Yesterday I had to take my 1972 El Camino to the shop for some tinkering on the carburetor after it 'hiccuped' and developed a stutter leaving me with an intermittent stall at the red light. While at the shop I spent some time with Dale, the owner of the shop.
We discussed how business is doing in an economy most people are describing as 'in recession.' Dale said that business is down about 15% over last year, however, he is optimistic about the rest of the year and the future. He told me that he works with a life coach to keep his attitude up and to give him guidance.
Life coaching is a big business. If you type, life coach, into your Google search engine you will get 5,300,000 listings. There are lots of people who think they can make a living being a 'life coach'. If this is the case, you may want to practice some 'caveat emptor' before signing up with just anyone to be your life coach.
First, you need to know there is no national or state certification to be a life coach. While some people may claim to join a 'life coach association' and, thereby, have some form of certification, this certification should be taken with a grain of salt. Anyone can set up an organization and 'certify' people for anything, including 'life coaching.' Don't be taken in by people claiming to be a 'certified life coach'.
Second, while checking out the credentials of a life coach, be aware that many life coaches specialize in certain areas of expertise. Dale tells me that what makes his life coach effective is that he specializes only in owners of automotive repair facilities. His life coach knows his business and can give him guidance about his particular business. If I was going to launch a private counseling practice, I would want to hire a life coach who knew the ins and outs of private practice. If you are going through a career change, you may want to find a life coach who understands career testing, etc.
Third, check references. While this should be obvious, I am amazed how many people leave themselves open to fraud and waste by trusting what they see and hear. Remember this life coach is your employee. You are hiring him or her to do a job for you. Any person worth hiring will give you a list of satisfied customers. You may want to check with friends and other professionals in your field to find a qualified person.
Fourth, you may want to do a background check. After all you are putting yourself in the hands of this person who is going to have a significant impact on your life. Hiring a life coach is not cheap. Most charge at least $100 an hour - average seems to be around $125 an hour. You don't want to throw away your hard earned money. A $50 background check is worth the thousands you are going to give this person. (If you don't believe me, do the math: 20 sessions @ $100 equals $2,000.)
As my friend, Dale, has discovered his life coach has more than paid for himself in the past 5 years. (Dale has seen his business grow about 20% a year by implementing the strategies his life coach has given him. Dale tells me that even though business is down this year, he believes that his coach is helping him be more efficient and productive so his losses will be lower than most comparable businesses.)
If you have used a life coach, I would be interested in hearing your experience.
Update - CM asked me what a life coach is - I have posted a description in the comment section. I hope this may answer this question.
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As they say, you often get what you pay for. That's the reason it is important to know what you are paying for.
I know I can be a bit slow on the draw and usually am in the dark more than I care to admit........but is there really such a thing as a "life coach" and if so, do they really get paid somewhere around $100 per hour??????
ron
Some people hire a pitching coach to teach their child how to pitch; some people need help making decisions in life so they hire a life coach.
I think the disintegration of the family may be partially responsible for the creation of this new industry. In the past, you visited with an elder in the family and received wisdom from this person. The scattered family means that most people don't have access to the wise uncle, aunt, grandparent, or even parent. So people hire life coaches who have received some formal training in how to coach people about how to succeed in their lives.
ron
but if you find a good one like Dale did, hang on to him (or her)
cheers
ron
Great post!
Bear Hugs!
PolarB ;)
I could see you being a sensible person who has a pretty good sense of self - I am glad you are so grounded.
thanks for coming by
ron
Life coaching is a practice with the aim of helping clients determine and achieve personal goals. Life coaches use multiple methods that will help clients with the process of setting and reaching goals. Coaching is not targeted at psychological illness, and coaches are not therapists nor consultants.
Life coaching has roots in executive coaching, which itself drew on techniques developed in management consulting and leadership training.[citation needed] Life coaching also draws inspiration from disciplines including sociology, psychology, positive adult development, career counseling, mentoring, and other types of counseling. The coach may apply mentoring, values assessment, behavior modification, behavior modeling, goal-setting, and other techniques in helping their clients.[citation needed]
Government bodies have not found it necessary to provide a regulatory standard for life coaching nor does any state body govern the education or training standard for the life coaching industry, the title of "coach" can be used by any service provider. Multiple coaching schools and training programs are available, allowing for many options (and sometimes causing confusion) when an individual decides to gain "certification" or a "credential" as they apply to the coaching industry. Multiple certificates and credential designations are available within the industry. [1]
Four standards and self-appointed accreditation bodies are internationally recognized: the International Coaching Council (ICC) , the International Coach Federation (ICF), the International Association of Coaching (IAC) and the European Coaching Institute (ECI). No independent supervisory board evaluates these programs, and they are all privately owned.
Some assert that life coaching is akin to psychotherapy without restrictions, oversight, or regulation. The State legislatures of Colorado after holding a hearing on such concerns, disagreed ,[2] asserting that coaching is unlike therapy because it does not focus on examining nor diagnosing the past. Instead coaching focuses on effecting change in a client's current and future behavior. Additionally, life coaching does not delve into diagnosing mental dysfunctions nor analyzing the past.
According to a survey of coaching clients, "sounding board" and "motivator" were the top roles selected for a coach. Clients are looking for a coach "to really listen to them and give honest feedback." The top three issues clients seek help on are time management, career, and business. [3]
The above was taken from Wikipedia
Anyone looking for professional or paraprofessional intervention in life must not rely on this fabricated and governmental sanctions for provided services. One must rely on investigating the person they are using as support. How many complaints, any lawsuits, etc, also to talk to people who have used a service, what they experienced and how the serviced has improved their life. These need to be done just for starters.
There are some real bad actors out there that have licenses, passed tests, and have kudos from alleged authorities etc.
Be aware, educate your self, trust your intuition and do the research because you are worth it.
( "Life Coach" ya gotta love Yankee ingenuity and marketing)
The statement about 'not worth the paper they are written on' holds too true in our world, unfortunately.
Thank you for affirming my position here - buyer beware!
cheers
ron
Cheers! ~MacKenzie