We have spoken a great deal in the past that hiring a coach is ‘not’ for everyone. Coaching is not therapy or counselling, that said, there are times when working with a coach helps.
Welcome to todays blog;
‘When Is The Right Time To Hire An External Coach?’
Sharing your inner thoughts, ideas and beliefs is an extremely hard thing to do for many of us. Trust me when I say it’s a life long passion of mine to grow and develop in that particular area and I have some extremely wonderful people who are close to me that continue to help me. I absolutley congratulate anyone who is able to share freely with others their most inner thoughts, ideas and beliefs.
One of the most common responses that I hear from clients who hire me as their coach no matter if they are a CEO or a professional is this,
Nick – I wish I had done this work years ago……
To me hearing those words sends shivers down my spine (in a good way) it reinforces that the work I continue to do is getting results not only to my client but to the many people that my clients interact with daily, including family, friends, work colleagues, customers, boards etc.
As a coach to many wonderful, talented, successful leaders they concur with my deep seated belief that hiring a coach is absolutely not a sign of ‘weakness’ nor is it a sign you are ‘failing’. Quiet the opposite. It is a sign that you want to stay ahead, improve and be the very best you can be. Clients of mine who’s organisation pay for them to work with me over a period don’t do this because they feel you are weak or not good at what you do, quite the opposite they want to invest in you, your growth and they 100% want you around for the foreseeable future.
Let’s if we can take a look at our wonderful sporting people – (those who read many of my blogs or listen to our podcasts) will understand that my views on business and sport are very much aligned…………
Sporting people around the world have coaches with them daily. That coach is there to get that 1% improvement that will allow him/her to be very successful in their chosen sport. Sport people lean on that external pair of eyes and ears to not only understand themselves better but to see things from a different perspective which ultimately makes a huge difference to the results!
It has been fascinating to see over the last few years the individuals who have chosen to work with me, to understand their background, their life story, their career, their future aspirations. I can only say our leadership future is looking extremely promising and the next wave +1 is very much looking at leadership differently to those of 20/50 years ago. Its a thrill to be a trusted advisor to them.
If we look at successful global CEOs, they have crafted their careers and grown each year by developing and working ‘on’ themselves constantly to get to that position.
But, not everyone wants to climb Mt Everest, play Basketball for the LA Lakers, sing in-front of 10,000 people at Maddison Square Gardens or dare I say it ‘play for the All-Blacks’ not everyone want to be a CEO, some people want to just work hard, make a healthy living for themselves and family and enjoy the 9-5….
To be successful doesn’t mean you need to be a CEO! Success comes in many shapes and sizes and every single person who I come in contact with have a different view of ‘success’
So when is the ‘right’ time to hire a coach and what are some of the signs too look out for?
What happens when things are not going as planned for you and what you thought was success is not what it is all cracked up to be, some of the signs I have listed below may resinate with you?
These may sound very obvious but run with me to the end please!
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you are job-hopping!
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you are restless in your everyday!
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you are regularly unhappy about going to work!
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The direction you have taken may not be the ‘long term’ direction you want in your career!
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Your behaviours are changing!
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The drive, energy and passion you once had is slowly dwindling!
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You are making rash decisions / not thought out decisions!
Many clients that work with me don’t just want a job they actually want a career, a fulfilling position in an environment that is in line with their values and beliefs. There is nothing more powerful, energising when you find your place and a place to call ‘home’. Many people go thru life not finding ‘home’ and that is absolute fine if that works for you. I met a lady recently and she summed up her future career extremely well…..what’s meant to be will be……….
Whilst we appreciate things change, and sometimes in your career things may not work out how you expected, hiring a coach who can support you, allow you the time to really think, a person who wants only the best for you whilst is able to respectfully challenge your thinking will shine a light on your ‘career – options’ and may well help you to find the answer to some of those bullet points above.
Recently I had the pleasure of coaching a young man who wanted to work with me over the next 6 months, to understand his potential and to really put a focus on his ‘career’. He had gone through school and university with flying colours, recently got married and let’s say things ‘outside’ of work were really exciting him and he was very optimistic about things to come. When we started to talk about his career and where he was ‘today’ and where he was thinking of ‘heading’ it all become very grey to him – for the first time in a long time he said ‘I am a bit lost’….. we are now putting things in place for him not to be lost and for him to bring back that energy, sparkle and get the results and direction he wants.
What ever your current reason may be, feeling lost, unsure about your career please dont just sit there in silence, ask for support/help……..there is nothing wrong with simply asking for help, sometimes a fresh set of eyes can make all the difference.
Some things to consider when looking to hire an external coach.
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Credentials/Qualifications?
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References?
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Specialist area of coaching,
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do you connect with him/her?
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How do they operate, is it face to face over the phone etc?
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What are the results they have achieved with clients?
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How much do they charge? is it by the hour, for a set number of meetings etc?
A number of things to consider but as you would do when hiring any professional make sure it works for you.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read our blog today. I hope it is of help to you – if things are a bit ‘grey’ with your career and if you would like to have a chat about coaching then get in touch.
Look after yourself and each other,
Nick, MCEC | MBTI Certified
Master Certified Executive Coach
Roud Career Coaching
T: +6421375630
