FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog
August 15, 2006
Do you Have a Coach Yet?
The business and life coaching industry has skyrocketed in size over the past seven years. Places like Coach U and the ICF are cranking out coaches faster than business schools used to produce MBA's. According to Coach U, companies like IBM and Ernst & Young are even creating corporate coaches.
Is it snake oil or real? I'm sure, like most 'growth industries' there are legitimate players, but many more under-qualified wanna-be's that can't function, so they 'coach'. I'll never forget the time one of my employers brought in a coach for a senior executive, then later hired that coach (who knew the deepest fears and secrets of the coached exec). The coach turned VP then proceeded to alienate everyone he came in contact with -- he was abrasive, condescending and generally not nice to work with. He was let go a few months into the mistake.
I've always been curious what went on behind those closed doors in my prior corporate life when 'at risk' executives were paired with an executive coach. More often than once, I would be interviewed by these coaches regarding my boss' or my co-workers management style. And more often than once, I saw executives depart soon after these coaching assignments were completed.
So it was with great apprehension that I've just undertaken my personal search for a 'business coach' to help me regain focus and take my own business to a higher level....
As an entrepreneur building both an innovation consulting business and new venture incubator, I've had my share of ups and downs in the last two years. Some big wins, and some disappointing losses including a failed attempt to bring on a partner. But probably in balance, it's what is to be expected when trying to bring any 'big idea' to life.
Yet while I've faced a lot of challenges in my career (including some corporate business turnaround experience), this time has been different. I've personalized it, become so obsessed with it that I've become fearful of the inevitable failures along the way. I've let my perfectionism get the better of me and it's slowed me down even more. So, that's why I'm willing to give this business coaching thing a try. And besides, I'm the CEO, so if I'm not coachable, I still don't have to fire myself (but maybe the coach will have a different opinion).
First interview: a sympathetic ear, a clinical background and philosophy of purpose-driven life (vs. goal-driven life). All in all sounds like a good fit, reasonably coherent and practical. But $3600 for 3 months of weekly 45 minute phone calls?? Ouch.
Second interview: Here's a walking example of 'if you can't do, coach'. Proud of the fact he's getting coached right now, and he's just back from a coaching conference. Ready to spew out all of the buzzwords and quick-fixes he just learned. Only $500/month, but no thanks.
Third interview: Scheduled a time, then moved it. Twice. Scolded me for by email for not confirming the final time (which I had). I re-sent my response. Sent me another note claiming to have found my original, but not acknowledging my re-sent note. Now hasn't responded with the time. I haven't heard the fees yet, but perhaps I can bartar for the help she needs in client management and time management. No thanks.
I'm reminded of two images. One being the indy film "The Life Coach", which parodies all of the self-absorbed, new age worst aspects of coaching.
But I'm also reminded of a recent story I read in New Scientist, about the rising tide of cures for maladies that people didn't even know they had.
Paraphrasing from the article...
One of the most striking examples of this is the "Sisi syndrome", an alleged form of depression that came to light for the first time in 1998 in a one-page advertisement by SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline). According to the company, people with the syndrome - of whom there are said to be 3 million in Germany alone - characteristically hide their illness by pretending to be active and positive about life, while in reality they are depressed and might need treatment with psycho-pharmaceuticals.
Now that's clever. Convincing people who feel perfectly fine that their fineness is actually a set of symptoms for deeply rooted depression.
So I'm skeptical, yet desparate. The search for a coach goes on. When I get my feet back on the ground, regain my focus and my passion... I may go into coaching.
Posted by Michael Docherty at August 15, 2006 10:55 PM | Category: blogjam 2006 |
2 Comments
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Yes Coaching has the Good Bad and the Offensive. The good ones are truly worth it. Can't tell what you are looking for, but like a good therapist, stylistic fit is important too. Lisa Martin www.successandbalance.com is a former EVP of a large, Canadian PR firm and 2x successful start-up founder. I used her 5-6 years ago and still practice what I learned. She's articulate, strategic, thoughtful, intuitive and sensitive. Plus she understands the drive for results. If you are at all Alpha, she could be for you.
FWIW, the coaching program I went through - like many other programs - had very little training in how to start and run a business, and without that support, many well-intended and talented coaches (most of whom had never been self-employed before) flamed out in a relatively short period of time. Few of the people in my class are still coaching 18 months later - and of the ones that are, each of us had a solid business and/or marketing background going in.
And sure, there is a high "flake" factor in the coaching business, given the relatively low barriers to entry. However, it's absolutely worth taking the time to find one with whom you click.
As it is when searching for any professional service, an enthusiastic referral from someone you respect is a great start. And keep doing what you're doing - most coaches will offer a complimentary session (even if it's only 15 minutes) so you can see how well you two would work together. If they won't, keep looking.
PS Assuming their training and experience are equal, a coaching chraging "only" $500 a month is not necessarily less effective than one charging $1200 a month...and the one charging more is not necessarily better. There's a wide variance in fees people charge, and it's mostly based on what they believe their time is worth in their market. However, if you are interested in working on your own money and negotiating issues, and growing your business, it's probably worth springing for the coach who is confident enough to be charging more ;-) and who has a business model that includes more than just coaching (blogging, webinars, workshops, writing etc.)