Executive Coaching FAQs
What Is Coaching?
Coaching is a new profession designed to:
- Help people set better goals and then reach those goals.
- Ask their clients to do more than they would have done on their own.
- Focus their clients better to more quickly produce results.
- Provide the tools, support and structure to accomplish more.
Clients get focused and produce faster because they have a coach.
How Is Coaching Different From: Consulting? Therapy? Sports Coaching? A Best Friend?
Consulting—Coaching is a form of consulting. But the coach stays with the client to help implement the new skills, changes and goals to make sure they really happen.
Therapy—Coaching is not therapy. We don’t work on “issues” or get into the past or deal much with understanding human behavior. We leave that up to the client to know and figure out while we help them move forward and set personal and professional goals that will give them the life they really want.
Sports Coaching—Coaching includes several principles from sports coaching, like teamwork, going for the goal, being your best. But unlike sports coaching, most professional coaching is not competition or win/lose based. We strengthen the client’s skills instead of helping them to beat the other team. It’s win/win.
Best Friend—A best friend is wonderful to have. But is your best friend a professional who you will trust to advise you on the most important aspects of your life and/or business? Have a best friend and a coach.
What Is The Basic Philosophy Of Coaching?
Simply put, that we humans are great, that we’re all discovering what we really want and that we can get what we want faster and easier by having a coach who’s been there and who can help us.
Who Hires A Coach and Why?
People hire a coach because:
- They want more.
- They want to grow.
- They want it easier.
It’s as simple as that. Coaches help a client get all three. Quickly.
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What Happens When You Hire A Coach?
Many things, but the most important are:
- You take yourself more seriously.
- You take more effective and focused actions immediately.
- You stop putting up with what is dragging you down.
- You create momentum so it’s easier to get results.
- You set better goals that you might not have without the coach.
Does The Coach Work On Personal Or Business/Professional Goals?
Both, actually. With the line between personal and business life blurring in the 90s, the coach is the only professional trained to work with all aspects of you.
Where Does The Coach Focus With An Average Client?
We focus where the client needs us most. We also tend to weave in the following discussions:
- Getting the client’s Personal Foundation strengthened.
- Helping the client beef up their Reserve.
- Helping the client set goals based on their personal values.
By including these with what the client wants from us, we help the client have fewer problems and focus on what’s going to make them the most successful. We’ve found that clients really enjoy the approach.
Why Does Coaching Work?
Coaching works for several reasons:
- Synergy between the coach and client creates momentum.
- Better goals are set--ones that naturally pull the client toward the goal rather than goals that require the client to push themselves to the goal.
- The client develops new skills, and these skills translate into more success.
Why Is Coaching Becoming So Popular?
Coaching is becoming popular for several reasons:
- Elimination of “Shoulds.” Many people are tired of doing what they “should” do and are ready to do something special and meaningful for the rest of their lives. Problem is, many can’t see it, or if they can, they can’t see a way to reorient their life around it. A coach can help them do both.
- Growth. People are realizing how simple it can be to accomplish something that several years ago might have felt out of reach or like a pipedream. A coach is not a miracle worker (well, they are, sometimes), but a coach does have a large tool kit to help the Big Idea become a Reality. Fortunately, people now have time and resources to invest in themselves in this kind of growth.
- Spirituality. If you’ve tracked the phenomenal success of James Redfield’s Celestine Prophecy on the NY Times best-seller list during 1994, you get a sense of just how many people are willing to look at, and consider, the notion of spirituality. Wow. Many coaches are spiritually based -- even the ones who coach IBM and AT&T. America is getting spiritual quickly. (Our working definition of spirituality is how connected you are with yourself and others.) The coach helps the clients to tune in better to themselves and others.
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How The Coaching Profession Has Emerged
How Strong Is The Demand For Coaching?
The coaching profession has become more and more visible. With national media exposure the demand for coaching and coach training has more than tripled.
Can A Dependency Be Created Between Coach And Client?
Not really. The client may need the coach in order to maximize an opportunity or accelerate their growth, yet not be “dependent” on the coach. Anyone who’s up to something “needs” structure, advice, support and a place to brag, so in that sense, the coach is necessary. But an emotional, psychological dependency is not created. The coach works with people who are just fine and strong enough on their own. Remember, we’re not resolving issues here. The coach is helping the client to create a better future: more success, more money and a higher quality of life.
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Can Coaching Hurt Someone?
No. How? We aren’t doing psychological work. We’re not trying to control the client’s thinking. We’re not cattle prods; we’re partners.
Can I Hire A Coach Just For A Short-Term Special Project?
Yes. Some clients hire a coach to help them accomplish specific goals or projects. Usually, however, the client keeps working with the coach after that because there are even more interesting things to accomplish.
How Long Must I Commit If I Start Working With A Coach?
Most coaches ask for a three- to six-month commitment, but usually let you stop immediately if coaching is not working for you right now. Very, very few coaches ask for a written agreement or contract. (As a coach, I never did and my practice was full for years. And while clients do come and go, I don’t think a contract is wise.) For the corporate client, however, a signed agreement is simply good business.
What Does It Cost To Hire A Coach?
Most coaches working with individuals charge between $200 to $300 per month for one half-hour call per week. Executive coaches charge more and some clients work with a coach for an hour or two a week. It all averages to about $100 to $200 per hour. Obviously, corporate coaching-type programs cost more, often running $1,000 to $10,000 per month.
What Do You Teach Coaches To Be Able To Do?
Perhaps the question to ask is “What don’t you teach coaches to do?” We want the professionals who receive their training with Coach U to be able to coach any client to accomplish virtually anything for which the client is ready. “That could be almost anything!” you may be thinking. And you are right. Here are the type of things we feel a coach should be able to do:
- Work with an entrepreneur who needs to turn his/her company around
- Strengthen a manager’s communication skills
- Help a client discover their life purpose and re-orient life around it
- Develop teamwork in a department or unit of a Fortune 500 company
- Show a client how to set better goals and develop a Life Plan
- Help a CEO become a leader
- Challenge a dentist to double profitability and provide even better service
- Accelerate the pace of one going through a transition
- Strategize with a person who’s leaving corporate America and starting a business and dozens of other things
“My clients get a perspective from our coaching sessions that allows them to make decisions in light of the “big picture” of their businesses and their lives. They often come away with a different perspective, a renewed enthusiasm, or a confirmation of what they knew they should do. I enjoy being a catalyst for their growth and progress.”
— John Seiffer, Coach, Bethel, CT
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Who Needs a Coach, Anyway?
According to Dee Soder, “Women often err on the side of trying to do too much by themselves. The common perception is that men don’t ask for advice. But that’s not always true. Guys see it as ‘I am going to win this thing. I am going to make the most money. And I’ll do anything it takes, whether it’s coaching or whatever.’”
Some of the reasons you might want to try coaching are:
- You’re beginning to feel you’re in over your head.
- You can’t decide on what seems like a great new job offer.
- You find that your yelling and screaming quotient is on the rise.
- You wonder if you’ve hit a glass ceiling.
- Finally, if you’re caught in a downsizing, coaching could be a lifesaver.
Outplacement firms often offer the service, so fight for it in any severance package you negotiate.
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