We naturally strive to grow, to become better and better at what we do and to achieve more and more – both on a personal level and on a professional level.
And yet, we oftentimes find invisible barriers that stand in our way or in the way of our business. While we can’t always pinpoint what’s stopping us from achieving what we want but we can always find a coach who can. Here are five things to take into consideration when looking for a coach:
1. Ensure it is a coach what you are looking for
A great coach will enable you to achieve your outcome no matter what your outcome is and to what domain it relates to, providing that you are 100% committed to achieving it yourself. A coach hasn’t necessarily achieved the exact same outcome, even more, might not even excel in the domain your outcome comes from. What do I mean? A coach is not a mentor, a coach probably hasn’t achieved what you’re looking to achieve, and so they haven’t “walked in your shoes” and won’t give you a step-by-step “recipe” of how to reach your goal.
This actually is one of the things that makes a coach so great at what they do – he or she will have an out of the box view, unbiased by “how it should be done” and “how it’s always been done”. Instead, they would empower you to achieve your goal in a way that best fits you, aka supporting you to both achieve your goal and be authentic at the same time.
Also, the element of “not having done it themselves / not being experts in a domain” means they will be asking a lot of questions, many of them which might seam basic to you. It is precisely the basic, simple questions / aspects you want to be crystal clear on before moving on to more complex areas, whether you’re working on personal development or developing and growing a business.
Stay away from: someone who’s offering solutions without asking lots of questions and truly listening.
2. You yourself have to grow before you can grow your business
Have you heard these stories of people winning the lottery only to be wasting all their money and then being worse off than before winning the lottery? That’s because all the money in the world cannot compensate for lack of personal development.
That’s right, you cannot grow a business, let alone a successful one, without you growing as a person first. Your thinking patterns, your attitudes, your values, your unconscious behaviours etc, can all be in your way. Carl Jung said it best: “Until you make the unconscious, conscious, it will rule your life and you will call it Fate.” Therefore, the route to a successful business starts with first addressing the patterns and behaviours that hold you back as a person.
Stay away from: “coaches” who don’t support you as well as your business.
3. Your opinion matters the most
Many coaches offer a taster session / free consultation. More than giving you a taste of how it would be like to work with them, the free consultation gives you both the chance to check each other out. Decide what your outcome is before launching into a free consultation, know what you’re looking for and definitely take up the opportunity to talk to them before making a decision or engaging in a commitment. If they are not offering a free consultation, contact them nevertheless. You can still ask for a call as long as you show you’re genuinely interested in working with them and outline what the purpose of the call would be.
Stay away from: someone who’s offering you a solution (1-to-1 work) before hearing out what your problem / challenge is.
4. The proof is in the pudding
Always check for testimonials. Testimonials are the easiest and fastest way to get a glimpse into how it would be to work with a coach and the results other people had in working with a specific person. All coaches, businesses, freelancers have testimonials on their websites or a list of featured clients. Full names, portraits and logos will add to the credibility of the testimonial.
Stay away from: someone who can’t produce any proof for their work.
5. Whatever the price, attach it to the results you’re expecting
If you’re working on your personal development, it is because you want to grow as a person, to be the best version of yourself and you expect to attract the same quality of people in your life as well. If you’re working on developing your business, you’re expecting your clients to trust you and to buy your great products and / or services, even when you sell them at a premium price.
So when your coach states the price for their services, keep in mind this is their business. A good coach has worked hard to get where they are and the price they are asking for, reflects both this and the results whey’ll be empowering you to obtain.
Stay away from: cheap / makeshift solutions that “might” work.