06 Jul 2016 Is Career Coaching A Waste Of Your Money?
Executive and career coaching have become increasingly popular in recent years. They are also expensive. But are they really worth your money?
In this post, I will discuss circumstances in which you should not engage a career coach, as it may be a waste of your money and time. I will also discuss the circumstances in which engaging a career coach will be the best investment you’ve ever made.
When is career coaching a waste of your money?
I have been an executive and career coach for over eight years now. I have seen incredible success stories. I have also seen dismal failures, where the coaching has not delivered any results whatsoever.
For career coaching to produce positive and measurable outcomes, a number of factors have to be in place. My recommendation is that you consider these carefully before engaging your career coach:
a. Pain and Drive
For coaching to produce impactful changes, you have to invest an incredible amount of effort over a period of at least three months to acquire new mindsets and behavioral habits. This effort has to be exerted with great focus and self-discipline every hour of every day, not just during the 60-minute duration of the coaching session.
The only motivators that will enable you to sustain this level of investment in yourself are either pain and frustration resulting from your existing career and life situation, and/or an incredible drive to succeed.
If you are not experiencing these forces, your coaching investment may not yield the desired results.
b. Time to Invest
The pain and drive, while necessary, are not a sufficient condition for your success. You must also have the time and self-discipline to invest in practicing the activities you agree upon with your coach. If your circumstances are such that you cannot devote a reasonable amount of time every single day to practicing your coaching plan, you will not see the results you are wishing for.
What is a “reasonable amount of time” will be determined jointly by you and your coach. From my experience executing your coaching plan may take 30 to 60 minutes a day, and may involve a variety of activities such as reflecting, strategizing, planning, practicing new skills, etc.
c. Chemistry and Skill
A core rule in coaching is that you must have a “good chemistry” with your coach. You should be able to trust your coach and feel safe in confiding in her or him. You should also be able to respect your coach for her or his professional coaching skills and their ability to bring out the best in you. Last, you should expect your coach to hold you accountable for executing your action plan, even in “moments of weakness”.
If you are not absolutely confident that that the chemistry exists between you and your coach, and that he or she has the skills and experience to motivate you and hold you accountable, you should not engage that coach.
When is career coaching your best investment ever?
My recommendation is that before you engage your career coach, you answer these three questions:
- How driven am I to achieve my goal? On a scale of 1 to 10, how strong is my pain or how powerful is my drive? If it is 7 or higher, coaching may be an effective resource for you.
- Do I have the time and self-discipline to execute the plan I will develop with my coach? It may take very little extra time or it may take an hour or more a day. Whatever it is, you must be absolutely confident that you will be able and willing to invest in creating the “future you”.
- Did I go through the rigorous process to find the right coach for me? A coach with whom I’ll have “good chemistry”, a coach who I can trust to guide me through the process, even when he or she may tell me things that I’d rather not hear.
If you have answered these questions positively, a coach can help you achieve remarkable outcomes in your career and your life.
Working with your coach can help you outshine your colleagues at work, and earn the coveted promotion. It can help you develop the skills and behaviors required of you to perform at the next level of your career. And it can help you overcome career obstacles that have been paining and frustrating you.
You Are Invited
If you want to explore whether career coaching could work for you and if you’ve answered the first two questions in the affirmative, I invite you to a free Strategy Session.
The objectives of this Strategy Session will be to share your career and life goals and explore whether and how working with a coach will help you achieve these goals.
Please contact me at Uri@thewilltocahnge.com to schedule your Free Strategy Session.
