|
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 34
|
TOP TIPS
Where to Find a Coach
Referral from a Friend or Colleague. Seeing the change a coach has helped bring about in someone you know can be one of the most powerful demonstrations of coaching’s benefit.
Professional Associations. Several associations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Sales & Marketing Executives International offer career coaching services at a discounted rate to members.
Networking Events. Many coaches actively participate in local chambers of commerce or career transition networking events as a way of building connections with prospective clients in the community.
Online. The International Coach Federation and CoachReferral.com both offer online databases of coaches that you can search by specialty, professional experience, and geographic location. In addition, most coaches have their own web sites.
Newsletters and the Media. Many coaches write newsletters to communicate with clients and perspective clients. Their articles can give you a good sense of the coach’s philosophy and outlook on the world, the issues they are working on in their coaching practice and in their own lives, and other special activities such as group coaching or speaking engagements. With the increasing popularity of coaching, coaches are being interviewed in the mainstream press, providing a good resource for finding a coach who is knowledgeable about a particular aspect of the job search process or a geographic region.
Executive Registry provides access to hundreds of $100K+ jobs currently being filled by executive recruiters. Here are just a few of the jobs advertised:
Chief Executive Officer, Development Software industry, Greater Boston area. Provide leadership for the company's direction and market penetration and play a key role in new product development, client relationships, and profitable corporate revenue growth....
Business Unit General Manager, $85mm business segment of a $200mm Plastics/Rubber company, Upper Midwest. Oversee multiple-plants, engineering and sales with focus on taking core competency to other industrial customers and to grow the business organically and through acquisitions....
Senior Vice President, Outbound Call Centers, Southeast USA. Manage the entire call center organization consisting of inbound and outbound sales....
Quality & Productivity Coach/Master Black Belt, Financial Services industry, New York City. Work as part of the global core team helping drive firm wide Quality/Productivity efforts....
CIO/VP, Healthcare industry, Tampa Bay, FL. Growing healthcare company looking for local candidates to lead IT organization of 10-20 people....
Find out more at
Executive Registry!
© 2005 Kennedy Information, Inc., a BNA Company.
SELECTING A COACH
Coaching is a rapidly growing field that has garnered significant traction in recent years with executives looking to enhance their professional capabilities and career vitality. Clients hire coaches to better leverage their values, strengths, and interests to excel professionally and personally. This article provides an overview of the coaching process and advice on selecting the right coach for you.
What is coaching?
Professional coaches are trained to listen and observe, asking questions to help their clients articulate and focus on their goals and the strategies to achieve them. Coaches often meet with clients via weekly telephone appointments or periodic face-to-face meetings.
The following questions may help you decide if coaching would benefit you:
How does coaching differ from other services providing professional or personal guidance?
Consulting can take many forms, such as being a “pair-of-hands” or doing expert consulting. With coaching, however, the coach stays with the client to help implement the new skills, changes, and goals to make sure they really happen.
Counseling is often initiated by a problem or symptom of distress or concern. Counseling also places a lot of responsibility on the client. While the coach provides feedback and an objective perspective, with coaching the client is responsible for taking the steps to produce the results he or she desires. Coaching does not focus directly on relieving psychological pain or treating cognitive or emotional disorders.
Therapy addresses "issues," and addresses the past and an understanding of human behavior. Coaching is not therapy; it focuses on the present and future. Coaches help you move forward and set personal and professional goals that will give you the life you really want.
Mentors can fill a wonderful role in a professional’s life. But in most cases, a mentor is not a professional trained to advise you on the most important aspects of your life and/or business. A coaching relationship is an ongoing, structured relationship that sets goals and clear action items for achieving objectives. A mentor typically does not provide this type of follow-through. If the mentor is within an employer, the mentor may be limited in the advice he or she can give: navigating the corporate terrain rather than how to find your personal best, even if it means leaving the employer.
What criteria can be used to screen and select a coach?
There are an estimated 15,000 full- and part-time coaches worldwide, coming from a variety of professional backgrounds. There are personal/life coaches, career coaches, small business coaches, and corporate coaches, to name a few. Here are suggestions, adapted from the International Coach Federation’s recommendations, to help select the right coach for you:
1) Know your objectives for working with a coach. Because coaching is so unique for each client, the coach will go with you wherever you want to go. While the coach may challenge you to expand beyond your comfort zone in considering alternative options, it is critical for you to be in the driver’s seat of the relationship. By being clear on the outcomes you want to work toward, the coach has a clearer framework for working with you.
For example, some coaches have specialized in Life Coaching, while others have developed expertise in Career Coaching. In deciding whether Life or Career Coaching is right for you, it’s often a case of ALIGNMENT – between career and life motivations, goals, and satisfaction. Ask yourself:
2) Interview three coaches before you decide on one. This due diligence will help you assess a coach’s qualifications and determine if there is a good chemistry between you. Ask about the coach’s:
In assessing a coach’s qualifications, your coach need not have worked in your industry or profession to coach you effectively. The key is that the coach has the ability to listen attentively, ask illuminating questions, and provide you the comfort to express yourself honestly. Talking with a few coaches will quickly reveal who provides the best fit.
Often, people need to expect more out of their lives. A coach can help in this process.
If the first question resonates, a Life Coach may be what you’re looking for. If the second question better addresses your concern, a Career Coach is equipped to help you bring your career and personal life into better balance.
In addition, ask for at least two references. This will provide you with another source of information about the results a particular coach has helped his or her clients produce.
View Previous Issues