research and Development
  • Tax compliance
  • Transfer pricing
Audit Home
  • Audit methodology
  • Audit technology
  • Financial reporting advisory
Operational advisory Home
  • Business architecture
  • Internal audit
  • IT advisory
  • IT privacy and security
  • PCI DSS
  • Process improvement
  • Procurement/supply chain
  • Project assurance
  • Risk management
  • Robotic process automation (RPA)
  • Energy and resources
  • Financial services
  • Food and beverage
  • Health and aged care
  • Media and entertainment
  • Not for profit
  • Professional services
  • Public sector
  • Real estate and construction
  • Grant Thornton New Zealand
  • Press releases
  • 2014
  • Scope for greater use of business coaches in New Zealand

Scope for greater use of business coaches in New Zealand

21 Apr 2014
  • 2014

New Zealand business owners and senior management are among the heaviest users of business coaches in the world but there is still scope for greater involvement, according to Pam Newlove, Chair of Grant Thornton New Zealand Limited.

The latest Grant Thornton International Business Report survey of 45 countries has ranked New Zealand in sixth position, with 56% of those surveyed reporting they have used a business coach. A further breakdown revealed that 34% were currently using a coach and 22% had in the past.

“It can be pretty lonely running a business and a business coach provides an opportunity to talk with someone from outside the business in a non-threatening way,” said Newlove.

“They add value because they are impartial and it’s then up to the owner or senior management to consider the input from the coach and adopt or dismiss the advice they’ve been given. The recent recession is likely to have increased the need for coaching as well, as when tough decisions need to be made, the benefits of an external sounding board are even greater.”

The Philippines leads the world with 90% of business owners using or having used coaches followed by Taiwan (71%), Armenia (70%), Malaysia (66%), Botswana (62%) and Singapore alongside New Zealand on 56%.

“In many ways, New Zealand is trending towards the emerging economies in their use of coaches. As well as the countries above us in the survey, Chile, India, Russia and Brazil are also strong in the use of business coaches.

“Businesses in the emerging economies tend to have fewer regulations in some areas compared with those in mature economies like the United States, which gives business owners and coaches a greater opportunity to be innovative and different.

“New Zealand also has its own somewhat unique challenges in our isolation, reliance on primary industries and limited access to technology compared with advanced countries. Countering that is our ‘can do’ attitude and the ability to visualize the benefits of success. 

“Our younger business owners tend to be pragmatic and are always looking to find a win-win solution, rather than trying to trump another company or person. Impartial coaches can have a positive impact on these situations as they do not have a personal agenda that can stymie a sensible outcome.”

Newlove said that coaching should not be confused with mentoring, which tends to have an internal focus and is undertaken by a senior staff member, who’s unlikely to have the same impartiality as an outsider. It can be easy for a mentor to slip into bullying behaviors because of their seniority, and other personal agendas that may be at play, such as role insecurities.

“A good coach will guide a business owner – not try to bully them.

“It’s worth investing time in finding a well suited, experienced coach, as just like in any sports team, a good coach is a game breaker,” she said.

Further enquiries, please contact:

Pam Newlove
Chair, Grant Thornton New Zealand Board
Grant Thornton New Zealand Ltd
T +64 (0)9 308 2579
M +64 (0)27 692 0271
E pam.newlove@nz.gt.com

  • Follow us on Instagram
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Twitter icon
  • Facebook icon
CONNECTclose
  • Contact us
  • Make an enquiry/submit an RFP
  • Meet our people
  • Careers
  • Alumni
  • Locations
ABOUTclose
  • About Grant Thornton
  • Insights
  • Press
LEGALclose
  • Privacy
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap

© 2021 Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL) - All rights reserved. "Grant Thornton” refers to the brand under which the Grant Thornton member firms provide assurance, tax and advisory services to their clients and/or refers to one or more member firms, as the context requires. GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. GTIL and each member firm is a separate legal entity. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL does not provide services to clients. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another’s acts or omissions.

    • EN