Conception of the "Business Coaching Award"

Our company endorses April Dream, an initiative to make April 1st a day to express dreams. This press release represents the dream of Coaching Forward Co., Ltd.

Coaching Forward Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director CEO: Takashi Aikawa) announces the conception of the "Business Coaching Award," which will commend top players in business coaching and demonstrate true behavioral change and innovation to society. Through this award, we aim to establish a clear standard of "quality" in the diverse coaching industry, aiming to realize a future where the highest caliber of coaching is accessible to everyone.

**■ Background of the Concept: The "Light and Shadow" of the Coaching Industry** In today's uncertain business environment, the demand for coaching that enables individuals to pose their own "questions" and generate discontinuous growth has never been higher. However, behind this rapid expansion in demand, the coaching industry is undergoing a significant transitional period.

Currently, various businesses are emerging, and new graduates are being churned out daily from numerous coaching schools. As a result, the market is flooded with inexperienced, self-proclaimed "coaches," making it difficult to guarantee the overall quality of the industry. Cases where coaching does not lead to the intended "deep behavioral change" are not uncommon.

Furthermore, the outcomes of coaching are often perceived as "extremely ambiguous" compared to career support or other consulting services, presenting a fundamental challenge where the return on investment (ROI) is unclear for companies and individuals.

However, authentic coaching is, by nature, a highly sophisticated and specialized approach that fundamentally transforms individuals and organizations, bringing immeasurable returns—multiple to tens of times the investment—and innovation. We strongly feel it is necessary to clearly demonstrate this "invisible true value" to society.

**■ The Future Realized by the "Business Coaching Award"** Our dream is the creation of the "Business Coaching Award -Business Coaching Award-" This will be a celebration to discover outstanding coaches active across Japan and to honor their exceptional techniques and the dramatic changes they have brought to their clients.

**[Award Concept Overview]** **Eligible Coaches:** All professionals who provide coaching to business persons, including executive coaches, business coaches, career coaches, and in-house coaches.

**Evaluation and Judging Criteria:** The assessment will not merely focus on the "technical skill" of sessions but on the extent of "behavioral change" achieved for the client through coaching, the "impact" profound enough to alter individual lives or company trajectories, and the "innovation" created. "Exceptional stories" will be at the core of the judging process.

**Grand Prix Decision and Dissemination:** After rigorous judging, the Grand Prix will be decided, and the transformative stories will be widely communicated to society through various media channels.

**Award Categories** **Behavioral Change Category** Cases where individuals receiving support underwent significant mindset shifts and behavioral changes.

**Organizational Transformation Category** Cases where coaching influenced team or organizational relationships, culture, and outcomes.

**Innovation Creation Category** Cases that led to new businesses, business transformation, or refreshed decision-making.

**Leadership Transformation Category** Cases where internal coaching, in particular, generated a positive organizational cycle through the transformation of management, executives, and next-generation leaders.

**Story Category** Symbolic practices that changed the future of people or companies, beyond what can be expressed in numbers alone.

**Grand Prix** The most impactful coaching practice of the year, representing outstanding achievement.

**■ The Paradigm Shift We Aim For in the Industry** Each year, by producing top players through this award and spotlighting their achievements, we will create a future where:

**Raising the overall quality of the industry:** By presenting clear standards for "what constitutes excellent coaching," coaches will be motivated to refine their skills, leading to a significant improvement in the overall quality of the industry.

**Visualization of ROI:** By sharing stories of overwhelming success, an environment will be fostered where companies and individuals can confidently invest in coaching.

**Societal implementation of coaching:** High-quality coaching will become readily available to all business professionals seeking growth, not just a select few.

Coaching Forward Co., Ltd. operates with the mission to "Advance 'the question' with the power of coaching," providing solutions for human resource development and organizational development.

This "dream" we envision is not merely about holding an event; it is a powerful first step to pioneer the future of the coaching industry and to implement a "self-actualization-oriented corporate culture" for individuals and organizations across Japan.

We continue to move forward, dreaming of the day when world-changing coaching stories will be told on the stage of this award.

**[About Coaching Forward Co., Ltd.]** Upholding the vision of "Coaching for all people (for ALL PERSON.)," we develop unique training and human resource development businesses, organizational consulting businesses, and business coaching businesses that apply coaching methods. In today's highly uncertain environment, we verbalize the "questions" of individuals and organizations, supporting discontinuous growth and breakthroughs. ・Location: 2-1-17 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo ・Representative Director CEO: Takashi Aikawa ・Date of Establishment: August 2024 ・Corporate Website: https://coachingfw.com/