BASKING RIDGE, N.J., May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Business' program for developing its management professionals has been honored for the second year in a row by the International Coach Federation (ICF). The ICF's prestigious Prism Award, which Verizon Business received for its commitment to excellence in organizational coaching, recognizes organizations that have demonstrated best practices in organizational coaching and leadership development.

Verizon Business was recognized by the ICF for all aspects of its coaching initiative, including program design, implementation and business impact.

"Verizon Business exemplifies a compelling business case for how coaching programs can develop leadership skills that translate into a competitive advantage," said Kay Cannon, master certified coach (MCC) and president of the ICF. "The coming of age of the baby boomer generation and early retirement programs are just two of the challenges facing companies today as top-level talent exits the workforce. Globalization and technology are also creating a need to develop existing managers to keep up with the pace of the changing business landscape. Verizon Business continues to address these challenges with an expanded focus on coaching and a primary goal of serving its customers better."

The ICF represents more than 9,000 professional business and personal coaches worldwide. Professional coaches provide an ongoing partnership designed to help clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Coaches are trained to listen, observe and customize their approach to individual client needs to help individuals achieve their fullest potential.

"Developing sharper, stronger leaders helps us to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace," said Steve Young, senior vice president of corporate and government markets for Verizon Business. "This investment in our people has helped us to build a strong bench of talent throughout our organization so that we can more readily promote individuals into positions of greater responsibility. In 2006, our corporate and government accounts organization retained its top sales talent while also achieving several promotions. We see customer loyalty as our greatest reward for the consistent, quality account-management experience we've been able to deliver."

To more closely align its workforce strategy with its business strategy, Verizon Business in 2006 expanded its coaching initiative beyond sales and service to include leaders in other business areas, including customer service, operations and technology, marketing and human resources. The company also teamed with a prominent university to deliver classes on finance, execution and customer experience, along with the company's own professional development programs.

By implementing coaching, training and a focus on continuing education across the company, Verizon Business has applied leadership development to enhance its customer-first commitment. As part of its coaching initiative, management professionals have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a coach to focus on real business challenges, including improving customer satisfaction, achieving results, enhancing their individual leadership capabilities and focusing on organizational strategy, development and execution.

About The International Coach Federation

The International Coach Federation's mission is to be the global forum for the art and science of coaching, where we inspire transformational conversations, advocate excellence, and expand awareness of the contribution coaching is to the future of humankind. For more information on ICF, go to http://www.coachfederation.org/

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications , is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. For more information, visit http://www.verizonbusiness.com/.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at http://www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

CONTACT: Debbie Lewis of Verizon Business, +1-610-257-7974,
debbie.lewis@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/
http://www.verizon.com/news
http://www.verizonbusiness.com/
http://www.coachfederation.org/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html