What are the Benefits of Coaching in the Workplace?

Though the tenets of coaching have been around for ages, the profession of coaching did not emerge until the 1980s. Since then the field has grown steadily, and in the last decade it has exploded. In the U.S. alone, it has become a $1 billion a year industry with over 18,000 coaches currently practicing; both of these numbers continue to grow at almost 5% per year[1]. Chances are you know a coach or someone who has used a coach. Maybe you’ve already used a coach or maybe you are a coach. Whatever your familiarity, it is likely you still have questions about what this whole coaching thing is about. Below, I will attempt to answer some of the most commonly asked questions and hopefully clear up some of the confusion.

 IS IT LIKE THERAPY?

This is one of the most common questions I get, and understandably so. Coaching shares a foundation with therapy as well as with other helping professions like mentoring and consulting. All of these fields operate through client/practitioner relationships with the aim to help clients make their lives better. Therapy and coaching also use many of the same skills such as active listening and empathy to better understand and support their clients. However, there are important differences between therapy and coaching, primarily:

• Therapy diagnoses and treats clients while coaching does not diagnose.
• Coaching is designed as a partnership between client and coach while therapists are viewed as the expert.
• In coaching, clients drive the agenda and create their own solutions while therapists often drive sessions and treatment plans for their clients.
• Much of the work in coaching is done by the client in between sessions while this is not necessarily the case in therapy.
• Therapy focuses largely on the past to understand why the issue is occurring while coaching identifies the issue and focuses on how to make it better in the future.
• Therapists are medical professionals and coaches are not.

In many cases, it is clear that a client could benefit more from one than the other and in some cases, clients choose both. In other cases it is less clear. If you are ready to receive support and are not sure if you would benefit more from a therapist or coach, reach out to both and make the decision that is best for you.

 WHAT IS THE BELIEF/VALUE SYSTEM OF COACHING?

The mantra of coaching is that each of us is creative, resourceful and whole- not problems to be fixed. Goal attainment and positive change are at the center of coaching. You as the client have what you need to find your own solutions and create your own path toward reaching these goals. The coach is there to support you and help you discover the solutions. Coaching recognizes that most people do not respond well to other people telling them what to do, and as a result, it places the highest value on clients buying into the solutions they have created for themselves.

The coach’s role is to form a partnership with you in order to challenge you, hold you accountable, encourage you and help you think differently about your goal and how to achieve it. The coaching process is driven by you, the client, and what you want and need. The coach follows your lead and does not come to sessions with an agenda. It is your responsibility to come to the session prepared to discuss what is most important to you.

WHAT DO PEOPLE GET COACHED ON?

You name it. Coaching is often divided into two broad areas- professional coaching and life coaching. Professional coaching can include anything from time management to greater productivity, from leadership skills to prioritization. There are job coaches, executive coaches, skills coaches and many more. Personally, people get coached on wellness, relationships, finances, personal skills and many more. Many coaches will specialize in a particular area.   

DOES COACHING WORK?

There has been a push in recent years to quantify the effectiveness of coaching. As the field continues to grow, hopefully so will the research. Studies to date have focused largely on coaching results in the professional realm and the results have been positive.

• Multiple studies[2]have found that businesses using a coach see returns of 5-7 times their initial investment.
• 80% of individuals improve self-confidence
• 72% of individuals improve communication skills
• 70% of clients improve their work performance
• 67% improve work/life balance
• 99% or organizations are satisfied with the overall coaching experience[3]

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM COACHING?

In order for coaching to be successful for you, you as the client must be motivated to make positive changes in your life. If you are not ready to take on that responsibility, you are not ready for coaching- yet. Once you are motivated toward positive change, you can begin to benefit from the support, accountability, advocacy and insight that coaching provides. Regardless of the goal, whether it is personal or professional, you can benefit from an objective set of eyes and ears to listen, support, challenge and encourage you. If you have a goal you’d like to accomplish and you are ready to put in the time and energy to reach it, a coach can benefit you.

HOW ARE COACHES TRAINED?

It is important for you to know that in many cases they are not. Coaching, still considered by many to be in its infancy, is largely unregulated, and many coaches receive little to no training. There are certifying bodies, however, with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as the largest and most recognized[4].

It is not necessarily the case that certified programs are always better than non-certified ones or that coaches who trained through certified programs are always better than those who trained through non-certified programs (or received no training at all). It is up to you as a client what importance you place on your coach’s level of training. Know that it is well within your rights to ask potential coaches what type of training and credentialing they have and to decide how to use that information to make the best decision for you.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

I am loathe to give you the dreaded “it depends” answer, but it’s the best I can do. Like buying a house, it depends greatly on the perceived quality and the location. Coaches charge different amounts of money depending on a number of factors including:

• The coach’s experience and credentialing
• The type of coaching (broadly divided into two main categories- professional coaching and life coaching)
• The location of the coaching

I have seen coaches charge $40 per hour, $250 per hour and $500 per hour. I’ve heard of coaches who charge in the thousands.  Like anything else, higher prices don’t always equal higher quality. As you start to research your options, you will get a better sense of what coaches in your area charge for the type of coach you are seeking. And like anything else, feel free to ask for referrals and to talk with current or former clients. Know that it may take a few tries before you find a coach you feel good about, but don’t stop until you do.

WHAT ARE THE SESSIONS LIKE?

Every coach will bring a personal style and personality to the relationship and how you set up your sessions is up to the both of you. Many clients prefer to do their sessions by phone, some prefer in person and others prefer to do them by computer (through Skype or some other video service). Many coaches will provide all of these options but not all will, so be sure to ask.

You will be expected to come to the session prepared to discuss what you want to discuss. The coach will work with you to establish a goal for the particular session keeping in mind the overarching goal(s) you set at the beginning of the coaching relationship. As life occurs, you may want to work on any number of other issues on any particular day. It is entirely up to you. You lead the session and your coach will follow your lead, asking insightful questions and helping you develop a plan that feels right for you.  Do not expect your coach to tell you what to do or to solve your problem for you. This is not what coaching is about.

During your time together, the coach will ask questions, point out patterns and check for understanding. There will likely be multiple periods of silence to process what is happening. If it is helpful to you, there may be “homework” to do in between sessions.

 HOW LONG DOES COACHING LAST?

Some clients meet with their coaches for years and others for a much shorter period of time. Most coaches will suggest a minimum of a 3-month commitment as change and growth take time. During this time, some clients have sessions weekly, others monthly, and others still on their own time frame. Sessions may be 15 minutes, 2 hours or anything in between. Again, the plan is something you work out with your coach in order to serve you best.

IS COACHING FOR ME?

Only you can truly answer this, but to get you started, think about the following three questions:

• Are you ready to make a positive change in your life?
• Do you have a goal you would like to achieve?
• Are you ready to put in the time and effort it will take to reach your goal?

If you answered yes to all three, you are ready to explore coaching. You can find a number of online quizzes to further help you (here’s one- https://bit.ly/CoachingForMe)

Coaching has great power and potential to help. If you are interested in learning more, talk to people who are coaches and who have used coaches to learn from their experiences, but keep in mind that everyone’s experiences are necessarily unique and it is ultimately up to you if coaching is the best fit for you.