How Much Would You Pay For a New Life?

I know this title is an inexcusable ploy to attract your attention, but I’ve been thinking about my own career and how I got here.  If I think about something long enough, it usually turns into some kind of article or blog. 

I was having a late night coffee recently with one of my favorite cousins (those who know me are aware that I have an inexhaustible supply of cousins) when the general subject of coaching came up.  As I hope you already know, I am both a Career Coach and a Business Coach.  Because my cousin is so good at networking, loves to fix people up, and is a hopeless romantic, someone suggested she become a “Relationship Coach.” 

I said, “There’s no such thing–except perhaps in California, where there are undoubtedly “Skin Care Coaches,” “Walking Coaches,” “Grocery-shopping Coaches,” and of course, “Life Coaches,” of which our area abounds too.   I’m told that quite a lot of people are using life coaches, so there must be something to it.  I’ve even seen some ads that say one can become a “Life Coach” in 30 days.  I find it fascinating that this is something that can be taught, and so quickly, too.  I do believe that there are good Life Coaches out there, but I also think that their successes are due more to a set of skills and personality related to counseling and teaching than to following a program learned in 30 days.

Part of the difficulty of being a coach is explaining to people what I do–people who are conservative, self-reliant, and proud can’t fathom the need.  So how do we know when we need a coach?  How do we know that a coach is “real?”  What is reality, anyway, Grasshopper?  No, I have never told a client that when they can snatch the coin from my hand, they have completed their training.

In my opinion, people can benefit from a coach when they are aware that they don't have the answers to why they can't seem to attain their career or life goals, or even more simply, do not have clear goals.  They start telling us in childhood how important it is to have goals, but they (schools and some parents) often do little to teach us how to set goals and what the process is to achieve them.  Think about where the word coaching is borrowed from--sports.  Would Albert Pujols be who he is without having had effective coaches during his development?  The same for Tiger Woods and even more so for second tier athletes earning millions instead of tens of millions.  Talent is a sine qua non, but many talented people fail because they don't know how to succeed.  This is the role of coaches.

So who makes a legitimate coach?  I am a coach not only because people pay me and are pretty happy with the results, but I have some things that many coaches do not.  I have a Masters degree in Organizational Psychology (many classes past that actually), I started and ran multi-million dollar businesses, and I am being recognized for my career coaching experience and qualifications by the Institute of Career Certification International, the only career management certification that can't be purchased (one has to apply and submit a detailed portfolio of a minimum of their last five years of coaching experiences).  There’s more, but suffice it to say that I consider myself well-prepared, although wanting to keep getting better at what I do.

If you come to me as a potential client because you are wanting to do better, what I can do with you as a co-team member is build a trusting relationship, provide honest and caring feedback, help you set goals and suggest and then teach new ways of doing things--encouraging you along the way.  The goal of a career coach is to help a person be a more effective and desireable job candidate.  The goal of a business coach is to help a person be more effective and successful in his/her business.  Each is about one's career in the end, whether you work for yourself or somebody else.

I think I'm clear on what I do, but how does the buying public know when they could benefit from a coach, really understand what they should be getting from a coach (any type), know if they are getting a good value, and know if/when it is working?  As industry of professionals, we need to find a better way to both promote ourselves and evaluate ourselves.

When an individual is lucky enough to find a really good coach, the depth of change he/she may experience through coaching and the subsequent business, career, and life successes that can follow are considerable.  In some ways, it can be seen as a “New life.”