CompTIA to Work with Business Coaches to Broaden Their Use by IT Channel Companies

Coaches summit at Breakaway 2010 identifies areas for collaboration

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CompTIA, the non-profit industry trade association for the information technology (IT) industry, said today it will work with leading business coaches to make their counsel, mentoring and services available to more companies in the IT channel.

“Business coaching plays a critical role in the success of the channel”

“Business coaching plays a critical role in the success of the channel,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. “We want to help coaches be more successful and to make their skills available to a broad audience across the industry.”

CompTIA convened a summit of leading business coaches from across the IT channel at its recent Breakaway 2010 conference in San Antonio, Texas. The intent was to discuss issues of common interest and opportunities for future collaboration and initiatives. Summit participants discussed ways to make coaching more accessible to solution providers; how to train and enable the next generation of coaches; and shared ideas for future discussions.

“I think the group found a lot of common ground, identifying ways that coaches helping coaches can lead to even better outcomes for all our customers,” said summit facilitator Paul Dippell, chief executive officer, Service Leadership, Inc.

Thibodeaux said CompTIA supports the development of a broad, deep and world-class network of channel coaches.

“As anyone who has worked with a coach can attest, it can be a game changer for your business,” he said. “CompTIA would like to help make coaching more accessible to those who need it and help coaches help each other continue to grow and to refine their practices and areas of expertise.”

At Breakaway Thibodeaux announced that CompTIA will launch a series of new educational programs designed to help IT channel companies raise their levels of productivity and professionalism. Business coaches will play a critical role in many of these programs, he said.

“We’re striving to bring together the best thinking, the best content and create foundational standards for knowledge and capability whether you’re a solution provider, a channel account manager or a distributor looking for programs to better equip your partner communities,” said Thibodeaux. “The catalog will be flexible with courses available as self-paced learning, delivered at live events and through coaches.”

Educational offerings from CompTIA will cover topics such as healthcare IT, sales and marketing, financial management, solution selling, cloud computing, services management, government markets and other areas.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/comptia.