what is the cost?
“Somewhere over the rainbow…”
OK, so I have a bone to pick. A while back I was looking at Fiesta Ware and the prices for vintage were all over the place. I suggested to my daughter that she become a Fiesta Ware expert, so people would have to come to her to understand the value of what they have. She thought I was joking, I was only joking half-heartedly. The fact is the price is left up to the owner, so plates could run anywhere from $9 ea. to $20 ea.
In fact, the same holds true in coaching (although some coaches might argue this with me). There is no one standard set of criteria to become a coach. In fact, to become a life coach, you don’t need to really do any coursework if you don’t want to. You can just hang out your shingle and start helping people. However, some people come to it from a background as an LSCW, a therapist, counselor, or having taking coaching courses at a myriad of schools and even prestigious colleges/universities (yes, NYU for example). But these schools all teach different methodologies. Then the question becomes how do I choose a coach? Well, first you want a coach that meets your needs. I am a time management coach that helps parents to “have-it-all” by teaching them time management and productivity skills (aka, life skills or soft skills) to better manage their day-to-day. If you are interested in a career change, I am not the coach for you. You need a career coach. Or you’re struggling with public speaking, then you need a public speaking coach. You would only need me if you feel that between your work and your family you have no time for yourself.
Your doctor did 4 years of medical school, residency, internship and then finally was able to settle in as a Doctor. All doctors go through this and all medical schools teach the basics of anatomy. Even for lawyers, you learn the basics of constitutional law, contracts, etc. in your three years no matter which law school you go to. This is not the case for coaching. The school i attended, the International Coaching Center of America (ICCA) is no longer in business. And what does the certificate really signify anyway? A law or medical degree shows that you have done the requisite course work on your way to becoming a doctor or a lawyer. It is passing the bar and doing a residency and internship that earn you the right to call yourself a doctor or lawyer.
No degree or certificate is needed to hang out a coaching shingle. And why is that? To my mind, this is the case, because there are so many different approaches to coaching and how to do it. Not to demean my own profession, but I feel as some lost souls might say, “ok, I’ll be a coach and help others” with no real thought as to what they are doing. This is why when I decided over 8 years ago to become a coach, I went and to the ICCA and learned what it means to be a coach. I bring to my business my expertise in time management and productivity having studied these subjects for over 30 years. So am I qualified to be a coach? You bet!
Unfortunately, some coaches have been referred to as charlatans, because all they did was put out a shingle and start coaching. I can’t say whether these coaches got results or not. I can say that I get results because my coaching is thoughtful, client-specific, and based on proven methodologies.
So back to my original question, how do you choose a coach? By their reviews and/or results as evidenced by testimonials from previous or current clients. Like in social media where the more followers the better, in coaching the more positive reviews you have the better.