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Choosing
A Coach
Picking a coach can be
a challenge. Before you choose, ask yourself these
questions:
"What do I want
to accomplish?"
What style of
coaching matches your needs? Make your preferences clear to
the coaches you interview with.
Do you want
help in identifying your most pressing business
challenges and help in tackling them?
Do you want to consider a wide range of business and
personal issues, with balance in mind?
Do you want help in overcoming limitations or making
personal changes?
Do you need assistance in recapturing what was once
satisfying and fulfilling, or reinventing yourself for
new directions?
Are you only concerned with accomplishing specific
results, or are you open to broader life changes?
Do you want a task master, a sounding board, or someone
who helps you see different perspectives in approaching
your issues?
"Do I feel a
rapport with this coach?"
Remember that your
relationship with a coach can become quite personal, and the
ultimate ability to cultivate success will depend in large
part on mutual trust.
"Does this
coach have a lot of common sense?"
While having
experience with circumstances precisely like yours may be
comforting in a coach, a lot of the success derived from
using a coach comes from the outsider's trained objectivity
and general practical experience. Ask about their
qualifications and references, but recognize this isn't
brain surgery. If they have good life and general business
experience, and effective technology for assisting you in
making effective changes, they can function as a rational
ally.
"What standards
and ethics does this coach practice?"
An international
group, the PPCA, has created a code of ethics and is
developing standards for this profession, much like what
exists for other, licensed professions. (Allies'
founder, Ric
Lobosco,
co-founded the PPCA, which later merged with the
International Coaches Federation.)
"What
qualifications does this coach have for doing this work with
me?"
Coaches can come
from backgrounds that include psychology, consulting, and
teaching. There is little formal training in this developing
field, but this is changing. Does this coach continue to
invest in their own professional development? Do they work
with a coach in some area of their work or life ("practice
what they preach")? Have they just started a practice, or
are they very experienced?
Rates for coaching
can vary greatly. If you are inclined to make your decision
based on price, remember, as with most things in life, you
pretty much get what you pay for. What would it be worth to
you to have the business, results, skills and life you
really long for?
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Allies
Consulting
POBox 9635
San Rafael, CA 94912
(415) 459-2272
www.AlliesConsulting.com
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