Is Hiring a Coach Worth the Money?
May 29, 2008 by Akemi
Would you pay $300 a month to increase your productivity so that you can make multiple of that amount?
This is what Steve Pavlina says he did in his post Life Coaching. As a business owner, the amount of money he would make was dependent on his performance, and his coach helped him work smarter. Christine O’Kelly, another entrepreneur, also claims she tripled her sales leads by working with her coach.
If you are facing difficult situations at work or in life, a coach may be the sidekick you need for the breakthrough. It is an investment in yourself. And the changes you make in your life with the help of a coach are yours to keep, benefiting you even after you stop working with the coach.
The objective of this post is not necessarily to promote my coaching business (Update: I don’t offer the regular life coaching any more. My Akashic Record Reading has grown to be my main work) but rather to inform you of a good way to choose a coach if and when you are interested. No one knows coaches like professional coaches, you know.
Just a cautionary disclaimer. . .
The most important point to understand in hiring a coach (and in life in general) is to understand you are the owner of your life. You have the free will, and what you choose to do is what brings in results. Steve and Christine took actions after they talked with their coaches, and that is what brought their successes.
If you are still playing the victim game and not yet up to the responsibilities of your own life, it is probably not a good time to hire a coach.
When would you benefit most from hiring a coach?
I think there are two major situations in life that you would benefit so much from working with a coach:
- When you want to make a big positive change in your life.
Like starting and growing your business, as Steve says. Or when you want to make a career change that better suit your values. Or when you are changing your lifestyle. In such situations, a coach can offer a good perspective and guide the way so that you can achieve the goal efficiently without getting into dead ends. - When you are faced with a big question in life and your existing support system is not enough.
For example, you may have lived as atheist but are feeling more and more interested in spirituality. You, however, find it uncomfortable to just go to a church and talk to a priest . . . you don’t want to be taken in by the organized religion. Even talking to your friends who have certain faith may not feel right. In such a case, a caring but detached spiritual coach can be a great person to talk to.Another example is when you need to make a decision that can affect your family so much that they are not the most appropriate people to talk first. Maybe you want to quit working for your family business and move to the other side of the continent to pursue your dream. Maybe you want to go back to school, which will affect the family finance seriously.
Once you (not your coach, but YOU) make the decision, you might find your coach helpful in your effort to implement the change, as explained above.
How to choose the coach who is right for YOU
One of the best ways is referral. If your friend has worked with a coach and he or she is happy with that coach, ask for that coach’s name and check if they offer a trial session.
If you don’t know anyone, here are four steps to find the coach that best matches your needs:
1. Search by the niche.
Each coach has a niche that he or she specializes in. For instance, if you want to start your own business, search for entrepreneurship or small business coach. There are all kinds of coaches – career coach, relationship coach, mid-life crisis coach, grief coach. . . You can just Google, or use the coach referral services.
2. Pre-Qualify the coach by checking their websites.
Most coaches have websites, some write blogs, too. So while you are doing the online search, read what they have to say, and see if you feel affinity with them. Person-to-person chemistry is important for successful coaching.
3. Choose the coach who thinks differently.
For example, some of us are good at analytical thinking , others are at creative thinking, technical thinking, or people thinking. It is easy to surround yourself with people who think in similar ways. You agree on a lot of things. When it comes to hiring a coach, however, intentionally choose the one whose brain circuit is different from yours.
Steve emphasizes this point in his aforementioned post this way:
“When I first came to him, I was extremely left-brained, and he helped me integrate more right-brained qualities into my decision making. In the long run, this was very beneficial to me.”
This step may sound contradictory to step #2 above. It does not. Affinity is about the deeper level of personality. Your gut feeling will direct you to the coach with the personality makeup you feel most comfortable with. Your brain should choose the coach who challenges you to grow further.
4. Ask how the coach keeps learning and growing.
The best coach is the one who is committed to the personal growth themselves. Ask what kind of books they read, if they are taking any classes or workshops, and if they have a coach themselves. Many of these points are probably addressed in their websites, but if not, don’t hesitate to ask before you sign up.
Take charge of your coaching relationship.
It is critical to understand that you are in charge of the coaching relationship. It is you who present your challenges and determine your goals. Further, your will get the most from your coaching sessions by bringing in the topic of discussion. And you are responsible for taking actions. Your coach will hold you accountable, and many clients find this invaluable in achieving their goals, but ultimately, you are the one who does the work! And this is wonderful – you deserve the credits to your success.
The value of having your coach is the value you seek in your life by clarifying the issues and implementing the changes. I hope you all find joy and contentment, as well as worldly success, in your life.
Update on Oct 19, 2008: Steve Pavlina now offers coaching himself. The last time I checked, he was asking for $500 per hour. The most expensive coach I know so far is Steve Hardison. He charges $150,000 for 100 hours, so it’s $1500 per hour, but it must be paid in full upfront and it’s non-refundable for whatever reason.
No related posts.
Hi Akemi,
What a great review of finding a life coach. You’ve covered all of the bases, and are teaching your readers to be “informed consumers:. Kudos to you.
And…..much success with your business.
Barbara Swaffords last blog post..Be Inspired By Nothing
[...] Is Hiring a Coach Worth the Money?, from Yes to Me Life Coaching, from Steve Pavlina Do we coach our customers to be aware of the environment?, from Coaching Commons Can Gallups StrengthFinder Test Really Discover My Strengths?, from Yes to Me Blogs y Webs relacionadas con el coachingTest del coach: es el coaching tu profesion ideal?Recursos CoachingLa organizacion personal del coach¡Ayudanos a difundir el coaching! Menea este post: ¿Te interesa el tema? Puedes recibir las novedades en tu email [...]
Great advice. I think it’s important to realize that there’s a huge variety of coaches out there.
My friend recommended a coach she used who really helped her a lot. So I called this coach to have an initial consultation, but the fit wasn’t right at all. She kept asking a lot of questions about “how would you feel if…” and though I tried to answer these questions as well as I could, I wasn’t able to give the kind of answer I was “supposed” to, so it didn’t lead anywhere. I’m not saying she wasn’t a good coach (since she was extremely helpful for my friend), just that this particular type of coaching wasn’t what I needed for my situation and personality.
Recently I spoke to another coach and instantly thought she would be helpful to me. She also lets clients schedule appointments as necessary, when there’s something specific they want to talk about. And that’s what I need, although many people would benefit from having something more regular and comprehensive. Everyone will have different needs and preferences, so I think it’s very important to find the right coach for _you_.
Hunter Nuttalls last blog post..Can One Country Really Be Superior To Another?
Barbara,
Thank you!
Hunter,
I’m glad you had the courage to choose the right coach for you. That initiative tells a lot about you.
There really is. Your experience is very interesting. While referral is generally a good way to find a coach, something like you went through can happen. We are all unique
Akemi,
Great article. As you know, I own hotels. Over the years, I’ve thought about hiring a mentor or a coach to help me with the business strategy and selling but I’m hearing some horror stories from other friends and that keeps me in the duugout. This article really helps. Thank you for sharing.
Shilpan
BTW, I just stumbled it. It’s very useful. I’m proud of you that as a woman you have courage to chart your own course. Hats off!
Shilpan,
You are welcome. Glad that my article is of help for you.
“Courage” seems to be the backtone of this blog. Honestly, I’ve never considered myself to be particularly courageous — even my immigration was a natural part of my evolution — but it’s great if I can inspire my readers.
Akemi,
Congratulations for your informative article on the true values of engaging a coach. I also commend your very valuable and accurate statement cautioning readers about responsibilities when you said: If you are still playing the victim game and not yet up to the responsibilities of your own life, it is probably not a good time to hire a coach.” When people want to take full responsibility for their lives, they can gain full control over their lives through coaching. Neat.
I would like to confirm the vital importance that clients really like and connect with their coach. There must be a true chemistry, bond, and mutual trust and respect between the coach and client.
I want to also add that people want to engage a coach to accomplish coachable goals. A coachable goal is defined as a “Future place you want to be that requires to grow and improve as a person to achieve it.” This way the client and coach have a clear objective for both to focus on achieving to suit the client.
Bill,
Thank you. Your comment shows your experience in coaching.
[...] Another potential problem is – well, by now I know quite a few life coaches, but not as many people who are hiring or have hired coaches. I myself didn’t have a coach before (I hired one this spring to summer when I realized this.) So, I wonder if my passion for personal development was polished enough to the point that people would love to pay for when I decided to do coaching? [...]
Akemi,
You offered some great tips to your readers on how to find a life coach. As a professional life and business coach, I would like to suggest 3 additional things for your readers to consider in the process of finding a life or business coach.
1) Certification:
Certification is very important, because personal coaching is a profession that requires very specific skills, conduct standards, and a foundation of training which is only taught at qualified schools and organizations
The International Coach Federation (ICF) is the largest worldwide resource for business and personal coaches.
2) References:
Ask for references.
3) Synergy:
An effective life coach for one person may not be a good match for another. Personal chemistry is important. Ask for an introduction coaching session, so you can see for yourself what coaching is all about and find out if you feel comfortable enough to develop the trust and confidence necessary for breakthrough coaching.
At the end, trust your ‘gut’ feeling in this process.
http://lifecoaching.dieterpauwels.com
Dieter,
Thank you for your input. These are all very important, especially the synergy.
I have a reservation about relying too much on certification, however. I know some outstanding coaches who are not certified, and some are not even trained as coach in the ICF accredited course . They just trained themselves. On the other hand, I also know some certified coaches who have little more than paper knowledge. In the end, what matters is the coaches skills and coach-client chemistry, not the certification badge.
Loved this post.
I’d add one more thing – RESULTS!
I’m about results and I want someone who can take me to where I want to be. By the same token, I can coach my clients to results too.
That’s what I’m paying for
Marcia,
Yes, it’s very important to periodically check if you are getting the results you want from the coaching.
Akemi,
You are cool and brave. I admire and fully endorse your very accurate and insightful statement: “On the other hand, I also know some certified coaches who have little more than paper knowledge. In the end, what matters is the coaches skills and coach-client chemistry, not the certification badge.”
There are over 55 different coaching certifications, all of which can be bought, and are more for marketing than separating the good coaches out of the pack. Using a certification as a means to pick a coach will be a mistake. Using the two factors you listed will greatly enhance your success rate of picking the right coach.
And results are what coaching is all about.
Keep up the great work.
Bill
Bill,
Thanks. You might like my 5 part series Inside Out Approach to Entrepreneurship.
This is a good article! People need to keep a lot of things in mind when hiring a coach — because a good coach helps a lot, and a bad coach does a lot of damage!
I have an article here about How to Avoid the 5 Sins of Life Coaching. I hope it’s helpful. In a nutshell, never: judge a client, give advice, jump to conclusions, say “I feel bad for you,” or decide what is possible for a client. Article –
http://www.ehow.com/how_4584855_avoid-coach-should-never-do.html
If you are interviewing a coach and notice the above in their coaching techniques, steer clear of them for your own good!